BY ALAN SHERROD As the Bijou Theatre’s red curtain closed on the University of…
Music
“If you don’t know what to do, there’s actually a chance of doing something new.”
― Philip Glass, Words Without Music: A Memoir
KSO Extends Aram Demirjian’s Contract Through 2030
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has announced that Music Director Aram Demirjian has signed a new…
KSO This Week: Pianist Chaeyoung Park — Classical Jazz Hands
I am fascinated to hear her answer to Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue when she joins the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra on November 20/21 for her first performance of the piece, alongside conductor Michelle DiRusso. Pianists who perform this work have a lot to answer for, in that Gershwin demands not only classical virtuosity but also serious jazz chops.…
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.
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…
Review: KSO Concertmaster Series Opens With ‘Vices’ and Virtues
BY ALAN SHERROD In the space of only two weeks, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra…
