Knoxville Symphony Orchestra – “Beethoven’s Ninth”
2025-26 Season Opener
Aram Demirjian, music director
Jennifer Higdon: XC Blast – (World Premiere)
Aaron Copland: Old American Songs
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
• Knoxville Choral Society
• Pellissippi State Variations Choir
• Kevin Burdette, bass
• Laura Strickling, soprano
• Renee Tatum, mezzo-soprano
• Kameron Lopreore, tenor
Thursday/Friday, September 18/19, 7:30PM
Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street
Tickets and Information
Beethoven’s majestic Ninth Symphony finds its way into all sorts of celebratory occasions, magically taking on the emotions and intent of every moment in time in which it appears. For the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra that occasion will be the opening concert of its 90th Season, an undeniably appropriate time and place for a work that stands alone among the treasures of music history.
KSO music director and conductor Aram Demirjian described the Ninth’s universality. “This entire program is a series of odes to joy. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has become an almost immortal piece of music — not just because of its majesty, but because its message of universal brotherhood and the searching questions it poses that humanity seems to perpetually return to. Part of the power of that iconic ‘Ode to Joy’ melody is how universally accessible it is — it’s really a very simple tune that could be a hymn sung in a house of worship or a folksong sung among friends around a campfire. Anyone can learn how it goes in just a few minutes; it’s one of the first melodies any elementary school string student learns how to play — yet it leads us toward something transcendent. Another composer featured on our program — Aaron Copland — was also fascinated by the profundity of simplicity, and his Old American Songs make me smile deeply on the inside like few other works.”
Old American Songs will feature bass Kevin Burdette who will also be the bass soloist in the Beethoven.
To add to the importance of this opening September concert, the orchestra is launching a special program, the “9 for 90” project, nine world premieres spread throughout the classical 2025-26 season.
“There was only one composer I wanted to launch that project,” Demirjian stated, “and that is Jennifer Higdon, a dear friend of the KSO and a native of East Tennessee. Her piece, titled XC Blast — ‘XC’ being the Roman numeral for 90 — sets the tone for the season, and yes, it’s going to be a blast.”
