Diana Salesky
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With an impressive and diverse career in classical music, Diana Salesky writes about that subject for Arts Knoxville. She has been a regular contributor to violinist.com since 2017. A lifelong violinist, Salesky pursued both violin performance and vocal studies through graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. Her professional career began with New York City Opera, singing in the regular chorus and performing small roles. For a decade, she served as vocal adjudicator for the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts (“Fame”) in Manhattan and was a consultant to the New York State Board of Education’s arts program. She appears regularly as alto soloist with the Arkansas Choral Society and members of the Arkansas Symphony. She recently sang the alto solos in Messiah with the KSO. Diana and her siblings created a non-profit organization, Amadeus Chamber Ensemble (ACE), that produces classical music concerts in Arkansas, Colorado, and Tennessee

One Name. One Legend. Midori.

BY DIANA SALESKY   It was August 25, 1988. Leonard Bernstein was turning 70, and his birthday bash was nothing less than a televised tribute concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Seiji Ozawa. The evening overflowed with stars…

KSO This Week: Jonathan Leshnoff’s Premiere — 3 Quilts, 1 Chorale, and an Entire Community

BY DIANA SALESKY   GRAMMY-nominated composer Jonathan Leshnoff had an unusual assignment: create an orchestral work inspired by quilts made in Maryville. It turned out to be a natural fit. Quilts, he says, are “precious expressions” – stories, textures, repetitions,…

1930 Was a Very Good Year: Musicians and the Art of a Long Life

BY DIANA SALESKY   I ’ve got a milestone birthday coming up this year, and let’s just say it doesn’t start with a 4, 5, or 6. While that alone might tempt me to pull the covers over my head…

This Week: KSO Concertmaster Series Explores the Subtle Side of Romance

BY DIANA SALESKY   Concertmaster William Shaub has something for everyone in his upcoming Concertmaster Series installments February 4/5 at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Pre-Valentine’s Day, Shaub will explore the “inward, reflective side of romance.” Shaub says he doesn’t…

KSO This Week — A Perfect Pairing: Gluzman and Brahms

BY DIANA SALESKY   One of the most important jobs a Music Director has is selecting soloists for its symphonic season. Maestro Aram Demirjian never disappoints in the violin category. In fact, he may have outdone himself this season with…

Review: Knoxville Chamber Music Society – Piano Quartets Take Center Stage

BY DIANA SALESKY   The Knoxville Chamber Music Society’s 2025–26 season continued with a captivating program that drew a sizeable and enthusiastic audience. The performance featured two stalwarts from the chamber music repertoire: Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major,…

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.…

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.

Grit and Glitz: William Shaub and Friends Release Album

BY DIANA SALESKY   Since William Shaub’s arrival in Knoxville in 2017 at age 24, I’ve watched his musical and personal evolution with fascination. He’s always been a great violinist, which is why he won the Concertmaster position with the…

Review: Cathedral Concert Series – Organist Moon Shines Brightly

In a concert that brought not only musical drama but real-life drama, organist Byongsuk Moon delivered a masterful performance to officially christen the Casavant Frères Pipe Organ, Opus 3927 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

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