First, stepping onto the soapbox. As we reach the Winter Solstice of 2024 in Knoxville’s arts and music world, we can definitely feel positive and optimistic about the achievements of individuals, organizations, and of the arts scene as a whole. Lurking in the shadows, though, is an issue that will have to be addressed soon and without temerity—the ability of Knoxville’s performing arts venues to handle growing demand. Clearly, the growth of Knoxville’s performing arts scene is beginning to outpace the ability of current venues to satisfy an increasing demand for performing arts venues of all sizes. Competition for scheduling slots has become keen. Although the Tennessee Theatre and the Arts and Culture Alliance have recently embraced expansion in ways available to them that are inspiring, looming losses to Downtown development, such as the coming closure of the Old City Performing Arts Center, need to be addressed with imagination. If growth is to continue in the walkable and energetic arts gravity of Downtown—and it simply must—the issue of venues should be a part of every serious conversation about new and revitalized development.
Last year’s Most Memorable Classical Music list suggested 2023 had been a threshold year— and that proved to be true in a number of ways. And yes, we had every reason to be hopeful and optimistic about 2024. As it turned out, 2024 seemed to be a year of solid professional accomplishment from both individuals and organizations. The list is mostly in random order — no ranking should be assumed or implied. So, drumroll please…
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Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra: Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, Pianist Emi Kagawa Performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 (September 2024)
Pianist Emi Kagawa with Maestro Aram Demirjian and the KSO in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 – Photo: Trianne Newbrey
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As we are fond of pointing out, the Chamber Classics Series draws its soloists from the orchestra itself, providing opportunities to experience the depth of talent available locally. On this past September’s installment that also included the World Premiere of Dosia McKay’s The Lure of the Flowering Fern, Emi Kagawa’s performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 was:
“… not just compelling, but brilliantly memorable in the satisfying personality she imparted to the work…One could feel the internal joy that Kagawa was drawing with it and from it. In fact, the soloist-conductor-orchestra give and take was as beautifully precise as one could hope for. Not surprising, the final Allegretto was sparkling, fresh, and fun, as if one was hearing this familiar, delightfully fun concerto for the first time.”
Maestro Aram Demirjian concluded with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4.
Maestro Aram Demirjian and the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra; Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, September 2024 – Photo: Trianne Newbrey
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“After offering the audience one of the most entertaining one-minute comparisons of Beethoven’s nine symphonies imaginable, Demirjian focused in on the Beethoven Fourth and devoted the second half of the concert to it—perhaps the perfect follow-up to the Mozart concerto given the significant joy the composer takes in his perky conversations between strings and winds.”
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Knoxville Opera: Cendrillon (May 2024)
Knoxville Opera, ‘Cendrillon’ cast and Kelly Kuo – Photo: Eli Johnson
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This production had something for every operatic taste: history, charm, and brilliant staging and performances. Using a 13-piece orchestration by contemporary composer David Hanlon and a re-working of the spoken dialog by stage director Dean Anthony and libretto adaptor Emily Anderson, the production sparkled with authenticity despite its modern touches.
From the Arts Knoxville review:
“With the elevation and expansion of the character of the Fairy Godmother to narrator, Jacqueline Brecheen was making her KO debut, dare I say, at long last. Brecheen, possessing a voice that is both lyrically beautiful and strong, is a major vocal talent, and, as it turns out, one that also has a delicious and intriguing way with comic delivery.”
“Review: Knoxville Opera’s ‘Cendrillon’ – Charming Theatrical Magic“
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Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: “The Firebird” (November 2024)
This concert touched on winning performances in two different categories. The featured work was Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite in a performance that really checked off boxes.
From the November review: “Although the performance was a clear demonstration of the passion and ensemble-ness that the KSO has been delivering under Maestro Demirjian, this performance was also the inevitable showcase for KSO sections and individuals.”
Violinist William Shaub, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto – Photo: Trianne Newbrey
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Also on the program was the Stravinsky Violin Concerto with KSO Concertmaster William Shaub as the violin soloist in a performance that was sublime: “Although the work’s 1930s neoclassicism can feel a bit rudder-less in its narrative abstraction, Shaub’s style and exemplary technique probably converted more than a few listeners to Stravinsky the storyteller.”
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Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Violinist Paul Huang Performs Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (October 2024)
Violinist Paul Huang, Maestro Aram Demirjian and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra – Photo: Trianne Newbrey
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The KSO’s October Masterworks concert featured Paul Huang’s third appearance with the orchestra, this time performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
“[Huang] is a master at making intricacy and precision sound commonplace…Not only are the storyteller’s periods, commas, and exclamation points in place, but complex plots and descriptions have been filled with subtle meanings.”
Concluding the concert was the Brahms Symphony No. 3.
“Demirjian guided the performance within a fairly wide range of kinetic and dynamic boundaries, the work’s delightful rhythm and tempo energies fully finessed. Despite the symphony’s apparent weight, agility was the key in punctuating and expressing its Romantic themes. The previously mentioned wistfulness was at home in the Andante movement where the KSO woodwinds did a masterful job of self-balancing and feeding off one another.”
