I can virtually guarantee that everyone reading this has heard the work of tubist Jim Self, even if they didn’t realize it. Since 1974, Self has been a freelance musician in Hollywood, performing in orchestras for over 1500 motion pictures and…
Sergei Rachmaninoff, We Hardly Knew Ye
BY ALAN SHERROD This week—specifically Saturday, February 17—marks a rather ironic claim to fame for Knoxville. In Knoxville on that date in 1943, 75 years ago, the Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff, gave the last public performance of…
Strad and Rad: KSO Brings Two Stradivarius Violins To Knoxville for Bach, Shostakovich, and Schnittke
Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra’s Chamber Classics Conductor: Aram Demirjian Schnittke: Moz-Art à la Haydn Golijov: Last Round (Muertes Del Angel) Bach: Concerto For 2 Violins (Soloists William Shaub and Edward Pulgar) Jessie Montgomery: Starburst Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony Sunday, February 4,…
Review: KSO Tests New Territory with “Bohemian Rhapsodies”
As I suggested in my preview of this weekend’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks concerts, the conversation on what constitutes the future of classical music is not a new one. While it has been a regular topic for years for national…
KSO This Week: PROJECT Trio Joins the Orchestra for “Bohemian Rhapsodies”
Put a group of classical music musicians or listeners together for any extended period, factor in an alcoholic beverage or two, and the conversation will inevitably find its way to the question—“what’s the future of classical music?”
Review: KSO’s Concertmaster Series Explores the Power of String Duos
In a way, it feels like eons have passed since October 2012 when the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra launched its Concertmaster Series of solo and small ensemble music events under then-Concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz. During those five seasons, much has changed: the…
KSO Heats Up A Cold January With a Full Schedule
In a perfect world, a willingness to follow the arts should not vary with the seasons, nor should uncomfortable short-term weather issues affect attendance at events. However, Knoxvillians, inhabiting coordinates barely halfway between tropical Florida and wintry New England, suffer…
Knoxville’s Most Memorable Classical Music Performances of 2017
My “Most Memorable of the Year” list of classical music performances began in the pages of the former Metro Pulse, later finding a place in the Knoxville Mercury. Now, it has a home in Arts Knoxville. Here, then, is the list for 2017.
Preview: Appalachian Ballet Offers Its 46th Season of Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’
Irony has an amusing place in music and dance performance history, for that history is full of examples of works that were unimpressive to audiences when they premiered, but later became giants of the repertoire. Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ certainly finds itself in this historic group.
Review: KSO’s ‘Classical Christmas’ a Joyous and Welcome Alternative
It had become a familiar theme for me every December. “Where’s the Music?” was the question one article’s headline posed to the realization that in the most festive, and seemingly busiest, month of the year, there were actually few music…