Calendar of Events

“I Can’t Breathe” music by: Leslie Burrs/libretto by: Brandon J. Gibson
***World Premiere***
February 24, 25, & 26 at Beck Cultural Center
7:30pm EST In-person & online

"I Can't Breathe" was inspired by and written in the wake of repeated instances of fatal police brutality perpetrated against African Americans. It tells the stories of six individuals from different walks of life. Lives that are forever changed by innocent interactions with law enforcement gone wrong. It highlights how manners, appearance, education, and not even compliance are enough to protect people of color from a system that too often treats them as inherently dangerous. Six vignettes portray a striking and multi-faceted reflection of the African American experience before coalescing to ask the question, "How many more"?

The Knoxville world premiere is being produced in partnership with the Carpetbag Theatre and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. It features an all-African American creative team comprised of the Carpetbag Theatre, Inc.'s Executive Artistic Director, Jonathan Clark as stage director; as well as Garrett McQueen, Executive Producer/Host of “Trilloquy” as conductor, in addition to composer, Leslie Burrs and librettist/Marble City Opera Managing Director, Brandon J. Gibson.

A consortium of four opera companies including Marble City Opera commissioned the work, and it will be produced separately by each company after the world premiere in Knoxville with Marble City Opera.

Knoxville Partner links:
The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc. (www.CarpetbagTheatre.org)
Beck Cultural Exchange Center (www.BeckCenter.net)

Consortium Companies:
Marble City Opera (www.MarbleCityOpera.com)
Cleveland Opera Theater (www.ClevelandOperaTheater.org)
Opera Columbus (www.OperaColumbus.org)
Pacific Opera Project (www.PacificOperaProject.com)

Additional links:
Composer (www.LeslieBurrs.com)
Librettist (www.BrandonJovanGibson.com)
Conductor (www.GarrettMcqueen.com)

For the latest updates visit: www.MarbleCityOpera.com
Social Media links: FB: facebook.com/MarbleCityOpera
IN: @MarbleCityOpera
TW: @MarbleCityOpera

GANGSTAGRASS
THURSDAY, FEB 24 • 8PM

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Thursday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m.
Clayton Performing Arts Center
Free, no ticket required

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

Interested in learning more about Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley? Join us for a Behind the Blue Doors Tour at our Regal Teen Center Club, 967 Irwin Street, Knoxville.

Upcoming Tour dates | 4–5pm:
Thursday, February 24

RSVP to rwclay@bgctnv.org
https://bgctnv.org/

Live at The Mill and Mine
Doors 6:30pm
Presentations Begin 7:20pm

Join us for the first PKN Knoxville event of 2022! Come to get inspired, learn something new, and celebrate the folks doing amazing things in Knoxville. Mark your calendars, RSVP to the Facebook event, and help us spread the word!

Vol. 42 Presenters:

Jessica Wright, Knit Wit
Vic Scott, Seoul Brothers
Jessi Foster, Women in BMX
Lisa Miller, Vibe Boudoir
Danita McCartney, Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries
Ben Fields, South of Scruffy Podcast
Dustin Durham, Knox New Urbanism
Mary Pile, Schnauzer Love Rescue/ Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley
Aaron McClain, Crafty Bastard Brewery

// Vol. 42 poster by @billyboyart
// We encourage you to support a current or past presenter during this time.
// This event is family-friendly, however the content is uncensored.

At this time, our safety guidelines for COVID-19 are that we strongly encourage masks given the status of cases in Knoxville. We will update our event page and announce on social media should that be altered due to any significant changes in cases or recommendations for our community. https://www.pechakucha.com/cities/knoxville

The UT School of Music student organization VolOpera presents a showcase of musical theater selections

February 24 at 6 p.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. In-person events that take place in the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, or the James R. Cox Auditorium, also have livestream options. So if you're not able to be with us in-person for those events, you can still join: https://music.utk.edu/events/live.php

*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

Questions about applying and participating at the 2022 Nief-Norf Summer Festival? Excited to meet the faculty, staff, and fellow musicians? Join us for a free Zoom discussion!
Please sign up here to received the Zoom link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6zrEZL38VgM20r9oOKQt0VMw9Zr8eIqtshZlDRWJEhSlz9g/viewform

Thursday February 24, 2022: 8-8:30PM EST

Nief-Norf Summer Festival will take place from June 5-19, 2022 at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
The final application deadline for this year is March 1, 2022.
https://www.niefnorf.org/

Breaking Boundaries 2021-22 Series
"Memorias de Oro: Music, Memory, and Mexicanidad in Pixar’s Coco (2017)"
Jacqueline Avila, Associate Professor of Musicology
UT School of Music

Representations of Mexicans in Hollywood cinema have typically recycled negative stereotypes, but Pixar’s Coco (2017) provides a different interpretation. Set during Día de muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead, Coco provides a novel portrayal of Mexicanidad—the cultural identity of the Mexican people—for a new generation, by embellishing aspects of the comedia ranchera, a film genre that showcased Mexican popular culture and musical performance, as well as elements of contemporary Mexican popular culture. Coco, which premiered during a socially unstable period, utilizes earlier cinematic and musical formulas, as Professor Avila will discuss—formulas that evoke Mexico’s cinematic past to construct a visual, aural, and narrative portrayal of Mexicanidad that confronts and destabilizes past cinematic representations.

