(Above: CBT Artistic Director Calvin MacLean and KSO Music Director Aram Demirjian) Artistic collaborations may seem like natural extensions of a performing arts scene, but they aren’t necessarily that easy to accomplish for a number of reasons. However, in a…
Preview – Marble City Opera Presents Menotti’s ‘The Telephone’ and Poulenc’s ‘The Human Voice’
Marble City Opera presents Menotti’s The Telephone and Poulenc’s The Human Voice Friday and Saturday, October 6 and 7, at 8:00 PM The Square Room, 4 Market Square in downtown Knoxville Above: Kathryn Frady in ‘The Human Voice’ Where…
William Shaub Takes the Reins of the KSO’s Concertmaster Series
Most regular concertgoers have, at least, a vague idea of the role of an orchestra’s concertmaster. He or she symbolically represents the orchestra as a whole, occupies the first chair position of the first violins, calls for tuning at the…
Review – The Desperation of Inaction in Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’
In many ways similar to how “Shakespearean” is an accepted adjective, so is “Chekhovian” in referring to the works of the playwright and short story writer, Anton Chekhov. However, while “Shakespearean” is an expansive reference by virtue of quantity, scale,…
Preview of Sunday’s Chamber Classics – KSO Chamber Orchestra Takes On ‘Frankenstein!!’
Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra: Frankenstein!! Aram Demirjian, conductor Haydn: Symphony No. 60 Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (Classical Symphony) H.K. Gruber: Frankenstein!! A Pan-Demonium for Chansonnier & Ensemble Sunday, October 1, 2017, at 2:30 PM Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street Tickets…
Preview – The Yearnings of Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ at Clarence Brown
Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters UT’s Clarence Brown Theatre in the Carousel Theatre Previews: Wednesday and Thursday, September 27 and 28, at 7:30 PM Opening Night: Friday evening, September 29, at 7:30 PM Continues through October 15 (Schedule, information and tickets)…
Review – Knoxville Theatre Club’s ‘Cindy & Ella’ – A Dustbowl Gothic Tale
Although the title may conjure up images of the happily-ever-after romantic Disney version of the Cinderella fairytale, Knoxville Theatre Club’s production of Cindy & Ella goes in a much different, much darker direction. In fact, an appropriate sub-title to this…
Review – KSO’s ‘Knoxville Postcards’ Paints the Past, Rejoices in the Future
As I threaded my way along the bustling sidewalks of downtown amid the intoxicating sounds and smells of the warm evening, headed for the Tennessee Theatre and the opening performances of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season, I realized the…
Author Kirstin Valdez Quade at UT’s ‘Writers in the Library’-Sept. 25
Kirstin Valdez Quade had been on my reading list for months earlier this year, so I was delighted to find her short story, “Christina the Astonishing (1150-1224)” in a New Yorker this past July. (New Yorker, July 24, 2017). I’m…
Preview, KSO Explores Local Connections in Season Opener: ‘Knoxville Postcards’
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Knoxville Postcards Aram Demirjian, conductor R.B. Morris, narrator Schachter: Overture to Knoxville (with UT Brass Ensemble) Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (with soprano Joélle Harvey) Aaron Copland: Suite from The Tender Land ( with Carson-Newman A Capella…
