Prairie Ensemble Records, 1996-2015 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Organized in three series: Series 1) Board of Directors Meeting Minutes and Governing Records, 1996-2015; Series 2) Financial Records, 1997-2015; Series 3) Administrative Records, 1996-2015; and Series 4) Concerts, Special Events, Publicity, and Digital Records, 1997-2014. All four series contain both paper and digital records and have been further divided to show this structure.

Series 1 is arranged into two sub-series: sub-series 1) Board of Directors Records and sub-series 2) Board of Directors Digital Records.

Series 2 is arranged into two sub-series: sub-series 1) Financial Records and sub-series 2) Financial Digital Records.

Series 3 is arranged into two sub-series: sub-series 1) Administrative Records and sub-series 2) Administrative Digital Records.

Series 4 is arranged into four sub-series: sub-series 1) Concerts Programs, sub-series 2) Special Events and Correspondence, sub-series 3) Publicity, and sub-series 4) Concert Programs, Special Events, and Publicity Digital Records.

Kevin Kelly grew up in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1979 he was accepted at Northwestern University, where he earned bachelors degrees in English and music history and criticism. After working as an editor for the Chicago-based publishing house Mosby-Year Book, Kelly moved to Champaign-Urbana to pursue dual masters degrees in orchestral and choral conducting at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At the University of Illinois, Kelly studied with Kenneth Kiesler, Paul Vermel, and Victor Yampolsky. Prior to graduating in 1993, he became the conductor of the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra and has served in this position for over thirty years. In 1996, Kelly became the host of WILL-FM's classical program "Live and Local." In that same year he founded the Prairie Ensemble, a local chamber orchestra, which operated from 1996 until 2015. Kelly also became the choir director at Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church in Champaign in 1996, serving the church for seventeen years.

In 2014, Kelly moved to Chicago where he became the director of the Allegro Community Chorus of Palatine, Illinois, a position he has held for over fifteen years. In addition to his part-time conducting roles in Chicago and Central Illinois, Kelly expanded upon his experience as a radio host, becoming a voice actor in 2020.Kelly maintains a career as a professional musician as well, singing with several professional choral ensembles in Chicago, including the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Grant Park Symphony Chorus, The City Musick, Basically Bach and His Majesties Clerkes (now Bella Voce).