BY ALAN SHERROD Like the mythological Phoenix rising from its predecessor’s ashes, Knoxville Opera’s popular Rossini Festival International Street Fair rose once again last weekend to draw throngs of fun-and-entertainment seekers to the streets of downtown Knoxville. Unable to…
Big Weekend Downtown! – Rossini Fest, Puccini Gala, Chamber Music Society, ‘Sweat’
Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival International Street Fair Saturday, April 30, Downtown Knoxville, 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM After a 2 year absence due to the pandemic precautions, Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival International Street Fair is back on downtown Knoxville streets.…
Review: ‘Always … Patsy Cline’ at Clarence Brown Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD In case you haven’t been paying attention, jukebox musicals are real crowd-pleasers. For example, Ain’t Too Proud, the story of the Temptations, just finished a lengthy run on Broadway and has begun touring productions. Jersey Boys,…
Review: KSO Premieres Schachter’s ‘Cycle of Life’ – Offers a Phenomenal Rachmaninoff
BY ALAN SHERROD To say there was an air of excitement at the past weekend’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concerts at the Tennessee Theatre would be an understatement. The occasion was the world premiere performances of Michael Schachter’s Violin Concerto:…
Big Week on Stage: World Premiere from KSO, ‘Patsy Cline’ at Clarence Brown, Puccini from Knoxville Opera
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra For Knoxville Symphony Orchestra fans, every concert has some compelling component—a hugely popular work performed with passion or perhaps an unknown gem lurking just out of sight, at last finding the listeners it deserves. This week’s concert…
Knoxville Opera Makes April a Month of Puccini
“Puccini is Coming To Knoxville” — well, obviously, that’s not completely accurate. Although Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival takes to downtown streets on Saturday, April 30, another Italian opera composer is getting a lot of attention this month. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924),…
Review: UT Opera Theatre’s ‘Die Fledermaus’ Turns Adversity To Its Advantage
BY ALAN SHERROD Although the old saying—“…the show must go on…”— has lost a bit of its imperative bite as a result of the pandemic shutdown, it was certainly the driving force behind the University of Tennessee Opera Theatre’s…
UT Opera Theatre Update: Weather Forces ‘Die Fledermaus’ Inside This Weekend
If—as they say—”necessity is the mother of invention”, the term could have been created for UT Opera Theatre. First, a scheduling conflict preventing them from performing in their usual venue, the Bijou Theatre downtown, had them planning instead on the…
Review in Brief: KSO’s 2022 Concertmaster Series Wraps with Splendid Schumann Quintet
BY ALAN SHERROD Since its inception, the joy of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster Series has actually been its crescendo of dual attractions—shorter, intriguing works, often virtuosic, that may be new to the audience or works you probably won’t…
Wednesday Arts Miscellany: Life After Big Ears
There is an ineffable effect of Big Ears that sneaks into one’s cultural soul and changes how the world is viewed. Suddenly, new angles appear, colors are more saturated and grays more varied. Geometric patterns appear in building facades and…
