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…
Review: Joshua Gersen Leads KSO in Beethoven, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky
The Beethoven Violin Concerto returned to the Tennessee Theatre this weekend for the first time since 2011, again with a guest conductor, Joshua Gersen, and this time with a remarkable young violinist, Paul Huang.
Preview: KSO Welcomes Guest Conductor Joshua Gersen and Violinist Paul Huang to Masterworks Series
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks: “Beethoven Violin Concerto” Guest conductor: Joshua Gersen Guest violinist: Paul Huang Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration) Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasy 7:30 PM, Thursday and Friday,…
Review: Operatic Ecstasy Marks the Beginning of Knoxville Opera’s 40th Season
If you ask a hundred opera lovers why they are drawn to the art form, you’re likely to get a hundred different answers. After all, it is essentially an unanswerable question. While all arts appeal to individuals in distinctly particular…
Review: KSO’s ‘Red, Hot, & Bolero’ – A Feast for the Eyes and Ears
Every symphony concert is like a bubbling cauldron of ingredients, a mixture of music, performers, and performances that takes on a dynamic life of its own. Add or remove one ingredient, or alter the mixture’s balance, and something new emerges.…
This Weekend: An Overwhelming Diversity of Events
Gospel music, opera, Agatha Christie, Ravel, Shostakovich, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Opera, horror films, documentaries, home movies, Appalachian Ballet — oh my. For at least 10 years, we’ve been predicting a time would come in Knoxville’s surging arts and…