Calendar of Events

Miroslav Hristov, Artistic Director
Chih-Long Hu, Associate Director

The University of Tennessee's Ready for the World Music Series brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world. Faculty artists, guest artists, and music historians will discuss the classical music traditions from each of those regions; followed by a performance providing representative samples. Each program is designed to demonstrate the rich musical influences each of these regions have had on the traditions of western classical music. Also included will be exhibits by artists from each region, a display of cultural artifacts and information, as well as refreshments that represent the culinary diversity of each region.

Bulgaria
Ready for the World Music Series: Bulgaria features music from a land of several ancient civilizations. The asymmetrical meters and haunting sonorities captivate audiences with their mystic qualities and profound expression, depicting nostalgia of village life in the bread-basket of Europe.

Special guest artists: Pavlina Dokovska, piano; Vanguel Tangarov, clarinet; Miroslav Hristov, violin; Evgeni Raychev, cello; and Ekaterina Tangarova, piano
12:30 p.m. - Exhibits of artistic and cultural artifacts and reception – Lobby of the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center
2 p.m. - Musical presentation and short lecture – Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

https://music.utk.edu/rftw/events.php

Blues lovers! Now is the time to connect with the people that bring East Tennessee the best of the blues year round, The Smoky Mountain Blues Society. The organization which has created a community of like-minded music lovers will conclude its annual membership campaign with a concert by Brandon Santini on Sunday, March 24 at 4 pm, at Barley's,128 W. Broadway Maryville, TN 37801 . Doors open at 3 pm..

The performance by Brandon Santini is free for members and $12 for non-members. For more information, go to www.SmokyMountainBlues.org.

Appalachian Ballet Company presents PETER PAN - the full-length magical tale for all ages!

Saturday March 23rd 7:30 PM
Sunday March 24th 3:00 PM

Advance Adult price - $25 Advance Student price - $20
At door - $30 - 25

This adventurous production featuring a Peter Pan that flies will send you to Neverland with the Darling children. Come experience the magic of The Appalachian Ballet Company’s Peter Pan which is filled with lavish sets, scenery, costumes and more. Kylie Morton Berry will once again dance the role of Peter Pan with Len Causey as her Captain Hook. Pirates, Indians, Lost Boys and a drum circle will entertain you and your family. Tickets on sale now. Clayto-nArtsCenter.com

Tickets: 865-981-8590 or https://www.claytonartscenter.com

At Clayton Center for Arts, 502 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804. For more information Appalachian Ballet Company: 865-982-8463.

Marilyn Kallet, City of Knoxville's Poet Laureate

*March 22, noon: Poetry reading for WDVX, inaugural show for the new series. Visit Knoxville, 301 South Gay Street, Knoxville.

*March 22 and 23, 7 p.m.: Discussion leader with Dawnie Steadman, Regal Cinemas, premiere of “To Dust,” featuring Matthew Broderick, set at the Body Farm.

March 28, 4 p.m., Poetry workshop, ETSU, hosted by Jesse Graves. GRAVESJ@mail.etsu.edu

*March 28, 6 p.m., Poetry reading and workshop, “Writing Praise Poems in Troubled Times,” Johnson City Public Library. 100 West Millard Street, Johnson City.

*April 4, 7 p.m. Poetry reading with Donna Doyle, Knoxville Writers’ Guild. Central United Methodist Church, 201 Third Avenue, Knoxville.

April 13. Reading for the Botanical Gardens, in Linda Parsons Marion’s garden! 11-1 p.m., 2909 Fountain Park Boulevard, Knoxville. lindaleeparsons@gmail.com (Fundraiser for the Knoxville Botanical Gardens).

April 21: 11:15-12:30, Reading with Patricia Clark and Alice Friman, North American Review poetry conference, Bartlett Hall, Room 1000. University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls.

April 26, noon, poem for the Mayor’s State of the City address.

April 27-May 5, residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar.

May 2nd, 6-8:30 p.m., Marilyn Kallet will be honored by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts at the Soirée, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond. For tickets, contact VCCA Executive Director Joy Heyrman, jheyrman@vcca.com. (Fundraiser for the Virginia Center).

June 7-18, Mentor for “Writing the River” residency in Auvillar, France. Sponsored by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Information: mkallet@utk.edu or http://marilynkallet.com/

Reception: Wednesday, April 24th 5:00-7:00 PM
"69th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage Artist of the Year: Judy Lavoie"

The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage is an annual five-day event in Great Smoky Mountains National Park offering professionally guided programs which explore the region’s rich wildflowers, wildlife, ecology, culture, and natural history through walks, motorcades, photographic tours, art classes, and indoor seminars. Each year, an artist is selected to be featured on the cover of the SWP brochure, T-shirt, and are honored with a solo exhibition at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. This year’s SWP Artist-of-the-Year is Judy Lavoie.

