The musicians of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, in the midst of negotiations with the orchestra’s management, are performing a free concert Oct. 2.

Garrison Keillor is hosting the program, 7:30 p.m. in the Leonard Center Gymnasium of Macalester College.

In a press announcement of the concert, SPCO Concertmaster Steven Copes said: “The musicians in the SPCO adore their enthusiastic audiences in the Twin Cities, and this is a fun and celebratory way to really give something back to the community that supports what we do, and in an unexpected venue, as well.”

The program, which the musicians will lead, includes the Overture to Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin & Viola and Beethoven’s Symphony No.1. The musicians will also hold a post-concert reception with the audience.

The SPCO and its musicians are locked in contentious negotiations for a new contract. The current term expires Sept. 30. Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, embroiled in their own impasse with that orchestra’s management, are performing a free concert of their own, 4 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Lake Harriet Bandshell in Minneapolis.