Whether the contract is settled by then, or not, musicians of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra will do a free concert on Oct. 2 at Macalester College. The 7:30 p.m. event will be at the Leonard Center, 125 Snelling Av.

Garrison Keillor has agreed to be the guest host for the concert, which includes the overture to Rossini's "The Italian Girl in Algiers," Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, and Beethoven's First Symphony. Musicians are in the final weeks of contract talks with the SPCO. On Monday and Tuesday, the two sides discussed a management proposal that would cut average pay by 15 percent, institute a new tier of salary for incoming musicians and for the first time launch a retirement incentive for players 55 and older. Bargaining is set to continue on Sept. 21, ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline. Concertmaster Steven Copes said the concert at Macalester is intended to "give something back to the community that supports what we do." Musicians played a short free program at the AFL-CIO center during the Minnesota State Fair. www.musiciansspco.org