The occasion of a new opera making its world premiere carries not only an elevated interest for opera-goers, but also an elevated excitement. That was certainly the case last weekend as Marble City Opera premiered The Doctor and the Devils, a work it had commissioned from Knoxville composer Jason Overall.
Marble City Opera Announces Frank Murphy as Managing Director
Marble City Opera began life in 2013 and in those 11 years has crossed numerous thresholds that have defined its emergence, growth, and evolution as Knoxville’s chamber opera company. Not all thresholds, though, come with smiles and laughter. In November,…
Review: A Poignant Beginning for ‘The Christmas Spider’ via Marble City Opera
BY ALAN SHERROD If one were to start counting stories, plays, television, and films that relate to, or take place at, Christmas-time, one might assume that every possible twist on the subject matter has been exhausted. Not only are…
Review: Marble City Opera’s ‘Susannah’ Finds Magic in the Outdoors
BY ALAN SHERROD There is an ineffable sense of magic in theatre that is performed outdoors, particularly when accomplished at twilight in a natural setting as the fading light and ambient sounds of nighttime take hold. Marble City Opera…
Preview: An Old West Ghost Story Beckons Marble City Opera in ‘The Copper Queen’
Marble City Opera: The Copper Queen Music by Clint Borzoni; libretto by John de los Santos Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road Thursday – Saturday, June 2-4, 2022, 7:30 PM Tickets and Information Almost exactly nine years ago, Marble…
Most Memorable Music Performances of 2021
BY ALAN SHERROD Last year—2020—will forever bear an asterisk in the history books to indicate that we had foregone normal life for reasons of safety and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Arts Knoxville’s own yearly “Most Memorable” list of…
Review: Marble City Opera Delivers a Fabulous ‘Tosca’
BY ALAN SHERROD When I previewed the first-ever performance by the fledgling Marble City Opera in a Metro Pulse article in 2013, the concept of a chamber opera company that performed in mostly non-theatrical spaces seemed to be just…
Preview: Marble City Opera Returns to St. John’s Cathedral for Puccini’s ‘Tosca’
BY ALAN SHERROD Marble City Opera — Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Ave, Downtown Knoxville • Thursday, June 3 | Friday, June 4 | Saturday, June 5 | 7:30 PM • Tickets and Information …
This Week: Marble City Opera Offers A Staged Version of Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’
BY ALAN SHERROD As the winter of 2020 begins to show its hand and taunt us mercilessly—a winter undeniably capable of dashing both our physical and socio-political hopes—we can perhaps identify with, and take consolation in, an equally arduous…
Marble City Opera Announces Upcoming Productions
What happens in the next thirty days in the Covid-19 pandemic will be a determining factor in how and when Knoxville is able to re-open its art and music scene. How will re-opening affect the number and demographics of new…