How is it Monday already? I was going to write about the UnStaged performance, wasn't I? Well, I only missed that deadline by a week. Oy, it must be April.
Quite a variety of things happen between the monthly Masterworks concerts. Sunday, April 22 saw the Chamber Orchestra make its annual trip to Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff, VA. SWVCC's yearly Festival of the Arts focused on the heritage of the region's residents, and our concert's repertoire ran a wide gamut of styles, from well-known names like Mozart, Copland and Dvorak, to rarely heard composers like Hamish McCunn and Charles Strouse. Fiddler Arvel Bird shared a unique collection of tunes on both fiddle and Native flute, reflective of his Native American-Celtic heritage. Cedar Bluff is a long way from here, but the ride is unforgettably beautiful and we are always welcomed very warmly there.
Immediately on the horizon is the final Q Series production of the season, Wednesday at noon at the Square Room downtown. The program will have more integration of winds and strings than on any previous “Q” show. On a concert where the Principal String Quartet and the Principal Woodwind Quintet are featured, no piece for either group's specific instrumentation will be played. Principal Oboist Claire Chenette will perform Arachne for solo oboe, by Helen Grime. Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 for Bassoon and Flute will follow, and a trio by Michael Haydn for Horn, Viola and Bass will take us up to the intermission. Concluding will be Carl Maria von Weber's effervescent Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, with Gary Sperl joining the Principal String Quartet. This is a tour de force for the clarinet, and the third movement Menuetto Cappriccio: Presto is guaranteed to bring a chuckle.
There are some Storytime concerts sprinkled in here and there, as well as performances at the Symphony League's Showhouse at the Tennessean Hotel downtown. Preparations are afoot for the Knoxville Opera Company's May 4 and 6 production of Aïda. Oh, and hey, don't let's forget about the Youth Orchestra Association's Spring concert coming up on April 29 at 7:00 at the Tennessee Theatre! We are everywhere.
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Last Sunday, “UnStaged: Flight” brought a kitchen sink of music both specifically and tangentially about flying. On a rainy night at Cirrus Aircraft (located in Alcoa, TN by McGee Tyson airport), 'shine from Old Forge distillery flowed freely and all present were wowed by the personal aircraft displayed by our host, Cirrus Aircraft.
Now boarding.....
Our bass section, Yan Peng and Steve Benne
Unofficial KSO photographer Stacy Miller finally gets her OWN picture taken...
The finale was Michael Gandolfi's As Above.
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