In a tennis family where Lewis’ two brothers were also pros, it’s not surprising that daughter Geneva Lewis would excel at the sport. What is surprising is that she replaced her racket for a violin. And her career rise in the classical music world has been no less stunning than that of her father’s in the sports arena.
Review: KSO’s Present and Future Meet in a Celebration of Musicianship and the Mahler Fourth
The title given to this weekend’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concerts was “The Heavenly Life: Mahler Symphony No. 4.” A less poetic, but perhaps equally accurate title might have been “Musicianship: Now and in the Future.”
KSO This Week: Why William Shaub Needs Two Violins for Mahler’s Symphony No. 4
BY DIANA SALESKY William Shaub plays on one of the finest violins in the world – an 1865 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. When he takes the stage of the Tennessee Theatre on January 25-26 as Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra,…
Most Memorable Classical Music Performances of 2023
BY ALAN SHERROD We’ll probably look back on 2023 as something of a threshold year. With the pandemic restrictions and precautions fading into a dusty corner of our concert-going memory, we embraced the idea that a combination of luck…
Aram-isms: When the Conductor Speaks
BY DIANA SALESKY Editor’s Note: Diana Salesky was the alto soloist in the recent Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at the Tennessee Theatre. There are moments during rehearsals and concerts when one connects with another performer for…
Review: Demirjian Leads KSO, KCS, and Soloists in ‘Messiah’ and ‘A Carol Symphony’
BY ALAN SHERROD Just what does it take for something to become a tradition? A specific concert selling out two years in row is probably a good start. For the second year, Maestro Aram Demirjian and the Knoxville Symphony…
KSO This Week and Next: Ives, Rachmaninoff Set the Stage for “A Classical Christmas”
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks This Week: “Bax Plays Rachmaninoff” • Bernstein: Overture to Candide • Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (Alessio Bax, piano) • Charles Ives: Symphony No. 2 Thursday and Friday, November 16 and 17,…
Review: Bruch’s ‘Scottish Fantasy’ Comes Alive with Stefan Jackiw and KSO – A Sensational Beethoven ‘Pastoral’
BY ALAN SHERROD Concerts have an intriguing way of taking on a life and meaning of their own. That meaning may be obvious and intentional, or personal and ineffable. That is the joy—and burden—of those that program concerts: the…
Review: KSO Begins 2023-24 Season with Trumpets and Triumphs
BY ALAN SHERROD A sip of cold champagne, a trumpet fanfare, and an energetic welcome from Maestro Aram Demirjian greeted audience arrivals at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s opening Masterworks concerts this past weekend. While similar to previous versions of…
Review: KSO Opens Chamber Classics Series with Variego, Smyth, and Mozart
BY ALAN SHERROD It would be nice if we could pretend that the past weekend was a normal one for classical music in Knoxville. The fact is, there was nothing normal about it. Knoxville was treated to an unusual…