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…
New Faces in the KSO — 2017 Edition
There was a time when American symphony orchestras had the reputation for stubbornly resisting change, entities that embraced neither innovation nor diversity in their ranks. However, the last 25 or 30 years have brought miraculous changes to the makeup of…
KSO and CBT To Team Up Again in 2018 With Bernstein’s ‘Candide’
(Above: CBT Artistic Director Calvin MacLean and KSO Music Director Aram Demirjian) Artistic collaborations may seem like natural extensions of a performing arts scene, but they aren’t necessarily that easy to accomplish for a number of reasons. However, in a…
William Shaub Takes the Reins of the KSO’s Concertmaster Series
Most regular concertgoers have, at least, a vague idea of the role of an orchestra’s concertmaster. He or she symbolically represents the orchestra as a whole, occupies the first chair position of the first violins, calls for tuning at the…
Preview of Sunday’s Chamber Classics – KSO Chamber Orchestra Takes On ‘Frankenstein!!’
Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra: Frankenstein!! Aram Demirjian, conductor Haydn: Symphony No. 60 Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (Classical Symphony) H.K. Gruber: Frankenstein!! A Pan-Demonium for Chansonnier & Ensemble Sunday, October 1, 2017, at 2:30 PM Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street Tickets…
Review – KSO’s ‘Knoxville Postcards’ Paints the Past, Rejoices in the Future
As I threaded my way along the bustling sidewalks of downtown amid the intoxicating sounds and smells of the warm evening, headed for the Tennessee Theatre and the opening performances of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season, I realized the…
Preview, KSO Explores Local Connections in Season Opener: ‘Knoxville Postcards’
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Knoxville Postcards Aram Demirjian, conductor R.B. Morris, narrator Schachter: Overture to Knoxville (with UT Brass Ensemble) Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (with soprano Joélle Harvey) Aaron Copland: Suite from The Tender Land ( with Carson-Newman A Capella…
KSO Appoints William Shaub As Its Next Concertmaster
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of William Shaub as its next concertmaster, replacing Gabriel Lefkowitz who has taken the concertmaster position with the Louisville Orchestra following six years with the KSO. Shaub was one of two finalists…
There’s Still More To Come As 2016-17 Arts and Music Season Winds Down
If you are like me, the on-rushing signs of summer seem to bring a bit of sadness that the organized arts season is coming to an end. While I used to temper those feelings with remarks about just how much the…
A Big Weekend for Knoxville
Not particularly by design, there are those weekends in Knoxville when multiple diverse arts events converge on the same time period. This weekend, April 21-23, is one of those biggies. Music, theatre, and street fair festivals offer more opportunities for…