Calendar of Events

Miss Firecracker Contest by Beth Henley is a comedy set in the small Mississippi town of Brookhaven, a few days before the Fourth of July. Carnelle Scott (known locally as "Miss Hot Tamale") is rehearsing furiously for the Miss Firecracker Contest — hoping that a victory will salvage her tarnished reputation and allow her to leave town in a blaze of glory. The unexpected arrival of her cousin Elain, a former Miss Firecracker winner, (who has walked out on her rich but boring husband and her two small children) complicates matters a bit, as does the repeated threat of Elain's eccentric brother, Delmount, (recently released from a mental institution) to sell the family homestead and decamp for New Orleans. But, aided by a touchingly awkward seamstress named Popeye (who is hopelessly smitten by Delmount) and several other cheerfully nutty characters, Carnelle perseveres — leading to a denouement of unparalleled hilarity, compassion and moving lyricism as all concerned finally escape their unhappy pasts and turn hopefully toward what must surely be a better future. Will be presented at the Clayton Center for the Arts. Details TBA.

Foothills Community Players: P.O. Box 5645, Maryville, TN 37802, 865-712-6428, http://www.foothillscommunityplayers.com/

March 19-22, 2015
Foothills Community Players present The Miss Firecracker Contest
Dubbed “a torrential downpour of humor,” by the New York Times, “The Miss Firecracker Contest” by Beth Henley, concerns the comic misadventures of Carnelle Scott, a young woman in Brookhaven, Mississippi, who believes that if she can just win the local Miss Firecracker Contest, then she can repair her bad reputation and leave the town in a “blaze of glory.

At the 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

Southeast Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (SERTEC)
Workshops, lectures, master classes and performances
More information/fees/registration: www.iteaonline.org/conferences/regionals_2015/SERTEC/
Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21, 2015 at 8:00 a.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

UT School of Music: Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. The Alumni Memorial Building located at 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. (The James R. Cox Auditorium is located in the Alumni Memorial Building.) The Natalie Haslam Music Center is located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus.
*For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

2014-2015 Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Season
James Feddeck, guest conductor
Conrad Tao, piano

In March, the KSO welcomes guest conductor James Feddeck for Mozart & Mendelssohn. This concert begins with Rossini’s William Tell Overture, followed by Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 featuring guest artist Conrad Tao. The concert concludes with Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, known as the Scottish Symphony.

Maestro James Feddeck recently concluded his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. He was previously the Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Conrad Tao has appeared worldwide as a pianist, composer, and violinist. Born in Urbana, Illinois, he gave his first piano recital at age 4, and four years later made his concerto debut performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 414. Conrad currently attends the Columbia University/Juilliard School joint degree program studying piano and composition.

At the Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Tickets and information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Free and open to the public. Cash bar.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

here is a reason that Veterans Day Parades halt for a moment of silence at precisely 11 a.m. It was at 11 a.m. on the 11th of November 1918, that the deadliest and most destructive war in history, to that point, ended. More than 130,000 Tennesseans served in the Great War, some 40,000 of them from East Tennessee. Knoxville and Knox County contributed more than 5,000 men to the cause. Of these, 11 officers and 150 enlisted men died in service, a rate of just under 5%, which is considered heavy in that only about half the total number in service actually went to France. Of these 161 fatalities, 122 were killed in action. Colonel Cary Spence of the 177th Infantry, raised from the Tennessee National Guard, praised them for their "glorious record in all operations" and expressed an "appreciation of the courage, fortitude, and devotion displayed.”

In a special lecture on Thursday, March 19, Pat Gang will share the stories of these brave East Tennessee soldiers. A Knoxvillian, Gang is student of military history and holds a BA in history from the University of Tennessee. He has served as editorial director for three books on local church history and is the founder of "Keeping Your Stories Alive," a local concern specializing in veteran histories.

The lecture is free and open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM, Saturday: 10AM-4PM, Sunday: 1-5PM. Library: Monday-Tuesday: 9AM-8:30PM, Wednesday-Friday: 9AM-5:30PM, Saturday: 9AM-5PM, Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

“Je suis Charlie” is the topic of a faculty lecture at Pellissippi State Community College on Thursday, March 19. The event takes place on the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, beginning at 10:45 a.m. It is free and open to the community.