Lavoie’s artwork has won many awards, including Best Of Show in the prestigious 2018 Tennessee Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition. Today she is grateful for the opportunity to indulge in her passion for painting. Inspiration comes from her surroundings, a rural Tennessee community in the Appalachian foothills. In the forest surrounding her home, Judy has identified more than 100 wildflower varieties – an endless source of painting subjects. View her work and learn more on her website and art blog, at www.judy-lavoie-art.com.

GEOFFREY A. WOLPERT GALLERY, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Knoxville's own Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio brings its 8th Annual Circus Extravaganza to Pellissippi State Community College next week in a show designed to appeal to all ages. Titled "Dominion" this year, the Circus Extravaganza will include about 40 performers - a mix of professionals, teachers and students - entertaining audiences through aerial arts, acrobatics, stilt walking and more.

"People love the shows," said Jake Weinstein, who is directing the Circus Extravaganza and is on the management team of Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio. "It's very family-friendly, story-centered and thought-provoking. With spectacles, amazing feats and humor, there is something that appeals to everybody."

Four shows will be offered this year at Pellissippi State's Clayton Performing Arts Center on the college's Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road:
• 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23; and
• 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. All proceeds benefit circus classes for at-risk youth.

"From the beginning, the Circus Extravaganza has supported our scholarship fund that helps at-risk youth and underserved groups attend circus classes and summer camps," Weinstein said. "We also do circus work in the community."

The Circus Extravaganza is part of The Arts at Pellissippi State. For more information on upcoming visual arts, theatre and music events, as well the Faculty Lecture Series, at Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts.

To request accommodations for a disability for this event, call 865-539-7401 or email accommodations@pstcc.edu.

For more information about Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio, visit www.dragonflyaerialartsstudio.com or contact Weinstein at 203-843-7444 or dfaas11@gmail.com.

Big Ears Festival continues to bring the world to Knoxville. This week, the Big Ears Festival returns for its 10th Anniversary – with people coming from 48 states and 21 countries (including Australia, Japan, Israel, Chile, and Serbia) – to attend the 4 day music and art (and now dance!) extravaganza. It opens Thursday evening and continues through Sunday, with nearly 150 jazz, rock, classical, bluegrass and folk concerts in venues ranging from the Tennessee and Bijou Theaters to St. John’s Cathedral and Church Street United Methodist Church, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Standard, the Mill & Mine, the Square Room, Boyd’s Jig and Reel, and the Pilot Light. And the Emporium will be headquarters for the entire weekend, with information, tickets, all sorts of artist and festival merchandise, and maybe a surprise or two.

Some tickets are still available – including both full weekend and day pass – options, with single day options starting at $65. For full schedule and other details: www.bigearsfestival.org

Big Ears Founder and Executive Director Ashley Capps offered a few tips for those of us with time for only a couple of concerts – or simply for an entry into the overwhelming array of options. His recommendations:

LUCY NEGRO REDUX - Thursday, March 21 * Tennessee Theatre, 8 PM
First of all, go see “Lucy Negro Redux,” the Nashville Ballet’s remarkable collaboration with poet Caroline Randall Williams and musician Rhiannon Giddens, at the Tennessee Theatre. We added an extra, separately ticketed show on Wed but its also part of your Big Ears pass on Thursday. The New York Times: “A Nashville miracle... a beautifully choreographed ballet, but it was more than a ballet: It was also a spoken-word incantation and a showcase for the musical genius of Rhiannon Giddens.” Just go!

KIM KASHKASHIAN plays Bach and Kurtág - Friday, March 22 * St. John’s Cathedral, 6:00pm
On Friday, classical music fans will not want to miss violist Kim Kashkashian’s performance of Bach’s Cello Suites at St. John’s Cathedral. She’s simply one of the most gifted musicians of our time and seeing her in this setting will be unforgettable.

JACK DEJOHNETTE with RAVI COLTRANE & MATT GARRISON - Saturday, March 23 * Tennessee Theatre, 7:30pm
One of master jazz drummers of all time, DeJohnette is known for his work with Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett as well as his own ensembles. This band of jazz royalty is seldom heard live and this is sure to be a remarkable concert for those who love jazz.

RICHARD THOMPSON with The Knoxville Symphony Strings - Sunday, March 24 * Bijou Theatre, 2pm
The British master songwriter – and one of Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitar players of all time – will be heard here as never before, presenting his powerful World War I song cycle, commissioned by the WWI Centenary, followed by a program of his classic songs and some newly arranged covers, like the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.”

Keep in mind, I’ve left out the Punch Brothers, Bela Fleck, Spiritualized, Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi, Carla Bley, and literally over 100 great shows – all of which were booked for a reason. There are also lots of panels and discussions and other fun events all weekend…And surprises abound! Visit www.bigearsfestival.org for full lineup, schedule and details!

