By Alan Sherrod The rich history of Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor has always been a tale of notable dramatic coloratura sopranos who have taken the title role to stratospheric heights—Nellie Melba in the 19th Century and 20th Century…
Recital Report: UT’s Hristov and Hu Survey the Beethoven Violin Sonatas
Leading up to the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020, musicians and listeners worldwide will be celebrating the creative genius whose music is fully ingrained in our musical consciousness. With festivals and performances going on around the globe,…
Recital Report: A Stunning Performance from 17-Year-Old Pianist Ray Ushikubo
Even though I had previewed the Young Pianist Series recital appearance by Ray Ushikubo, I admit that I was not at all prepared for a performance that literally left me speechless. On paper, one might assume that the 17-year-old pianist would be your average supremely-talented teen at the beginning of his serious music education—Ushikubo has entered the Curtis Institute of Music this year to pursue his Bachelor’s degree. Average? No. Supremely talented? Most definitely.
Review: KSO Basks in the Romance and Drama of Ballet – With and Without the Dancers
By Alan Sherrod It was an evening of dance for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra last weekend, but that statement requires a bit of explanation. Much like the rhythm of a waltz, concert hall interest in music from Peter Ilyich…
Sunday, Feb 17: ‘Young Pianist Series’ Continues With Ray Ushikubo
The second of this season’s Young Pianist Series recitalists, the seventeen-year-old Ray Ushikubo, occupies a fairly rare position among young music artists, certainly rare among the recitalists in the YPS series—his solo abilities include both the piano and the violin.
Sunday, February 17, 2019, 2:30 PM
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie Haslam Music Center on the UT Campus
Preview: Breakout Talents Grace Knoxville Opera’s ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’
By Alan Sherrod As harsh as it sounds, the history of music is the history of fads and fascinations. Whether it was to serve the needs of religion, royalty, wealthy patrons, or a fickle public, composers for centuries have…
Saturday Evening: UT Symphony To Offer a Beethoven Fantasy and a Bruckner 7
By Alan Sherrod It isn’t at all uncommon for audiences today to willingly take in performances of four and five hours, or even more, if the occasion demands it. Marathon concerts, even all night ones, always attract the curious…
Review: CBT’s ‘King Charles III’ – A Possible Future Chases the Past
By Alan Sherrod It should come as no surprise that a somewhat heated controversy arose in the U.K. over Mike Bartlett’s 2014 play, King Charles III, a dramatic projection of the accession to the throne of Prince Charles following…
Thursday Arts Miscellany: Art/Design Openings and Shows
Above: Frank Stella (Malden, Massachusetts, 1936; lives and works in New York), Shards II, 1982. Acrylic and oil stick on etched, cut and assembled aluminum, 40x45x6 inches, Knoxville Museum of Art, gift of June and Rob Heller, 2014. © 2019 Frank…
Review: Performance Treasures Mark Flying Anvil Theatre’s ‘Dog Act’
By Alan Sherrod It is tempting to describe Liz Duffy Adams’ comedy, Dog Act, in terms of other familiar post-apocalyptic scenarios—like “Mad Max goes on Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and performs Vaudeville.” However, the fact is that Dog Act,…