The lecture not only covers the attack but also includes a discussion of the history of liberty and of human rights in France and an homage to the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists and journalists who were killed.

Peccolo-Taylor has taught at local high schools and colleges for 40 years. She has taught French as an adjunct faculty member at Pellissippi State for four years. A first-generation American citizen, Peccolo-Taylor is passionate about travel and also works as a consultant for the American Council for International Studies. During her tenure as an educator, she has led students on 35 study abroad trips.

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

Children and their parents will have the opportunity to experience a Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Quartet performance of a Musical Story Hour at the Blount County Library on Thursday, March 19, at 10:30 a.m.

The quartet will read stories, explain instruments and interact with the children during the program designed to give children the opportunity to learn about music. This is a program designed for children ages 3 to 5 years of age.

Open to the public, the program is sponsored by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org . To sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email, go to the library’s Home Page, click on the “News and Events” tab, and then “Calendar of Events Signup” and type in your email address. Also check out Facebook at “Blount County Public Library” and Twitter at “Blount_Library”.

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

The University of Tennessee will host more than 1,500 printmakers from around the world for the SGC International Conference. Held at the Knoxville Convention Center and on the UT campus, the conference will include keynote addresses, panel sessions, technical demonstrations, a product fair and numerous exhibitions. The conference web site is: http://web.utk.edu/~sphere <http://web.utk.edu/~sphere> .

There are numerous exhibitions and events held during the conference are free and open to the public. Taken as a whole, March will be printmaking month in Knoxville!

A two-page PDF with a listing of exhibitions and events is posted at:
http://web.utk.edu/~sphere/Pages/PDFs/Free%20Events%20During%20Sphere%20Conference.pdf

2 events open on March 19, 6-10pm Pioneer House/413 S. Gay Street

PIONEER MONSTERS
Join Julie Belcher in welcoming Outlaw Printmakers Sean Starwars, Tom Huck & friends to Knoxville. Sean & Tom be relief printing all week at Pioneer House of Letterpress the week of March 16. Southern Graphic Council participants can drop by to say hi. MEET & GREET the Superfine Printers and Tour the Pioneer House Printshop. Thursday evening March 19, 2015, 6-10pm. Open to the public.

TEASE IT TO JESUS: A PORTFOLIO OF DOLLY PARTON PRINTS
Tease it to Jesus is a portfolio of 35 printed portraits of Dolly Parton, designed and printed by some of the nation's finest printmakers. The portfolio includes artists such as John Hitchcock, Sage Perrott, Erika Adams, Kathryn and Andy Polk and Brett Anderson and many more. Thursday evening March 19, 2015, 6-10pm.
Open to the public. http://www.pioneer-house.com/events.

We are producing three staged readings, which will also be followed by a discussion session with actors, audience, director and playwrights. These staged readings will each have one performance in March:

A Cocaine Comedy by Harrison Young – Richard tries cocaine for the first time moments before two desperate policemen kick down his door. The hijinks quickly escalate as the local news, governor of Texas, and a very special couch lead Richard’s petty crime to making national headlines.
3/14/15 2:00 pm at Theatre Knoxville Downtown

Found Objects by Marilyn Anselmi – Found Objects examines four lives brought together by death, and the truth they all create – or barely tolerate – around that tragic accident.
3/21/15 11:00 am at Theatre Knoxville Downtown

House Rules by Staci Swedeen – Two brothers confront the intertwined nature of hatred and love and learn that all truths kept silent become poisonous.
3/21/15 3:00 pm at Theatre Knoxville Downtown

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

Join us in the Planetarium for a live guided sky tour! See the night sky on the dome, and learn what astronomy hobbyists can hope to see from their own back yards. $2 per person. Tickets to this show can be purchased without museum admission, and is great for adults interested in basic astronomy.

Friday, March 13, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, March 20, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, March 27, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, April 3, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, April 10, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, April 17, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, April 24, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, May 1, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, May 15, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, May 22, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm
Friday, May 29, 2015 - 4:30pm to 5:00pm

The Muse Knoxville: 865.594.1494, info@themuseknoxville.org, http://www.themuseknoxville.org/