Calendar of Events

A sharp-edged musical satire set in roaring twenties Chicago. When chorine Roxie Hart murders her faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband Amos to take the rap, he turns on her and convicted Roxie is sentenced to death row. The murder becomes the center of a media circus, as she and another murderess, Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines. Ultimately the join forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune and acquittal. Winner of six Tony Awards and the Academy Award as Best Picture.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

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 $10 plus fees for Thursday & Sunday; $15 plus fees for Friday & Saturday. For information: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com. For tickets: 865-523-7521, www.KnoxTIX.com

Friday, April 27, at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 29, at 2:30pm.
What happens when fear and jealousy spiral out of control? Knoxville Opera concludes the Season of Star-Crossed Lovers with Verdi’s magnificent opera. Based on Shakespeare’s Othello, Otello’s realm is not of great kingdoms lost and won, nor of courtly politics. The marriage bed and not the throne rivets attention. Verdi’s grand opera is full of some of the most beautiful and dramatically poignant music ever written.

Performing the title role is Virginia native Michael Austin who has enjoyed a distinguished 25-year career throughout Europe and the Unites States including several productions of his signature role, Otello. Greek sensation Kassandra Dimopoulou makes her U.S. debut as the betrayed Desdemona. American baritone Scott Bearden (Tonio in Knoxville Opera’s 2009 Pagliacci) returns to perform the manipulating, evil Iago. American Bass Kevin Thompson, who performed earlier this season in La Traviata and Knoxville Opera Goes to Church, returns to portray Desdemona’s cousin Lodovico.

Brief dramatic readings from Shakespeare’s Othello in English will be incorporated into the opera performance.
All Knoxville Opera performances feature projected English translations. Tickets for Knoxville Opera productions start at $18 for adults and $13 for students. Group discounts and subscriptions are available. Seating is limited, and advance tickets are highly recommended. For details go to KnoxvilleOpera.com or call 865.524.0795.

At the Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.

The Music Department celebrates 40 years with both an instrumental concert and choral concert.
Instrumental concert – April 27 at 7pm
Choral concert – April 29 at 6pm
Both involve Music Department alumni, culminating in a performance of the Vivaldi Gloria with several area community college choirs. The combined ensemble, under the direction of UTK’s Dr. Angela Batey, will feature UTK orchestra members and RSCC faculty soloists. RSCC Theatre, Harriman, tickets $10 suggested donation at the door.

Instrumental concert - April 27, 7:00 PM
RSCC Jazz, bluegrass and stage bands
RSCC Alumni performers

Vocal concert - April 29, 6:00 PM
RSCC Alumni solo performers
Celebration singers Alumni Ensemble
RSCC Virtual Choir Project

Guest conductor Angela Batey

Both concerts performed in the RSCC Theatre. Suggested donation of $10 at the door. http://www.roanestate.edu/?5943-Music-Department

This weekend, April 27 – 28, River Sports Outfitters and seasoned kayaker Charles Goodson will team up to host the inaugural Volunteer Canoe and Kayak Race at Riverside Landing Park in Knoxville, Tenn.

Paddlers have their choice of four canoe and kayaking races: 80 mile, 46 mile, 28 mile, or 5 mile. Events are open to all paddle, peddle, and stand-up paddlers alike.

“I want to try to keep it an everyman’s race,” event coordinator, Charles Goodson said. “It’s more of a challenge to yourself, than who can finish fastest.”

The key races include the Volunteer 80 Race to the Smokies, which includes an 80-mile route to Chilhowee Dam at the base of the beautiful Smoky Mountains, the Volunteer 46, which finishes at Tellico Dam, the Volunteer 28, a 28-mile route that finishes at the Cove at Concord Park, and the Volunteer 5, a 5-mile beginner course that ends at Marine Park.

Start time for the 80-mile, 46-mile, and 28-mile races is 8:00 a.m., and the 5-mile race begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 28. Paddlers will have 40 hours to complete the longest course, which will end at midnight on April 29.

All racers must attend the mandatory race check-in and safety meeting on Friday, April 27. A complete list of rules for the race series can be found on the event’s website at www.appalachiakayak.com. Race course maps can be found at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/opn/TNRiver/.

For more information, contact Charles Goodson of Lower Appalachia Kayak Canoe & SUP Tours at (865) 804-3979 or racetosmoky@gmail.com.

April 27: Walk, jog, or sprint through the streets of downtown Knoxville. After party, complete with live music and a Cornhole Tournament, to follow. Registration required.

Most of the Festival’s wide range of arts events, performances, and exhibitions are offered to the public free of charge. For more information, including a complete Festival Calendar of Events and ticket information, visit dogwoodarts.com.

April 27: A celebration of art, nature, and community moves down Gay Street with bands, floats, giant helium balloons, and performing arts groups.

Most of the Festival’s wide range of arts events, performances, and exhibitions are offered to the public free of charge. For more information, including a complete Festival Calendar of Events and ticket information, visit dogwoodarts.com.

The Girl Scouts of the USA will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2012! To celebrate the arrival into its second century, the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians (GSCSA) will host a big bash in true Girl Scout fashion: with songs.

Since the Girl Scout movement was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, girls have used singing to celebrate friendship and their commitment to girls’ leadership. On Saturday, April 28, the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians will host its first-ever Sing-Along in downtown Knoxville at World’s Fair Park. This exciting event will feature singing along to Girl Scout song favorites and enjoying performances, games, food and most importantly, HAVING FUN!

The GSCSA is also excited to announce that Girl Scout songstress Melinda Caroll will serve as the Sing-Along’s featured performer! Visit www.gsmusic.com to learn more about Melinda, watch videos and learn the songs before the big day!

All Girl Scouts, friends and family are invited to attend this event. Pre-registration is requested and will be open in November 2011.

Cost: TBD, tentatively $10-$15 per person
Location Name: World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn
Location Address: 1060 World’s Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, TN

ARTitude: Furniture with an Attitude, Fundraiser for the Cancer Support Community
Party and Auction, Tennessee Terrace at Neyland Stadium
3rd Floor West Side - enter through Gate 15
Free Parking at Lot G10
Regional artists embellish, refresh or repurpose gently used home furnishings to create one-of-a-kind works of art for the home and garden. These functional creations are auctioned off at a fun party and all proceeds benefit people in East Tennessee impacted by cancer.

http://www.cancersupportet.org/page.php?14

Red Line Gallery, 11519 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37934. Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 11AM-6PM, Saturday 12-4PM. Information: 865-288-0277, www.redlinegallery.net

The Last Friday Art Walk is a recurring event to celebrate the arts on the last Friday of every month in Downtown Maryville. What's unique about it is that it's not just galleries participating. It's also businesses like bars, retail stores, restaurants, theaters, and coffee shops. Each participating business hosts a "featured artist," this includes all disciplines of art; visual arts, performance artists, actors, writers, dancers, musicians, etc. New artists and new art are required each month, which gives the community a new experience each time they come.

Presented by the Maryville Arts Coalition. Information: http://www.maryvilleartwalk.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryville-Last-Friday-ArtWalk/101193813269860