Gospel music, opera, Agatha Christie, Ravel, Shostakovich, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Opera, horror films, documentaries, home movies, Appalachian Ballet — oh my.
For at least 10 years, we’ve been predicting a time would come in Knoxville’s surging arts and entertainment scene when the sheer quantity of events would begin to overwhelm its audience with choices. Is Knoxville entering a new Golden Age of Arts? We can only hope, even if it makes our day-to-day decisions harder.
This weekend, the diverse smorgasbord of art, music, and theatre presents some impossible choices. Do the best you can. Here are a few suggestions.
Music
Highly recommended is Knoxville Opera Goes To Church, A Celebration of Talent. Now in its 9th year of performance, this concert combines two different music forms—gospel music and opera—in a presentation that celebrates great music making.
Jeannie Turner Melton, who co-produces the concert with Knoxville Opera executive director Brian Salesky, offers “We are the only opera company in the world that has its own Gospel Choir and we are proud to present our eclectic repertoire featuring outstanding local and visiting guest artists.”
In addition to the 30-voice Knoxville Opera Gospel Choir, the lineup of soloists includes local artists Evelyn Jack, Earl Smith, Lloyd Gable, Shirley Herbert, Francis Harshaw, and Rekeenya Cunningham. Knoxville Opera guest artists include Catherine Daniel, Rochelle Bard, and Scott Bearden who will be accompanied by Maestro Brian Salesky at the concert.
On the program will be a number of notable gospel and spiritual works as well as operatic selections from Porgy and Bess and Puccini’s Turandot.
5:00 PM, Sunday, October 22, 2017, Overcoming Believers Church, 120 S. Bell Street, Knoxville, TN. FREE
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra continues its 2017-18 Masterworks season in a program titled “Red, Hot, and Bolero.”
The program concludes with Ravel’s masterpiece of the ultimate in instrumental maximal-minimalism: Bolero. Before that, though, the concerts include Marquez’ Danzon No. 2, Ades’ tango-inspired Dances from “Powder Her Face,” and Argentinian composer Ginastera’s Four Dances from “Estancia,” featuring members of the Appalachian Ballet Company. KSO’s maestro Aram Demirjian will be on the podium.
7:30 PM, Thursday and Friday, October 19 and 20, 2017, Tennessee Theatre
Tickets and Information
Knoxville’s other remarkable symphony orchestra, the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, takes on Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, a challenging work from the post-Stalin Soviet Union of 1953 that alternates between sublime moments of lyricism, angry drama, heroic pronouncements, and tragic emotions. Don’t miss this opportunity.
4:00 PM, Sunday, October 22, 2017, James R. Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial Bldg,, UT Campus
FREE
The Inversion Vocal Ensemble is comprised of classically trained students and alumni of Tennessee State University, Oakwood University, Morgan State University, Vanderbilt University, Morehouse College, and Westminster Choir College. Inversion performs classical, contemporary gospel, jazz standards, and inspirational music
6:30 PM, Sunday, October 22, 2017, St. John’s Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Avenue, Downtown Knoxville
FREE
Theatre
The stages of UT’s Clarence Brown Theatre are currently in between productions, but other Knoxville theatre is humming right along. Here are three choices:
Flying Anvil Theatre: The Love Talker (Deborah Pryor)
1300 Rocky Hill Road
Runs through November 5, 2017
Thurs, Fri, and Sat at 7:30 PM; Sun at 2:00 PM
Tickets and Information
Theatre Knoxville Downtown: The Mousetrap (Agatha Christie)
319 N. Gay Street
Runs through October 29, 2017
Thurs, Fri, and Sat at 8:00 PM; Sunday at 3:00 PM
Tickets and Information
Tiger Lily Theatre: Fat Pig (Neil LaBute)
Modern Studio, 109 W. Anderson Avenue
Thurs, Fri, and Sat at 8:00 PM; Sun at 2:00 PM
Information
Film
Knoxville Horror Film Festival (KHFF),
The Knoxville Horror Film Festival returns to Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 for its ninth year with an eclectic, electrifying lineup of classic and independent feature films. Read Andrew Swafford’s preview of two horror classics, Hausu and Suspiria, on this site.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Regal Downtown West Cinema 8
Tickets and Information
Home Movie Screening with Live Music Hosted by Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound
Footage of Knoxville throughout the 20th century, including the earliest known film footage of the city from 1915 and newly discovered film of the 1929 downtown Christmas parade.
7:00 PM, Friday evening, Market Square in Downtown
Home Movie Day 2017 Knoxville
11 AM – 4 PM, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S Gay St, Downtown
Information
On Sunday afternoon, filmgoers will want to check out Public Cinema’s screening of the 2017 documentary Spettacolo at the Knoxville Museum of Art.
Once upon a time, villagers in a tiny hill town in Tuscany came up with a remarkable way to confront their issues: they turned their lives into a play. Every summer, their piazza became their stage and residents of all ages played a part – the role of themselves. — IMDB.com
2:00 PM, Sunday, October 22, Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive
FREE
Information and http://www.publiccinema.org
Visual Art
Closing reception for The Interdisciplinary Show
6 Groups of artists have collaborated on art to bring you this exhibition.
A1LabArts, 23 Emory Pl
7-9 PM, Friday, October 20
Knoxville Museum of Art — American Impressionism: The Lure of the Artists’ Colony
1050 Worlds Fair Park Drive
Exhibition continues through November 12
http://knoxart.org
Tuesday – Saturday: 10am-5pm; Sunday: 1-5pm
FREE
