One of Knoxville’s busiest musicians is about to get just a bit busier.
James Fellenbaum, who holds multiple conductorships in the Knoxville classical music world, has recently been named Artistic Director/Conductor of the Brevard Philharmonic. Fellenbaum will hold the Brevard, NC, position along with his current duties as Resident Conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Director of Orchestras at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds an Associate Professorship in the UTK School of Music.
Fellenbaum’s appointment came after the Brevard Philharmonic’s previous Artistic Director/Conductor, Donald Portnoy, stepped down in January 2017, initiating a conductor search that lasted through the 2017-18 season. During that time in which the Philharmonic narrowed a list of 54 applicants down to four finalists, Fellenbaum appeared with the orchestra twice as a guest conductor, with his audition concert taking place in April of 2018.
“The Brevard organization really feels like the orchestra is ready to take that next big step artistically,” Fellenbaum explains. “Whatever that group is to become next, they are really ready for it, and they are excited for it.”
In announcing his appointment, Brevard Philharmonic Board of Directors President, Carole Futrelle, offered: “This is an exciting time, and I look forward to Jim’s creativity and willingness to carefully guide the Philharmonic into our next phase. We also expect to benefit from his extensive work with youth and young orchestras. I have such a positive anticipation for what Jim Fellenbaum will bring to Brevard and the growth of our Philharmonic.”
To answer the big question on the minds of Fellenbaum’s Knoxville colleagues, students, and followers, it appears that his Brevard schedule of five concerts per season will be meshing quite serendipitously with his Knoxville responsibilities. “All of this fits very well,” explains Fellenbaum. “The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra rehearses Monday nights, with the Brevard weeks consisting of a Wednesday through Sunday kind of thing. And, fortunately, the Brevard concerts do not conflict with the dates of the KSO.”
In addition to his KSYO and UT Symphony Orchestra schedule in the fall, Fellenbaum is scheduled to conduct the KSO’s “Classical Christmas” concert on Sunday, November 25.
Fellenbaum believes that the musical preferences of the Brevard audience will match his own. “I think they’ll enjoy the kind of repertoire that I would like to present, which is a lot of those good standard pieces that they may have not heard before, but are accessible to a lot of audiences.”
