Although it is not spring yet, this past Sunday had all the earmarks of an early spring day—warm-ish, sunny, and cheerful. I was lured back inside, though, for one of my favorite University of Tennessee School of Music events, the…
Review: KSO and Knoxville Chamber Chorale Make a Case for December Music
It was probably four or five years ago when I began mentioning in my columns what seemed to be a strange scarcity of professional classical music performances in Knoxville during the month of December, a month I believed should be…
Review: KSO’s ‘Mozart and More’ at the Bijou
If you’ve never been to a classical music concert at Knoxville’s Bijou Theatre, then any mention of the hall’s acoustic subtlety is virtually meaningless—and you probably aren’t reading this anyway. However, audiences that frequent the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Sunday afternoon…
UT Premieres Ellen Reid/Royce Vavrek, ‘Knoxville: Summer of 2015’
In this week’s Knoxville Mercury, I preview the new work by Ellen Reid and Royce Vavrek, Knoxville: Summer of 2015. On the concert at the Tennessee Theatre on Friday evening, that work follows a performance of the Samuel Barber work,…
Sunday at the Bijou: Mozart and More
“Mozart and More” — Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Classics Series Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra Sunday, November 1, 2:30 p.m. Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville Info/tickets I had the opportunity recently to reflect on the idea of a…
Review: Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra – Schubert, Weber, Mendelssohn
Thank heavens for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Classics Series. The series has been, and is continuing to be this season, a breath of fresh air and a true opportunity to hear works that bypass the KSO’s full orchestra concerts—and…
KSO’s 80th Season Begins: “American Masters”
It’s practically impossible not to sense the optimism and anticipation that precedes the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s 2015-16 season. It seeps into conversations and drifts through the musings of both audience members and musicians. It is in this season that candidates…
Sunday: KSO Chamber Orchestra Teases Us With Thoughts of Spring
Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring seems to miraculously capture something of hope and longing, and evokes a yearning for a rebirth and a new beginning in a landscape of pastoral beauty. In truth, though, Copland was merely composing for an as-yet…
Weekend Reviews, Part 2: UT Symphony Pipes Up With Fauré and Saint-Saëns
By Saturday evening, Friday’s treacherous ice-covered snow had turned to cold rain and messy, deep slush. However, the spectre of soggy shoes and dripping overcoats did not persuade the fans of the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra under conductor James Fellenbaum to stay…
“Vive La France” This Saturday Evening – UT Symphony Focuses on French Music
University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra “Vive la France” Dukas: Fanfare from from La Perí Fauré: Requiem Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor (“The Organ Symphony”) James Fellenbaum, conducting Saturday, February 21 7:30 p.m. James R. Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial…