The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's 2018-19 Chamber Classics series opens with the music of Joseph Haydn and "A Touch of France" conducted by Music Director Aram Demirjian. Haydn: Symphony No. 82 Boulogne: Violin Concerto No. 2 Shaw: Entr'acte Mozart: Symphony No. 31 ("Paris") Aram Demirjian, conductor; Gordon Tsai, violin  

In the early 20th century, the dance floors of Harlem hosted a musical revolution that swept the globe. Vocalist Catherine Russell will lead a trip back in time where folks dress to the nines and dance the night away.

Revel in a playful journey through some of the world’s most recognizable melodies, each given a fresh makeover and fueled by the high-octane power of the full jazz big band.

"A Classical Christmas," conducted by James Fellenbaum, features favorite holiday selections. This Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Chamber Classics event has sold out the past two years.

A native of Cuba, drummer Dafnis Prieto weaves styles from Latin America with jazz into a fresh sound that sparkles with excitement and points to a world of new possibilities.

Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn will perform music from her Grammy Award-nominated CD, A Social Call, plus standards from the Great American Songbook. This concert will be the perfect Valentine’s treat.

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Music Director Aram Demirjian will lead "Mozart & Tchaikovsky" with Chih-Lohn Hu on the piano. Auerbach: Eterniday (Hommage to Mozart) Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 ("Jeunehomme") Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence Aram Demirjian, conductor; Chih-Long Hu, piano

Piano master Monty Alexander combines American jazz with Jamaican reggae into an unforgettable concoction of pure joy. Don’t miss this must-see event for all music lovers.

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's 2018-19 Chamber Classics series concludes with "Mozart in the City." Mozart: Symphony No. 36, "Linz" Boccherini: Night Music from the Streets of Madrid Copland: Quiet City Gruber: Manhattan Broadcasts Aram Demirjian, conductor; Claire Chenette, English Horn; Phillip Chase Hawkins, trumpet

The Chamber Classics Series begins an eclectic season with a program about transition and transformation, opening with a sonic journey by Knoxville composer Dosia McKay called 'Unveiling,' which begins with a single note, morphs into a seemingly infinite sea of polyphony and returns to where it began. McKay: Unveiling for String Orchestra Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings Aram Demirjian, conductor; Edward Pulgar, violin; Kathryn Gawne, viola

After 14 years atop the DownBeat Critics Poll and eight Jazz Journalists Association awards, Kurt Elling can safely be called the top male jazz vocalist of his generation. The Chicago-born baritone pays tribute to some of the beloved artists of the 20th century.

Prokofiev’s simple, charming, magical tale of Peter and the Wolf has introduced countless young ears to the instruments of the orchestra and to wonders of classical music. Revisit that childlike wonder that still lives inside us all with a program of fairy tales and legends, featuring Peter and other beloved characters from our favorite bedtime stories. Ravel: Mother Goose Suite Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Sibelius: Valse Triste Stravinsky: Pulcinella: Suite Aram Demirjian, conductor

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra celebrates its platinum anniversary with the release of a new CD. Listen as the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra revisits music that brought the band together and introduces some young members who promise to shape the next 20 years of music in Knoxville and beyond.

Jeff Hamilton is one of the most exciting drummers in jazz and brings his trio, featuring pianist Tamir Hendelman and Knoxville's own Jon Hamar, to spur the KJO to new heights.

As we embark on Beethoven’s 250th year, we “Begin” with an exploration of Beethoven’s early years as a young phenom, newly arrived on the music scene in Vienna and trying to make his mark. This program also features a new concert format, combining chamber music and orchestral music. Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 6; Romance No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra; Romance No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra; Symphony No. 1 Aram Demirjian, conductor; Ruth Bacon, violin; Zofia Glashauser, violin

Brianna Thomas' vocals turned heads when she was in grade school. She had toured Europe before reaching her teens and has since become one of the most formidable singers in jazz. Make this evening the perfect Valentine's treat for your special someone.

(As a proactive measure against the COVID-19 virus, this event has been canceled.) A native of Trinidad, trumpeter Etienne Charles buoyantly taps into a myriad of styles rooted in his Afro-Caribbean background and plumbs the musical depths of the islands, from calypso to Haitian voodoo music and reggae to Motown and R&B.

