In opera generally, and specifically in Gaetano Donizetti’s 1835 bel canto masterwork Maria Stuarda (“Mary, Queen of Scots”), creative license and fictional what-ifs add an angle or two to the …
Claire Chenette Headlines a Refreshing KSO Chamber Program of Mozart and More
In his biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the 20th-century musicologist Alfred Einstein came right to the point on the Mozart wind concertos: “All these concertos have something special and personal …
BIG EARS 2017: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Music Director Aram Demirjian
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has become an essential part of Big Ears—the orchestra’s opening-night performance of John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean was one of the most memorable events of the …
Departing KSO Concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz Goes Out on a High Note
I first wrote about Gabriel Lefkowitz in 2011, when the then 24-year-old violinist was auditioning for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster position. As part of the audition process, Lefkowitz was the …
Guest Conductor Mei-Ann Chen Leads a Joyous KSO Through an Inspired and Eclectic Program
From the first moment guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen stepped onto the stage of the Tennessee Theatre last week for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s February concerts, one sensed it would be …