September Songs

Just around the corner lay the 32nd annual Ijams Nature Center Symphony in the Park, on September 10. I have only missed one of these concerts, back in 2014 when I had a broken finger. It's also notable that not one of these concerts has been rained out or even rained upon. Gates open at 5:30, and the music should start around 7:15. These concerts, set in South Knoxville's urban wilderness, have always represented a delightful return to the season. The concert is a fundraiser for the Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville's escape zone from metropolitan drudgery. The guest artists have also been a perennial treat, be they local entertainers (David Keith), UT coaches (Pat Summitt), or public figures (Senator Lamar Alexander). This year's guest will be Knoxville singer-songwriter Zoë Nutt. Check her website out here.

Tickets to the Ijams Nature Center 32nd Annual Symphony in the Park event here.

The KSO's celebration of Knoxville continues on September 21 and 22 with “Knoxville Postcards.” Along with relevant works by Barber, Rachmaninoff and Copland, a world premiere work by Michael Schachter will be offered, entitled Overture to Knoxville. In programming and commissioning the work, Maestro Aram Demirjian said; “...this program isn't just about the past -- it is also about the future, and the future partially depends on bringing new music into the world, which is why we have commissioned a new overture by one of my dearest friends, Michael Schachter. Michael is a composer who was just as endeared by East Tennessee's musical landscape as I was when he traveled here to soak in our city as he was writing the piece...” Mr. Schachter is busy composer, teacher and scholar who resides in Ann Arbor, MI. Here is a link to his website with musical examples.

See you at the symphony for opening night!