Live and Local with Kevin Kelly

George Szell was considered one of the 20th century's greatest conductors and is especially remembered for his long tenure as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra. Fellow conductor Michael Charry has written a new biography of Szell that will be out next year from the University of Illinois Press. Mr. Charry will be my guest on the Monday edition of "Live and Local."

This Friday, the Boneyard Jazz Quintet, Traditional Jazz Orchestra, pianist Donnie Heitler and singer Darden Purcell will all participate in a benefit in Urbana for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. Banjo player Mike Miller will join me on the Wednesday edition of "Live and Local" to share some recordings. And I'll talk with Milt Scott, director of Decatur's Opus 24, about their upcoming choral concert.

The Bloomington Normal Youth Symphony was founded in 1989 and has been conducted by Deanne Bryant since 1994. The orchestra will play its fall concert Tuesday night, and Mrs. Bryant will join me on the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local." I'll also visit with Deanna Doty and Tracy McCabe about this year's Nutcracker production by the Champaign Urbana Ballet.

Composer Charles Ives was musically far ahead of his time, yet deeply rooted in America's past. You could say he's as American as baseball, a lifelong love of his. Prof. Gayle Magee at the University of Illinois has written a book called Charles Ives Reconsidered, newly out in paperback from the UI Press, and she'll join me on the Monday edition of "Live and Local."

The show Drumline LIVE!, brings to the stage the music and choreographic energy of marching bands at historically black colleges and universities. The show comes to Springfield's Sangamon Auditorium on Sunday, and we'll hear all about it on the Friday edition of "Live and Local." And I'll talk with Janet Cripe, director of The Nutcracker All Jazz'd Up, also in Springfield.

On the Friday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with Ellis Paul, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter originally from northern Maine and recipient of 13 Boston Music Awards. He'll be playing at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield Friday night. And live in our studio, we'll have guitarist Jason Vieaux and bandoneon player Lidia Kaminska, who solo with the Illinois Symphony this weekend.