Calendar of Events

Our yearly concert of concertos and arias from the winners of the annual UT Concerto Competition, along with a timeless classical masterwork: Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont. James R. Cox Auditorium, AMB

Unless otherwise noted, all UT School of Music concerts are FREE and open to the public, and are held in the Music Hall Auditorium at the UT School of Music, located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd., or in one of three performance halls in the Alumni Memorial Building located at 1408 Middle Drive on the campus of the University of Tennessee. (The James R. Cox Auditorium is located in the Alumni Memorial Building.) Information: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events.

The UT School of Art is pleased to announce that an open house will be held for the campus and local community to visit the UT Letterpress Studio in the Art and Architecture Building room 335A. This event is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in Staff Lot 23. During the open house letterpress printing will be demonstrated and free letterpress printed poem titled “No Sale” by Marilyn Kallet, UT Professor of English will be given to visitors. At 3pm Professor Kallet will present a reading of several of her poems. The UT Letterpress Studio is a joint project of the Printmaking and Graphic
Design programs at UTK. The studio provides tutorials in letterpress printing to both graduate and undergraduate students at the university, and over the past two years has made it possible for students in studio art, graphic design, architecture, creative writing and other disciplines to work on books and broadsides created through letterpress. Additionally, the facility has been used as a resource and teaching tool for a variety of classes at the university. The web site of the studio is: http://art.utk.edu/printmaking/letterpress.html. For more information, please contact Beauvais Lyons (blyons@utk.edu), 865-974-3202.

Because we all identify some part of the world as "the motherland," the Roane State Celebration Singers, Jazz Band, and newly formed Bluegrass Band present a concert of music that is truly international. Featuring Celtic and British folk songs from the singers, bluegrass melodies with African roots, and Latin tunes from the band, this well-rounded program will tug at your heartstrings and have you tapping your feet! Dancers from the Arts in Motion Dance Studios and various musical guests complete the performance that benefits the spring tour to New York City's Carnegie Hall. Suggested donation of $10 per person. Roane State Theatre, Harriman. Friday & Saturday, March 19 & 20 at 7 pm; Sunday, March 21 at 3 pm. All performances subject to change. Check website periodically for updated information. Information: 865-882-4567, www.roanestate.edu keyword: theatre.

What happens when a bunch of kids looking for a place to get away from fighting parents, report cards, and school yard bullies turn a half finished tree house into a secret sanctuary? Erin Presbyterian is pleased to announce the WORLD premier of the Tree House, a children's musical theater production written by Cynthia W. House, produced by the Erin Stage Company of Erin Presbyterian Church, and performed by the Sonshine Children's Company. Performances are March 19-20 at 7:30 and March 21 at 11:00 am and 7pm at Erin, 200 Lockett Rd at Bearden Hill. Tickets for all evening performances are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children and senior citizens and are available for sale at www.erinpresbyterian.org, from cast members, or at the door. The Sunday morning performance is free and open to the public. Don't miss this wonderful, fun and uplifting musical. Information: missyvarner @ gmail.com

Sponsored by Fine Arts Blount and by the Townsend Artisans' Guild. Join us for this interactive fiber arts event connecting the community with fiber arts activities. The festival will include fiber animal exhibitions, contests, an arts exhibition, workshops, educational demonstrations of spinning, weaving, needlecrafts, dyeing, and many other fiber processes, hands-on projects with children and adults, a Fashion Show, Fiber Arts Market of local artists' work and fiber craft supplies, and information about local fiber activities, groups, businesses, and instructional resources. http://www.smfaf.org/

The Wild Thyme Players and The Silver Stage Players present THE WAY THE STORY GOES... An original production by artists age 10 - 85 writing and performing stories from their lives. With the support of TN Arts Commission, this production is touring free to the venues and the public, with audience donations being split between the artist organizations and the host venues. Tour schedule:
March 18 - UT Seniors for Creative Learning - The John T. O'Connor Center 1 PM
March 19 - St. Thomas' Episcopal Church - Tiffany Drive, Knoxville 7:00 PM
March 20 - The Rebecca Johnson Theater - Historic Rugby, Rugby 7:30 PM
March 25 - Homewood Residence @ Deane Hill - 6 PM
March 26 - First Farragut United Methodist Church - Farragut 7:00 PM
March 27 - Echo Ridge Retirement Community - Gleason Drive, Knoxville 2:00 PM
March 29 - John T. O'Connor Senior Center - Winona Street, Knoxville 2 PM
April 2 (First Friday) - URBhana - Gay Street, Knoxville 5:00 PM
April 3 - Theatre Knoxville Downtown - N. Gay Street, Knoxville 8 PM
Admission is FREE and donations are appreciated. For information call 932-6738.
The Silver Stage Players are an education/outreach partnership between The Wild Thyme Players and The John T. O'Connor Senior Center.

