By Alan Sherrod There are a lot of myths surrounding the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but one thing that we know for certain is that he absolutely loved a good joke—particularly if it ridiculed or parodied those in…
Review: Knoxville Opera Wraps Its 40th Season With A Superb ‘Aida’
By Alan Sherrod It was probably inevitable that Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida would be Knoxville Opera’s choice to conclude the 2017-18 season—its 40th anniversary season. After all, it was to be a season designed to make a major statement for…
Previewing Knoxville Opera’s ‘Aida’: Soprano Michelle Johnson
In almost every decade, it seems, music writers love to dig up an age-old question: “where are the great Verdi sopranos?”
Review: Spectacle Abounds in Knoxville Opera’s ‘Turandot’
It was inevitable that Knoxville Opera would eventually come around again to Giacomo Puccini’s final opera Turandot. Last produced by the company in October 2003, the work virtually cries out for lavish spectacle, given its exotic setting of the Imperial…
Othalie Graham and Jonathan Burton Together Again for Knoxville Opera’s ‘Turandot’
It is a fact that opera need not be produced at the highest and loftiest levels of expense in order to be artistically interesting and successful. This claim has certainly been validated by opera companies like Knoxville Opera and others that operate in the environment of medium-size cities or regional entities.
Knoxville Opera Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary with a Gala Concert
A 40th birthday is looked on by most as an unfortunate, but inevitable, milestone—particularly if you happen to be 39. Outside of the human context, though, 40 years is a mark of admirable longevity. For example, the original Star Wars,…
Review: Dueling Sopranos Take Knoxville Opera’s ‘Maria Stuarda’ to Bel Canto Glory
History insists on reminding us that cousins and bitter enemies, Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I, never met in real life. That fact did not prevent German philosopher and playwright, Friedric Schiller, from creating a drama that treated Mary, Queen…
Knoxville Opera This Weekend: Donizetti’s ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’
Two previews of the cast and production of Knoxville Opera’s production of Gaetano Donizetti’s Mary, Queen of Scots—opening this coming weekend at the Tennessee Theatre—can be found in the Knoxville Mercury.
In this week’s Knoxville Mercury: Review of KO’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’
In this week’s Knoxville Mercury, I review Knoxville Opera’s production of Humperdinck’s ‘Hansel and Gretel.’
This Week in the Knoxville Mercury: Preview of KO’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’
Read my preview of Knoxville Opera’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’ in this week’s Knoxville Mercury.