Given the current revelations of the past week, I couldn’t help feeling that Maestro Aram Demirjian and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra may have wished they had titled the week’s Masterworks concerts something other than “Russian Passion.” On the other hand,…
Review: KSO Brings Ecstasy and Enlightenment with Bach and Shostakovich
After Sunday afternoon’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Chamber Classics concert, several things should now be readily apparent to the KSO’s audience.
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’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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…