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra – Photo: Trianne Newbrey
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“Review: KSO Brings Back Paul Huang For a Spectacular Tchaikovsky Concerto”
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UT Symphony Orchestra Fall Concerts (September/October 2024)
UT Symphony Orchestra (Conductor James Fellenbaum), Sept 2024, Photo: Arts Knoxville
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The Natalie L. Haslam College of Music is home to the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, a now highly impressive orchestral ensemble under the direction of James Fellenbaum. Our choice stems from two concerts this past fall. The September concert was an orchestral sampler curiously entitled “An Italian Adventure” and featuring Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, and Launy Grøndahl’s Trombone Concerto with trombonist Alex Van Duuren.
The following month found the orchestra in George Gershwin territory with fabulous guest pianist Sean Chen performing Rhapsody in Blue as well as the rarely performed Second Rhapsody.
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Marble City Opera: World Premiere of The Doctor and the Devils (June 2024)
Marble City Opera, ‘The Doctor and the Devils’. Stephen Salters as Dr. Rock
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A lot of excitement surrounded this world premiere of The Doctor and the Devils, commissioned by Marble City Opera from Knoxville composer Jason Overall.
From the Arts Knoxville review:
“The marvelously addictive and atmospheric score was Overall’s first in the operatic genre, although he has a substantial catalog of music in other categories of choral and chamber music…”
The excellent cast included baritone Stephen Salters, tenor Cody Boling, bass Daniel Webb, tenor John Overholt, Lela Philbrook, mezzo-soprano Ema Mitrovic; Jenna Zicardi, and Gianna Grigalonis.
“Review: Marble City Opera Breaks New Ground with The Doctor and the Devils”
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KSO’s Concertmaster Series: Concertmaster William Shaub, Oboist Claire Chenette, & Colleagues Perform Bach Concertos (April 2024)
KSO Concertmaster Series – William Shaub and oboist Claire Chenette perform Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin – Photo courtesy of Kyle Venlet
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The KSO’s Concertmaster Series, hosted and performed by Concertmaster William Shaub at the Knoxville Museum of Art, has been the orchestra’s deightful chamber music alternative. Shaub generally begins each installment with shorter virtuosic violin pieces that he performs with style and fabulous technique , then followed by a major chamber music work involving himself and his orchestra colleagues.
From the Arts Knoxville review:
“Shaub was joined by colleagues from the orchestra for two Bach works: the Violin Concerto in A minor, followed by the Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, BWV 1040R. Joining Concertmaster Shaub was KSO Principal Oboe Claire Chenette. The ensemble consisted of violins Sean Claire, Zofia Glashauser, Ikuko Koizumi, Edward Pulgar and I-Pei Lin; violas Jennifer Bloch and Bill Pierce; cellos Stacy Nickell and Sarah Senn; bassist Steve Benne; and Kevin Class on harpsichord…
Like getting a visit from a delightful old friend, both concerti came alive with that distinctive Bach invention, the conversational turning and flipping of melodies, exploring lively patterns that go down one path, then another, until the choices have been exhausted. In the Double Concerto, the full house of Bachophiles and oboe fans heard a beautiful performance, one in which Shaub and Chenette led a conversational back and forth that was lovingly detailed yet muscular. Despite the work’s minor key setting, one came away elated and somehow invigorated by the entertaining performance.”
“Confessions of a Bachophile: Chenette, Shaub, and Friends Take on J.S. Bach in Concertmaster Series”
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Amadeus Chamber Ensemble: “French Opera Jewels” (March 2024)
[Note: The ensemble underwent a name change in 2024 to more accurately describe the organization; it is now the Amadeus Concert Ensemble]
Amadeus Chamber Ensemble – “French Opera Jewels” – conductor Brian Salesky, soloists baritone Nathan Matticks, tenor Aaron Short, soprano Rochelle Bard, mezzo-soprano Diana Salesky
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The ensemble, known as ACE, has filled an important niche in Knoxville’s classical music scene. This concert, “French Opera Jewels,” led by conductor Brian Salesky, delved deeply into a cache of musical gems—some familiar and some rarely heard. Four soloists—soprano Rochelle Bard, mezzo-soprano Diana Salesky, tenor Aaron Short, and baritone Nathan Matticks—along with a 41-member orchestra and a 12-member men’s chorus, handled nine curated selections from the French Grand Opera.
“Review: Amadeus Chamber Ensemble Glitters with “French Opera Jewels”
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Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra: Malcolm Arnold Flute Concerto No. 1 with Devan Jaquez, Flute
KSO Principal Flute Devan Jaquez in Malcolm Arnold’s Flute Concerto No. 1; conductor James Fellenbaum; Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra strings – Photo: Trianne Newbrey
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KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum conducted this Chamber Classics Concert that coincided with a major winter snowfall in Knoxville.
From the Arts Knoxville review:
“Continuing the Chamber Classics Series practice of enlisting the KSO’s own principals for solo roles, the KSO featured its Principal Flute, Devan Jaquez, in Malcolm Arnold’s Flute Concerto No. 1. The 1954 work is a showcase piece for a flutist and Jaquez did not disappoint. His vocal-like agile delivery of the meandering tonality, flights of melody, and engaging rhythmic motifs was impressive.”
“Review: KSO Features Flutist Devan Jaquez in Chamber Classics Series”
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Arts Knoxville Wishes Everyone Happy Holidays and a Artful 2025
