Music

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…

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…

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.