Alan Sherrod
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Drawing from a career background in music, motion pictures, and theatre, Alan Sherrod has been writing about Knoxville's diverse art and music scene since 2007 — first as the classical/new music writer for the alternative weekly Metro Pulse, then later in the same capacity for the Knoxville Mercury. After the closure of Metro Pulse in 2014 by its parent company, Sherrod created ARTS KNOXVILLE to provide a home for Knoxville arts journalism. In August, 2017, he expanded ARTS KNOXVILLE into the site it is today — a site dedicated to continuing the arts journalism legacy of those alternative weeklies. In addition to covering Knoxville's arts scene, he has also contributed music content to the Nashville Scene and other arts and entertainment publications around the U.S, including the website, Classical Journal. Mr. Sherrod was a recipient of a 2010 Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts — the Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera — under the auspices of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In 2019, Sherrod was inducted into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame.

Review: ‘The Book of Mormon’ at the Tennessee Theatre – Still Outrageous Fun

‘The Book of Mormon’ is now well-ensconced in a third U.S. tour—this one non-AEA— that took to the road in 2022. That tour is currently making a stop for eight performances at the Tennessee Theatre through November 16.

UT Opera Theatre Introduces a New Stage Director … and an Italian Double Feature

Stepping into the spotlight with his first production as Director of Opera Theatre at UT is James Kenon Mitchell.
For the fall production of the 2025-26 UTOT season, two one-act comic operas were chosen: La cambiale di matrimonio (The Marriage Contract) by Gioachino Rossini and Amelia al ballo (Amelia Goes to the Ball) by Gian Carlo Menotti.

Review: Knoxville Opera Brings a Superb Cast to Bizet’s ‘Carmen’

BY ALAN SHERROD   Note for note, minute for minute, Georges Bizet’s Carmen can seem today like one hit tune after another. Interestingly, it didn’t start its operatic life that way, the premiere in 1875 being quite the disaster. Thankfully,…

Review: Demirjian, Fung, and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Deliver a Magical Evening

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concerts this past weekend, as programmed by Maestro Aram Demirjian and delivered by the orchestra, featured a brilliant take on Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto by the young dynamic cellist Zlatomir Fung. The orchestra players were in the spotlight for the 1947 concert hall version of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka and its dramatic orchestral storytelling. And, the opener, Meilina Tsui’s Floridian Symphony, was a delightfully vibrant and atmospheric new work that calls on orchestral instruments and their players to explore and artistically replicate the natural sounds of a rural Florida environment and its world of insects, birds, and other animals.

Review: Amadeus Concert Ensemble Explores “Polish Classics”

The Amadeus Concert Ensemble opened its 2025-26 season on Sunday afternoon, continuing its exploration of gems of music history in superb performances that are a part of the ongoing Cathedral Concert Series. On this occasion, the theme was “Polish Classics,”…

KSO This Week: Essential Elgar, Storybook Stravinsky

Following its compelling opening Masterworks Series concerts last month, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra embraces an intriguing program for its October concerts this week that feature Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor with guest soloist Zlatomir Fung, along with Igor Stravinsky’s delicious folk-fantasy ballet score, Petrushka. Maestro Aram Demirjian will be opening the concert with the eight-minute Floridian Symphony by Meilina Tsui—receiving its first performances in the state of Tennessee.

On Sunday: Amadeus Concert Ensemble Opens Season With “Polish Classics”

Season after season, the Amadeus Concert Ensemble has taken its audience in the Cathedral Concert Series on a number of enlightening journeys, sometimes to familiar locales, but just as often, to charming and intriguing, but less-visited musical destinations. ACE is…

Review: KSO Concertmaster Series Opens With ‘Vices’ and Virtues

BY ALAN SHERROD   In the space of only two weeks, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has launched four of its five performance series, with a fifth series opening just days away. The most recent of these season openers was last…

Review: Magical Season Opener for KSO Chamber Series at the Bijou

BY ALAN SHERROD   With a big helping of momentum from its recent Masterworks season opener, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra turned its attention to the popular Chamber Series for its season opener Sunday at the Bijou Theatre. Once again, the…

On Sunday: KSO Chamber Classics Opens With Price, Strauss, and Mozart

Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra — “Mozart & More” Roy Cockrum Chamber Series — Aram Demirjian, conductor –Works by Florence Price, Richard Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sunday, September 28, 2:30 PM Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street Tickets and Information  …

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