Across three nights, ambient pioneer Harold Budd presents a career overview featuring new arrangements of many of his classics, as well as multiple world premieres of new works, with the support of his son Terrence, the ACME String Quartet, Knoxville-based experimental collaborative Nief-Norf, and composer Tim Story.

Alvin Lucier — another legendary composer, known for his musical inquiries into the very nature of sound — delivers his work across multiple days, including performances of his seminal I Am Sitting in a Room and Bird and Person Dyning. The Ever Present Orchestra, featuring Stephen O’Malley and Oren Ambarchi, plays more of Lucier’s work, as does Joan La Barbara, the inventor of multiple extended techniques for voice. In her own concert, dubbed Voice is the Original Instrument, La Barbara will present an overview of her own astonishing compositions. Speaking of innovative singers, Theo Bleckmann performs two unique programs: Hello Earth! The Music of Kate Bush and Berlin: Songs of Love and War, Peace and Exile.

Source: https://bigearsfestival.org/big-ears-festival-announces-a-bold-and-inventive-lineup-for-2019/

http://www.niefnorf.org/20182019-season/

Big Ears Festival at the Pilot Light (Thu-Sun)
For the sixth consecutive year, we are honored and excited to announce four completely FREE days of music at The Pilot Light, downtown Knoxville’s local and experimental music hub since 2000. These concerts—all booked by The Pilot Light’s Boardman—put our ideals about programming cutting-edge sound at play within the context of a thriving small club that happens to be, like the festival itself, a nonprofit enterprise. Mixing regional talent with several vital players from the United States’ musical frontiers, this year’s The Pilot Light programming is a compelling component. https://bigearsfestival.org/pilot-light/

WDVX Blue Plate Special: Big Ears comes to the Blue Plate!, Visitor Center - FREE
Thu Mar 21, Noon; Fri Mar 22, noon (at Barley’s Taproom); Sat Mar 23, noon

FREE Big Ears Festival Shows, Boyd’s Jig & Reel
Fri Mar 22, 11:00 AM – 1:00 AM; Sat Mar 23, 11:00 AM – 1:00 AM; Sun Mar 24, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

(UPDATED) Big Ears for Little Ears
Saturday morning at 10 AM in Visit Knoxville's Visit Center, featuring Leo Wadada Smith and his Trio, hosted by WDVX in collaboration with Kidstuff.
https://wdvx.com/event/big-ears-little-ears/

Art Market Gallery: On an Artistic Note reception - FREE
Sat Mar 23, 3-5 PM - The artists will be on-hand and ready to discuss their work with the public, and the gallery will provide wine and cheese. http://moretoknoxville.com/events/view/19265

Ampient Brunch
Fri, Sat, Sun 10 AM - noon
A popular Big Ears tradition since our debut in 2009 returns: During Ampient Brunch, a collective of local musicians explores their shared interest in ambient music at Old City Java, one of Knoxville’s essential coffee outposts. These musicians will share some mellow sounds as you sip your caffeine. These performances are FREE and open to the public.

Public Cinema Screenings
Big Ears and Knoxville microcinema masterminds Public Cinema are thrilled to announce the core of the film screenings at the 2019 festival, which will turn the University of Tennessee’s UT Downtown Gallery into a provocative movie house throughout the month of March. The works of four filmmakers with very different but equally compelling approaches to the screen get their own days in the Gallery, with their works shown as repeated loops or in enormous uninterrupted blocks. Like the music festival itself, the film component of Big Ears 2019 is honored to bring challenging, riveting, and rewarding work to Knoxville. http://www.publiccinema.org/bigears2019/ and https://bigearsfestival.org/public-cinemas-curated-screenings-at-big-ears-2019/

Visit https://bigearsfestival.org/about/experiences/ for more information!

Knoxville Soap, Candle and Gifts is proud to present local Music Visual Artist, Becky Chaffee, for Big Ears Festival week. Her "Folk Art with a Clever Twist to Make You Smile" will be sold as prints, cards, on t-shirts. Originals may be requested. Her guitar, piano and violin purses will also be available. Becky Chaffee: www.MusicTeacherGifts.com

Knoxville Soap, Candle and Gifts, 714 South Gay St. across from Bijou Theatre
865/689-6545

Featuring artist Alan Jones (Theophilus)

At Burlington Library, 4614 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville TN 37914

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center in Norris will hold its Spring Porch Sale starting on Friday, March 15, and continuing for about two weeks. The Porch Sale, held each spring features outdated stock, seconds, student crafts, and nonjuried work by members of the Craft Center. It’s an excellent time to get great deals on local handmade items.

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center is a nonprofit center with a mission to support arts and crafts in Appalachia through education, sales, and community involvement. The center is located at 2716 Andersonville Highway 61, Clinton, TN, one mile east of I-75 north at Exit 122. For more information, stop by the center, call 865-494-9854, or visit www.appalachianarts.net or Facebook.