BY ALAN SHERROD Note for note, minute for minute, Georges Bizet’s Carmen can seem…
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
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…
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…
On Sunday: KSO Chamber Classics Opens With Price, Strauss, and Mozart
Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra — “Mozart & More” Roy Cockrum Chamber Series — Aram Demirjian,…
Review: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Turns In A Sublime Beethoven Ninth To Open 2025-26 Season
BY ALAN SHERROD It came as no real surprise that Maestro Aram Demirjian chose…
Jennifer Higdon’s XC Blast – KSO Celebrates the Past and the Future
She’s won three Grammys, a Pulitzer, and has been composer-in-residence for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Next on her plate, composer Jennifer Higdon has written a celebratory fanfare for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s opening concerts of its historic 90th season on September 18-19. And what a moment that will be for us lucky East Tennesseans.