(As a proactive measure against the COVID-19 virus, this event has been canceled.) The finale of the Chamber Classics series is all about the outdoors – just in time for spring! The highlight of the program is Conni Ellisor’s “Blackberry Winter: Concerto for Appalachian Dulcimer,” a beautiful collision of past and present, bringing the classic sounds of Appalachian folk together with a 21st century orchestral sound that sings the history of our region. Ewazen: Roaring Fork Ellisor: Blackberry Winter (Appalachian…

(As a proactive measure against the COVID-19 virus, this event has been postponed.) The Knoxville Opera will perform Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, the true story about the transformation of slave girl Araminta Ross into heroine Harriet Tubman. Against all odds, the young woman from Maryland makes her way to freedom in the North and becomes the inspiring, courageous conductor of the Underground Railroad, repeatedly returning home to guide her family and friends out of slavery.…

(As a proactive measure against the COVID-19 virus, this event has been postponed.) The Knoxville Opera will perform Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, the true story about the transformation of slave girl Araminta Ross into heroine Harriet Tubman. Against all odds, the young woman from Maryland makes her way to freedom in the North and becomes the inspiring, courageous conductor of the Underground Railroad, repeatedly returning home to guide her family and friends out of slavery.…

(As a proactive measure against COVID-19, this in-person event has been canceled in 2020.) The Chamber Classics Series begins with a delightful program, featuring uplifting pieces by Valerie Coleman, Mozart and Schubert. Coleman: Nonet Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2 Schubert: Symphony No. 5 Aram Demirjian, conductor; Gordon Tsai, violin

(As a proactive measure against COVID-19, this event has been canceled.) The Chamber Classics will showcase the sounds of Italy. The series continues to promote Knoxville collaboration with solos by Knoxville Symphony Orchestra violinist Sean Claire and the Orchestra's Principal Cellist Andy Bryenton. Rossini: Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers Clyne: Within Her Arms Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and Cello Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”) Aram Demirjian, conductor; Sean Claire, violin; Andy Bryenton, cello

The livestream from the Bijou Theatre features Stravinsky’s neoclassical theatre piece The Soldier’s Tale with a seven-piece orchestra on stage joined by Knoxville’s Marble City Opera and GO! Contemporary Dance Works performers as they relate the story through narration and dance. This charming cautionary tale tells the story of a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil for fame and fortune allowing audiences to join in the story through live storytelling set to music.

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's Q Series features a livestream from the Bijou Theatre with the Woodwind Quintet in music from “tango king” Astor Piazzolla in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth and the Principal Quartet in Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major. Also showcased will be the classic Flight of the Bumblebee and Valerie Coleman’s Portraits of Josephine.

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will present "The Search for Persephone, A Mythological Ballet," one of the company’s most beloved and enduring full length contemporary ballets, with a livestream from the historic Bijou Theatre. Artistic Director Lisa Hall McKee, GO!’s team of seven choreographers and 55 pre-professional and professional dancers will bring to life the captivating myth of the springtime goddess, Persephone, and her abduction by Hades, king of the underworld. Tickets are available HERE. The livestream event may be rewatched…

This lunchtime event features a one-hour concert performed by the KSO Principal String Quartet and the KSO Woodwind Quintet. of Haydn's “Sunrise.”

The Concertmaster Series, featuring KSO concertmaster William Shaub, will take place at the Bijou Theatre and via livestream. Performances include Prokofiev's Sonata for Two Violins, op. 56 and Brahms' Sextet No. 1 in B flat Major, op. 18.

The Chamber Classics Series begins the 2021-22 season with Tchaikovsky. Jessie Montgomery: Strum Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Chamber Symphony No. 1 (after String Quartet No. 1, “The Accordion”) (arr. Christopher Theofanidis)  

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Camille Thurman, a rising star in the jazz world, is the newest member (and first female member) of Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and often featured as both a tenor saxophonist and vocalist. Thurman brings her unique talents to bear on a program of music made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and others.

Legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will joins the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day celebration. Bridgewater’s list of accolades includes three Grammy awards, Tony award, UN Goodwill Ambassadorship, NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship and an induction into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will brings ancient Egyptian culture to life with the premiere of its newest contemporary ballet, CLEOPATRA: The Last Pharaoh. Performances are at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at gocontemporarydance.com or by calling 865-539-2475. Intertwining Egyptian rituals, mysticism and traditions, Cleopatra is a powerful spectacle with a documentary style storyline based on the rivalry between Cleopatra VII, her half-sister Arsinoe IV and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII. Written and directed by Lisa Hall McKee, the…

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will brings ancient Egyptian culture to life with the premiere of its newest contemporary ballet, CLEOPATRA: The Last Pharaoh. Tickets are available at gocontemporarydance.com or by calling 865-539-2475. Intertwining Egyptian rituals, mysticism and traditions, Cleopatra is a powerful spectacle with a documentary style storyline based on the rivalry between Cleopatra VII, her half-sister Arsinoe IV and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII. Written and directed by Lisa Hall McKee, the large scale, two-act inventive ballet travels between…

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra turns it attention to K-town's outstanding talent to spotlight vocalists in a special program, featuring Robinella Bailey, Kayley Farmer, Jeanine Fuller, Evelyn Jack, Kelly Jolly, Cait Lunsford, Stina Nesbit, Brent Thompson and a few surprises.

