Calendar of Events

by Gale Fury Childs; Adapted from The Story of Opal – The Journal of an Understanding Heart by Opal Whiteley. Based on the childhood diary of naturalist Opal Whiteley, the play tells the magical story of a young girl in the Cascade woodlands in early twentieth century Oregon. Surrounded by singing creeks, talking trees, and invisible fairies, Opal’s story charms and educates. Studio Series: Performances will take place in the Lab Theatre. Great for young audiences!

1714 Andy Holt Avenue on the UT Campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.org

28 Oct 2010 at 7:30 pm, 29 Oct 2010 at 8:00PM
30 Oct 2010 at 2:00PM & 8:00PM

Legally Blonde follows sorority star Elle Woods, an underestimated blonde who doesn't take "no" for an answer. When her boyfriend dumps her for someone more "serious," Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style. After turning Broadway and MTV hot pink, this “Feel-Good Song and Dance Juggernaut” (New York Magazine) is “The Best New Musical Around!” (WOR).

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Jon Nakamatsu is a pianist of extraordinary credentials and admiration. He was the 1997 gold medalist of the Van Cliburn competition, “giving an electrifying performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto as well as aristocratic readings of Chopin.”

The New York Times stated that Mr. Nakamatsu “has stunning technical control and can do anything at the piano he wants.” The Aptos Times wrote that, “…Mr. Nakamatsu is one of the very finest, most exciting artists in the world soloist circuits today. “ The praise goes on and on with such words as “technically impeccable, “ “limitless control of nuance.” “stormed the heavens.”

Mr. Nakamatsu will be performing CLEMENTI: Sonata in F-sharp Minor, Opus 25 No. 5, SCHUMANN: Papillons, Opus 2, BEETHOVEN: Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Opus 27 No. 2 ("Moonlight"), LISZT: Three Sonetti del Petrarca (Années de pelèrinage II, Italie), and CHOPIN: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Opus 22.

Come see one of the best pianists in the world performing live at the Clayton Center for the Arts! $25 General, $12 students. Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Tickets are available at the Clayton Center Box Office M-F 10AM-6PM or by phone or online: 865-981-8590, http://claytonartscenter.com/events/view/135/

Cooler weather has arrived and so, too, has the time for indoor concerts. Pellissippi State Community College presents the second performance in its 2010-11 free music series with the staging of the Fall Choral Concert. Always a crowd favorite, the annual event features a variety of music styles, including compositions from the Renaissance, the Baroque and Classical periods, and the 20th century. Both of the student vocal groups—the 70-voice Concert Chorale and 36-voice Variations Ensemble—will perform, in addition to selected student soloists. The Variations Ensemble recently served as the opening entertainment act for the seventh annual Pellissippi State Hot Air Balloon Festival.

In March 2011, the Variations Ensemble travels to France for a performing tour in Normandy and Paris. Portions of the Oct. 28 performance feature selections to be presented on the tour.

The Fall Choral Concert offers piano accompaniment highlighting works by Vivaldi, Beethoven and contemporary composer Joseph M. Martin. Attendees of this year’s series will notice a special emphasis on piano selections and accompaniment.

In July, the Pellissippi State Foundation launched the All Steinway School campaign, which seeks to elevate the Music program to world-class status by raising $600,000 for the placement of 13 Steinway pianos in studios, practice rooms and performance venues. If successful, Pellissippi State will become the first All Steinway community college in Tennessee, the third All Steinway community college in the nation, and one of only 114 All Steinway colleges and universities in the world.

Like all events in the Pellissippi State music series, admission to the Oct. 28 performance is free. However, donations will be accepted at the door for the Pellissippi State Foundation on behalf of the Music Scholarship fund. For the 2010-11 academic year, the Foundation awarded more than 100 music-related scholarships to more than 80 Pellissippi State students.

In the Clayton Performing Arts Center on the Pellissippi Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Parking is convenient and free. For additional information, contact Bill Brewer, Pellissippi State’s Music program coordinator, at (865) 694-6701 or lwbrewer@pstcc.edu. People with disabilities who need accommodations should contact Ann Satkowiak at (865) 539-7153 or asatkowiak@pstcc.edu.

Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu

Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2 PM

It’s 1961 and all of Maryville, Tennessee is abuzz at it prepares for its annual event, "A Hillbilly Homecoming." You won't want to miss a minute of the parade, the fireworks and, of course, the Miss Belle of the Smokies pageant because all your friends and family will be there! So join us for a toe-tapping, belly-laughing romp as we laugh, love and remember this little slice of Americana in the heart of Blount County. It's a celebration of the times, the event and oh, that hair!

