BY ALAN SHERROD Matching singers to roles in a university opera program is certainly no small feat. A part of the natural attrition of a university program is a constantly changing educational dynamic. The number of student arrivals doesn’t…
Shaub Shines in Strauss at the Cathedral Concert Series
BY DIANA SALESKY Every once in a while, one hears a performance in which the connection between performers and composer is in perfect unity. Such was the case when violinist William Shaub and pianist Kevin Class took on the…
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…
KSO and ETPBS Collaborate on a Special ‘Concertmaster Series’ Performance
BY ALAN SHERROD Staying safe from the ravages of the current pandemic while also laying the groundwork for the eventual return to normalcy has been an ongoing conundrum for musicians, artists, and their organizations. While we wait for live…
Review in Brief: KSO’s Concertmaster Series Dives Into Beethoven, Haydn, and Bates
By Alan Sherrod Since its humble beginnings in the backroom of a coffee house, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster Series has evolved organically, continuing to dazzle with small ensemble virtuosity, while also exploring the music’s connections to history and…
Review: UT Opera Theatre Sparkles With ‘The Elixir of Love’
By Alan Sherrod Throughout its 187 year history, Gaetano Donizetti’s bel canto comedy The Elixir of Love (L’elisir d’amore) has remained high on the list of most-performed operas worldwide. This popularity comes at a price, though, as opera companies…
This Weekend: UT Opera Theatre – Donizetti’s ‘The Elixir of Love’
Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love University of Tennessee Opera Theatre Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street • Friday, November 8, 8:00 PM • Saturday, November 9, 2:30 AND 8:00 PM • Sunday, November 10, 2:30 PM Directed by James…
Review: Baroque Excitement from KSO Concertmaster William Shaub and Friends
By Alan Sherrod One of the themes that musical Baroque-ophiles love to espouse about their adored Baroque era—after the impassioned joy it produces in them as musicians or listeners—is the inspirational effect that the music has had on subsequent…
Review: Virtuosity and Warm Reflection Highlight January’s Concertmaster Series Concert
By Alan Sherrod If Tchaikovsky’s ballets, symphonies, and operas tell us anything, it is that the composer gravitated to the richness and complexity of orchestral textures as a main vehicle for musical creation. Chamber music seems to have had…
Review: UT Opera Theatre’s Colorful ‘The Secret Gardener’
By Alan Sherrod Performances reviewed: Friday evening, November 9; Sunday afternoon, November 11 When the opera La finta giardiniera (The Secret Gardener) premiered in Munich in 1775, its composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was still two weeks shy of his…