Conductor, arranger and pianist John Beasley marked the centennial of Charlie "Bird" Parker’s birth by reimagining some of Parker’s music for big band with string orchestra. The project earned Beasley a Grammy Award and invitations to perform at major venues around the globe. "Bird Lives with John Beasley and Charles McPherson" present Beasley’s arrangements of Parker’s work with Charles McPherson, one of the most celebrated alto saxophonists working in jazz.

One of the most popular comic operas of all time, Mozart’s masterpiece, "The Marriage of Figaro," tells a sensational tale of servants outwitting their employers, complete with cases of mistaken identity and romantic subterfuge.

One of the most popular comic operas of all time, Mozart’s masterpiece, "The Marriage of Figaro," tells a sensational tale of servants outwitting their employers, complete with cases of mistaken identity and romantic subterfuge.

Knoxville Symphony Concertmaster William Shaub tackles Mozart’s most expansive and mature violin solo on the opening Chamber Classics Series concert. Dame Ethel Smyth’s first orchestral work, Serenade in D Major, and Jorge Variego’s BLINK bookend the program.  

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has partnered with the Bijou Theatre to present a special tribute concert to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

Knoxville Symphony Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum leads the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra in Mahler’s orchestration of Schubert’s dramatic “Death and the Maiden.” Knoxville Symphony Principal Flute Devan Jaquez makes his Chamber Classics Series debut with Malcolm Arnold’s high-energy Flute Concerto No. 1.

Vocalist Veronica Swift has taken the jazz world by storm in recent years, touring with Wynton Marsalis and Chris Botti and releasing one acclaimed recording after another. She has been called “a jazz lioness” (Jazz Times) with a “miraculous voice and an innate gift for entertaining a crowd” (Wall Street Journal).

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will premiere its newest contemporary ballet, The Barbarosa, which is based on the true story of Anne Bonny, the legendary female pirate. The raucous, swashbuckling ballet will feature aerial artistry, sword fighting and world-class choreography. The Saturday performances are at 2 and 7 p.m., and tickets are available HERE.

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will premiere its newest contemporary ballet, The Barbarosa, which is based on the true story of Anne Bonny, the legendary female pirate. The raucous, swashbuckling ballet will feature aerial artistry, sword fighting and world-class choreography. Tickets are available HERE.

Guest conductor Michelle Di Russo takes the Bijou Theatre stage to present the March installment of the Chamber Classics Series. This lighthearted Italian-centric programming includes Rossini’s delightful Overture to The Italian in Algiers and Mendelssohn’s spirited “Italian” Symphony No. 4. Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos features Knoxville Symphony Cellists Adam Ayers and Sarah Senn.  

Clarinetist and vocalist Doreen Ketchens embodies the spirit of New Orleans. Her infectious style has inspired nicknames like “Lady Louie” and “Miss Satchmo” and earned her appearances on HBO’s Treme, Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS Sunday Morning. Join Ketchens and the KJO for a musical trip to the Big Easy.

Pianist and composer Thelonious Monk crafted a revolutionary style in the 1940s and 50s that continues to challenge and inspire musicians today. The KJO will explore Monk’s music and influence with pianist Eric Reed, one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject and UT’s Artist in Residence in Jazz Piano.

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Cosmos Festival kicks off with a homage to NASA’s Golden Record. The KSO brings to life three orchestral works found floating in the depths of space on NASA’s Voyager spacecraft – Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and String Quartet No. 13, and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. Rounding out the program is Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, whose fourth movement as been noted by KSO Music Director Aram Demirijan as “the closes you can get to touching heaven.”

The Knoxville Symphony will open the 2024-25 Chamber Classics Series with the world premiere of “The Lure of the Flowering Fern,” a KSO-commissioned work written by East Tennessee composer Dosia McKay. KSO pianist Emi Kagawa will perform Mozart’s spritely Third Piano Concerto.