BY ALAN SHERROD Good theatre, whether tragedy or comedy, is a journey for both the performers and the audience in which the destination is a matter of characters making choices for themselves that aren’t necessarily easy. That is certainly…
Review: Knoxville Opera’s ‘Die Fledermaus’ Sparkles With Champagne and Song
BY ALAN SHERROD In the wide—and often wacky—world of operetta, Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”) occupies a singular position, happily standing apart from its fellow denizens of the 19th century. Although premiered in 1874 in Vienna, Die Fledermaus…
Review: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Thrills With Tchaikovsky Fifth
BY ALAN SHERROD It puts a knowing smile on one’s face to consider that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony was once criticized as “new music” that displayed “wild savagery” and harsh harmonies. Time marches on, and so has the…
Review in Brief: Mandolinist Jeff Midkiff Joins Violinist William Shaub for Bach Concerto in Concertmaster Series
BY ALAN SHERROD The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster Series began life in 2012 in a crowded backroom of a coffee shop offering a mid-week audience something a little different with its cutting-edge attitude and broad approach to programming. The…
Review: A Charming and Poignant ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’ at CBT’s Lab Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD Life is a journey, it seems — even if you are a porcelain rabbit named Edward Tulane. Adapted for the stage by Dwayne Hartford from the popular 2006 children’s novel by Kate DiCamillo, The Miraculous Journey…
Confessions of a Bachophile: An Afternoon of KSO, Bach, and Midkiff Opens Chamber Series
BY ALAN SHERROD In our preview of “Bach and Bluegrass,” the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert in the Roy Cockrum Chamber Series , we made liberal use of the word “connections” to describe the interesting juxtaposition of works on…
KSO on Sunday: Delicious Connections in “Bluegrass and Bach” with Mandolinist Jeff Midkiff
Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra “Bluegrass and Bach” Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street Sunday, September 27, 2:30 PM TICKETS Some of the most enlightening explorations in the arts come when we make connections between works in different genres or find…
Review: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Opens 2026-27 Season With A Musical Portrait of America
BY ALAN SHERROD Although the official response to America’s Semiquincentennial celebration has admittedly felt a bit underwhelming, certainly no blame for this can be levied against the country’s larger classical music organizations and venues. These arts groups planned ahead…
KSO This Week: Shaping American Music—Gershwin, Dvorak, Still, and Sohn
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra – Gershwin’s An American in Paris Thursday/Friday, September 17/18, 7:30PM Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street Tickets The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra opens its 2026-27 Masterworks season this week with a pair of concerts focused on those that…
On Sunday: UT Symphony Orchestra Explores Rossini, Debussy, Borodin
The University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of James Fellenbaum, begins its 2026 Fall Season this Sunday afternoon, September 13, with an exploration of works by Giacomo Rossini, Claude Debussy, and Alexander Borodin. The three works are: Rossini:…
