By Alan Sherrod For the last several years, it has felt like something of a triumph to report that Knoxville’s chamber music scene, once merely an under-attended curiosity for the most dedicated listeners, has grown by leaps and bounds,…
January Classical Music: Hope for a New World
The month of January has been known in recent years to have the mysterious ability to inspire notable—dare I say, sublime—music performances for Knoxville audiences. The schedule for January 2019 gives a hint of what wintertime concertgoers might possibly expect…
Top Ten Most Read Arts Knoxville Stories of 2018
By Alan Sherrod Over the last week, we’ve taken a look back at 2018 and its memorable music performances, as well as the enlightening Top Ten lists from film critics Andrew Swafford and Reid Ramsey. But what stories and…
Most Memorable Classical Music Performances of 2018
By Alan Sherrod Although every music season differs in the performers involved and their artistic choices, each year has its unmistakable trends and distinctive personalities. Themes emerge, certain composers or music become trendy for one reason or another, and…
Preview: Two Weekends of Appalachian Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’
This weekend and next – it’s the 47th season for Appalachian Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. One American holiday tradition that sparkles with timelessness is that of productions of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker during the winter season. The Appalachian Ballet Company…
Review: A Feast of Variety in “Classical Christmas” from KSO and Knoxville Chamber Chorale
By Alan Sherrod In 2015, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra took a chance and moved its November Chamber Classics concert to the weekend following Thanksgiving and titled it “Classical Christmas.” That incredibly popular concert took a different direction from the…
Review: An Exciting Circle – Conductor Eric Jacobsen and Pianist Gabriela Martinez Join KSO For “Schumann’s Circle of Friends”
By Alan Sherrod It begins and ends the same way, simply enough, with four chords from woodwinds building onto each other. Yet, that four chord progression is one of the most magically captivating in all of music history and…
Review: William Shaub and Friends Illuminate a Treasure of Baroque Gems in KSO’s Concertmaster Series
By Alan Sherrod Many Baroque composers are known for prolific output—J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel among them—but none so much as Antonio Vivaldi. His concerto output alone totals more than 500 works, yet none of these have been rewarded…
Review: Knoxville Opera’s Comedy Double Bill Exudes Cleverness and Charm
By Alan Sherrod While the overwhelming bulk of the operatic repertoire is devoted to tragic heroes, heroines, and villains, Knoxville Opera took a comic detour Friday evening in its season-opener, leaving no comedy stone unturned in its performance of…
Review: Violinist Bollinger Awes Audience In Tchaikovsky as KSO Triumphs in Shostakovich Fifth
By Alan Sherrod If there was ever a concerto that could send its audience into ecstasy with the conclusion of the first movement, it is certainly the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Its extended rousing coda works its familiar magic on…