BY ALAN SHERROD When the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s appearance in the Kennedy Center’s SHIFT Festival was cancelled last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the energy in Knoxville’s classical music scene quickly evaporated. As the remainder of the…
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Delays New Season Until February 2021
BY ALAN SHERROD Although the Knoxville summer of 2020 has been mostly temperate, weatherwise, there has been enough socio-political heat and angst across the nation to fill a decade or two. And, just at the time when there are…
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…
KSO Music Director Aram Demirjian Receives The 2020 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award
BY ALAN SHERROD In its twentieth year of assisting young conductors on the threshold of substantial careers, the Solti Foundation U.S. has announced that the 2020 recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award is Knoxville Symphony Orchestra music…
UPDATE: KSO Cancels Remaining April Concerts
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has officially canceled the remaining concerts scheduled for the month of April. • Saturday, April 4: “Music of the Rolling Stones” • Thursday and Friday, April 16, 17: Masterworks Series – “Beethoven & Sibelius” • Wednesday,…
UPDATE: KSO Drops Plans for Live Broadcast This Thursday
UPDATE The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has dropped plans for a live broadcast of the March Masterworks concert on Thursday, March 19, 2020. “After further investigation and conversations the KSO decided that attempting the live radio broadcast this week on WUOT…
Review: Violinist Hristova Commands the Price – KSO Fashions an Heroic ‘Eroica’
BY ALAN SHERROD The lobby of the Tennessee Theatre has probably seen every kind of audience response, but the intermission buzz at this weekend’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks concerts was a little more animated than usual. Even amidst the…
Tuesday Arts Miscellany: February 4, 2020
February has arrived—and with it, one of the busiest months on Knoxville’s arts calendar. This week, particularly, is absolutely jammed with openings owing to the presence of the First Friday events. While there may be some painful decisions on what…
Tuesday Arts Miscellany: January 28, 2020
Grammy Award News — The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance went to the Attacca Quartet for its recording of Caroline Shaw’s Orange, appearing on New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records. NPR’s Tom Huizenga called it “A love letter…
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…