Please register ahead of time at this link.
https://calendar.utk.edu/event/ut_humanities_center_conversations_cocktails_breaking_boundaries_2021-22_series_-_jacqueline_avila#.YhO5sujMLct

Thursday, February 24 at 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Ijams Nature Center will host in-person and virtual open houses for families interested in fall 2022 enrollment for the full-time Ijams Nature Preschool and part-time Ijams Nature Play Club.

Virtual open houses are Feb. 22 and 24, March 17, and April 28 from 6-7 p.m. Virtual events will take place via Zoom.

In-person open houses are Feb. 27, March 20, and May 1 from 1-3 p.m. at the Ijams Miller Education Building, 2915 Island Home Ave. In-person events will follow COVID-19 safety protocols, including wearing masks inside the building, to ensure everyone stays safe.

More information and registration is available on the Ijams Calendar of Events at www.Ijams.org/calendar-of-events.

Fall classes start Monday, Aug. 8. The Ijams Nature Preschool meets Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and focuses on child-led, age-appropriate, experiential learning. Children ages 3-5 spend more than 50% of their time outdoors.

The Ijams Nature Play Club follows the same model, but is 100% outdoors. There are two, two-day sessions, Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday. Both sessions meet from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The Ijams Nature Preschool and Play Club programs blend traditional education standards with the opportunity to learn about and explore the natural world. Children spend the majority of their time outdoors, where they learn through play, discovery and inquiry. Activities focus on sensory experiences with live animals, natural objects, artifacts and art materials. The programs encourage curiosity, cognitive growth and motor skills through unstructured, child-led outdoor adventures. Children build problem-solving, math and engineering skills through hands-on experiences, and cultivate social skills through group play and opportunities for cooperative learning.

For more information about the Ijams Nature Preschool and Ijams Nature Play Club, visit www.Ijams.org/nature-preschool or www.Ijams.org/nature-play-club. Additional questions may be directed to Abby Branstetter at 865-679-5491, or via email at preschool@ijams.org or playclub@ijams.org.

Tri-Star Arts invites you to the First Friday reception for "From Wonder To Wonder" feat. Carl E. Moore and David Jon Walker (images 1-2 above) and "The Gallery of the Thieves: Recto / Verso" by Andrew Scott Ross (image 3 above) at the historic Candoro Marble Building, Friday, April 1 from 5:00- 8:00pm. (photos: Bruce Cole)

The Tri-Star Arts gallery and studios are located in the historic Candoro Marble Building, 5 minutes from downtown Knoxville at the corner of Maryville Pike and Candora Avenue. Parking spaces are limited and visitors may park along Candora Avenue as needed.

This exhibition is open to the public regularly from Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, alongside iconic spaces within the Candoro Marble Building ~ located in the Vestal neighborhood of Knoxville. (photo: Bruce Cole)

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. https://tristararts.org/the-gallery

The play will be performed February 18th through the March 6th, Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM and 6 PM.

Frozen JR. is based on the 2018 Broadway musical, and brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life. The show features all of the memorable songs from the animated film, with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, plus five new songs written for the Broadway production. A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen JR. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Frozen JR. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart!

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

February 17th Class (Learning Series - The Camera) 6PM-8PM - The Camera will teach you all about analog shooting. Topics covered will be: selecting a camera, camera functions, operating in that mysterious "Manual" mode, metering your subject, lens selection, and more.

February 21st Class (Learning Series - The Negative) 6PM-8PM - The Negative will take you inside The Darkroom where you will learn to load and process your film.

February 25th Class (Learning Series - The Print) 6PM-8PM - The Print will take you inside The Darkroom where you will learn the basics of enlarger use, burning and dodging and developing finished prints. For this class, you must bring your developed film and B&W photo paper. We suggest buying film and paper locally from F32 near West Town Mall.

Pricing for individual class is $60 and is limited to 3 participants. https://www.theknoxvillecommunitydarkroom.org/workshops

The Knoxville Community Darkroom, 126 Jennings Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. www.theknoxvillecommunitydarkroom.org