BY ALAN SHERROD Knoxville Opera began its life at the Bijou Theatre in 1978 as the Knoxville Civic Opera. Returning to its birthplace this weekend, the company triumphed there to wrap up its 2022-23 season with a production of…
Review: UT Opera Theatre’s ‘Hänsel und Gretel’
BY ALAN SHERROD It felt like it had been forever since the University of Tennessee Opera Theatre had trod the boards at the Bijou Theatre—but the company was back last weekend with a production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel und…
Review: Clarence Brown Theatre’s ‘Hair’
BY ALAN SHERROD Hair, the rock musical that opened off-Broadway in 1967 and had a substantial Broadway run of four years, practically defined a generational era in American cultural history, not just with its statements of love, peace, and…
Review: A Powerful Mozart ‘Requiem’ from Knoxville Symphony and Knoxville Choral Society
BY ALAN SHERROD Any discussion of past or present requiems inevitably begins with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1791 Requiem, a work that has found itself the subject of myth and speculation, largely due to the fact that the composer died…
This Weekend: Entertainment Choices—and decisions—Abound
This week/weekend will be one of those that offers something for every one with an arts and/or music interest. Unfortunately, you may find yourself confronted with some painful choices and inescapable conflicts. Here is our rundown of events you may…
Preview: KSO This Week – Mozart’s Mystery and the Maestro’s Musings
BY DIANA SALESKY Clouded in myth and speculation, Mozart’s Requiem remains a veritable mystery to this day. The work was incomplete when Mozart died in 1791 and thus begat the centuries of confusion and controversy that were to follow.…
Preview: Amadeus Chamber Ensemble’s ‘Hallelujah Handel!’ on Sunday
There’s a common joke in the music world that thousands of performers owe their December rent or mortgage payment more to Georg Friedrich Händel than any other source. That’s because his Messiah is probably the most often performed work throughout…
Big Ears 2023 — Living Inside the Music
BY ERIC DAWSON “This is the best music festival in America.” (John Zorn at the Tennessee Theatre) “There’s nothing else like Big Ears in America.” (Stephen O’Malley at Knoxville Visitor’s Center) “People are such enthusiastic listeners at this festival.…
Review: William Shaub and Friends Make Sense of Beethoven’s Final String Quartet
BY ALAN SHERROD The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster Series with William Shaub has one more performance of “The Late Genius: Beethoven’s Final Days”, Thursday evening, April 6, at 7:00, at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Tickets and Information …
Review: Big Ears Magic-Shara Nova and the Knoxville Symphony in ‘The Blue Hour’
BY ALAN SHERROD As the 2023 Big Ears Festival was winding down on Sunday evening, a couple of performances by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra remained: violinist Tessa Lark performing Michael Schachter’s Violin Concerto: Cycle of Life, followed by vocalist…