East Tennessee’s Own WDVX-FM kicks off its’ Spring Fund Drive on St. Patrick’s Day March 17th with a special 90 minute Blue Plate Special featuring Matt McNeely, Shamrock Road, Four Leaf Peat, and Cutthroat Shamrock. The internationally recognized Blue Plate Special is a free live radio show which is broadcast weekdays from noon to 1pm Monday through Thursday from the WDVX studios in the Knoxville Visitor Center on the corner of Summit Hill Drive and South Gay Street, and on Fridays from The Square Room on Market Square. The fund drive will continue on through March 28th, with special guest hosts and performances throughout. WDVX is an independent, community-supported radio station playing an eclectic mix of music celebrating the arts and culture of the Southern Appalachian region. The station can be heard in Knoxville and surrounding areas on the radio at 89.9 or 102.9 or online at www.wdvx.com. To make donations or to volunteer at WDVX, contact the station at (865) 544-1029 or 1-866-946-WDVX (9389) or visit the website www.wdvx.com.

In this screamingly hilarious farce, a young painter of genius is in debt to a villainous dealer who intends on marrying the artist's girlfriend unless the debt is paid. As an artist's work is of high value only after his death, the painter fakes his death and prospers, all while passing himself off as his own sister. Now a rich "widow," he must find a way to get out of a dress, return to life, and marry his beloved.

227 Broadway in Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. For more information, call (865) 482-9999 or visit www.orplayhouse.com

Featuring "The Church Of Diminshing Marginal Returns", a World Premiere comedy by Jay Huling presented as the featured production in the 14th annual Tennessee Stage New Play Festival. When incorrigible entrepreneur Josh Pocket finds himself in severe financial trouble, he cons his evangelical brother Jon into starting their own church. Although Jon has a penchant for hermeneutical biblical exegesis and is quite sincere about the endeavor, Josh is only interested in collecting tithes and love offerings. Josh and Jon’s endeavor is so financially successful they’re able to pay off most of their debts. This doesn’t sit well with their banker, Gordon Hepworth, who has been making a handsome living off of the interest from their outstanding loans .And when Nancy Fairchild of the IRS uncovers the church’s activities, she launches a formal investigation/ Josh and Jon then must get their act together to qualify as a bona fide 401©(3) tax exempt church corporation.

At Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $15 for General Admission; $12 for Students and Senior Citizens.
Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

Based on the series of novels by Beverly Cleary. Shows: Thursdays at 7:00 PM; Fridays at 7:00 PM; Saturdays at 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM; Sundays at 3:00 PM.

Unpredictable. Exasperating. Boisterous and independent. That’s Ramona Quimby for you. Always aggravating her older sister, Beezus, constantly getting into trouble and sometimes “making a big, noisy fuss” when things don’t go her way. As narrator, Beezus (Beatrice Quimby) introduces the Quimby family and friends and thereby sets the scene for the collection of vignettes that trace Ramona’s tumultuous passage through third grade and through her family relationships. At school, she throws a tantrum when provoked by a classmate and is sent home in disgrace. The teacher’s wrath, an important family wedding, persistent sibling bickering and Mr. Quimby’s attempts to give up smoking are part of the fabric that shape a humorous, loving family portrait.

Located at 800 Tyson Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-599-5284, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com, info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Knoxville Watercolor Society members will present recent works at the Art Gallery of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. An opening reception with refreshments will take place on Friday, March 12, 6-8 PM at the church. There will be a short gallery talk about the works and the public will have a chance to meet and talk with the artists. The event is free and open to the public.
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 9-5, Sunday, 9-12 noon. For more information, visit the Web site or call (865) 523-4176, (865) 966-4041.

The strange narrative paintings of Julie Armbruster return to Knoxville this Spring! On Saturday March 6th, Julie Armbruster will debut her newest work at The Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville located at 12 Market Square. Drawing from three separate narratives, Julie Armbruster’s work exhibited in Doomed Mammals illustrates selections from the Potato Boy, Frog-Monkey, and DuckLips sagas. The three stories deal with volatile friendship, scientific mutation, and how to accept responsibility. The show is a retrospective of the most recent events unfolding within these stories, revealing some interesting twists that are sure to peak your curiosity. The show will be on display at The Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville until April 3rd and will then move to the Maryville Tomato Head from April 4th- May 2nd. A closing reception will be held Saturday May 1st from 3-5pm at the Maryville Tomato Head restaurant. At the reception, Armbruster will have a limited edition book relating the story of Potato Boy and his pet duck Elmore entitled “Idealism Requires Patience.” Julie Armbruster’s work has evolved to include much more intricate compositions and details. Her work is often realized through automatic drawing and then refined through layered rendering and delicate outlining. The landscapes seem oddly familiar and often directly reflect her surroundings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. The world rendered in the paintings is set at a distance from the viewer with the addition of the resin surface and illustrative style. The shine and saturation of color give the work an inviting pull. The viewer is further entranced by the complexity of emotions conveyed by the characters that are often faced with some sort of weighty decision or traumatic occurrence. The narratives are realized through anthropomorphic characters that seem bewildered and internal. Her stories are both funny and dark and typically lack a straightforward resolution. Julie Armbruster’s work can be seen on her website www.JulieArmbruster.net and in her hometown of Asheville, NC at the Woolworth Walk and Honeypot Boutique.