Tickets are $10. Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Tickets are available at the Clayton Center Box Office M-F 10AM-6PM or by phone or online: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Figurative Association: The Human Form in Clay will feature nine internationally and nationally known ceramic and mixed media artists from six states who use the figure as the main theme in their sculpture. This event grew out of Arrowmont’s successful Utilitarian Clay: Celebrate the Object national symposia held every four years since 1992. Arrowmont’s rich history as a leader in art and craft education includes hosting international and national media related conferences and symposia over the past 45 years. The artist/presenters include Tom Bartel and Janis Mars Wunderlich from Ohio, Robert Brady, and Arthur Gonzalez from California, Debra Fritts from Georgia, Tip Toland and Beth Cavener Stichter from Washington, Lisa Clague from North Carolina and Anne Drew Potter from Indiana. A series of lectures, panel topic discussions, demonstrations and gallery exhibitions celebrating the human form will make up the three-day symposium. Additionally, each artist/presenter has invited an emerging figurative sculptor of their choice to be represented in the Invited Artists Exhibition, which will be one of the highlights of the event. Limited to 200 attendees, symposia and conferences at Arrowmont offer a more relaxed, intimate and focused setting for engaging dialogue, critical discourse and attendee interaction to occur. Registration: 865-436-5860 x33, www.arrowmontfigure.org.

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform for thousands of elementary school students at this Fall’s annual Young People’s Concerts. KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum will produce and conduct the concert entitled Once Upon A Time. Performances, sponsored by Covenant Health, will be held at 9:30 AM and 10:45 AM on October 26 and 27 and at 9:30 AM only on October 28. These performances are open to the public for $6 a person, tickets can be purchased at the door.

Performed at the Civic Auditorium, 500 Howard Baker Junior Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37915. For information and tickets: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Come and join the spirits for a tour of Downtown Knoxville’s scariest landmarks. The tours which last approximately one and a half hours each, will visit the sites of some of Knoxville’s best kept secrets. Stories for this year include; the legend of Knoxville’s own Frankenstein, Knoxville’s first mass murderer, John Roberts, and the Spirits of the Bijou Theatre. This year’s tour will also include stories of Knoxville’s Market Square and will be about one and a half miles in length. All tours began and end at James White’s Fort located at the intersection of Hill Avenue and Hall of Fame Drive. Ample free parking is available for tour participants at the Fort. Tours will depart at 7:30 p.m. each evening. Each tour will end with a marshmallow roast around the fires at the Fort. Admission for Adults 16 and over will be $8.00 and $6.00 for children ages 6 – 15. Reservations are requested for large groups of 12 or more and may be made by calling the Fort at 525 – 6514.

205 East Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. Regular tour schedule: Monday - Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (April - December); Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (January - March). Information: 865-525-6514, www.jameswhitesfort.org, jameswhitefort@aol.com

Monday-Thursday, 6, 7, 8 PM
Friday & Saturday, 7, 8, 9 PM

Tickets are $6 and $8. Blount Mansion, 200 W. Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-525-2375, www.blountmansion.org

By Lerner & Lowe. The magic and beauty of the Scottish Highlands form a backdrop for the enchanting story of a magical village that only appears for one day every hundred years.

Crossville, TN. Information: 931-484-5000; www.ccplayhouse.com

October 21, 22 and 28-30 at 7:30 PM
October 24 and 31 at 2:30 PM

Saturday, October 30, 7:30 PM – This performance is part of the Penny Performance program for Knox County students ages 5-18. Visit www.penny4arts.com for more information.

The WordPlayers, Performed at The WordPlayers' Theatre at Middlebrook Christian Ministries, 1540 Robinson Rd. at Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37923. For information: 865-539-2490, www.wordplayers.org

Interested in learning what role Jewish community members Sam and Virginia Morrison played in Elvis Presley’s career? (Hint: It happened on Market Square.) Ever wonder what Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” would have been called if one of Knoxville’s Jewish community leaders, Max Friedman, had not spoken up? Curious about what distinguishes the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge as unique in American history?

The story of Jewish immigration to Tennessee and how those who came here embraced the culture they found is the subject of this touring exhibition from the Tennessee State Museum. It follows the Tennessee Jewish experience from the 1770s, when the first Jews immigrated to upper East Tennessee to escape religious persecution in Europe. The exhibition then guides visitors through more than 200 years of history by way of compelling stories and images that illustrate the development of Jewish communities across the state; in East Tennessee, congregations located in Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, and Blountville are featured. The exhibition also explores how Jews were able to preserve their religious and cultural heritage while at the same time embracing and supporting the culture found in Tennessee.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. For information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org