Calendar of Events

Marble City Opera's annual benefit at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens Dogwood Center. Live and Silent Auction, Opera performances, Food & Wine. Join us for an evening of celebration, and support Marble City Opera! Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.marblecityopera.com/tickets

Social Media links: FB: facebook.com/MarbleCityOpera
IN: @MarbleCityOpera
TW: @MarbleCityOpera

February 24 at 8 pm

Dom Flemons is a music scholar, historian, record collector and a multi- instrumentalist, with a repertoire of music covering over 100 years of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. As a resolute preservationist, storyteller, and instrumentalist, Dom has long set himself apart by finding forgotten folk songs and making them live again. His work has been recognized with a GRAMMY Award, Two-Time EMMY Nominee, and 2020 U.S. Artists Fellow. Dom Flemons is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and currently lives in the Chicago area with his family. Flemons is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor, slam poet, music scholar, historian, and record collector. He is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones. Flemons is the host of the American Songster Radio show on Nashville’s WSM Radio. In 2022, he was awarded a degree as a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater Northern Arizona University.

In 2018, Flemons released the Grammy nominated solo album Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys on Smithsonian Folkways part of the African American Legacy Recordings series, co-produced with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2005 Dom co-founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops who won a Grammy for “Best Traditional Folk Album” in 2010 and were nominated for “Best Folk Album” in 2012. While with the band he performed at the Laurel Theater. He left the group to pursue his solo career in 2014.

Tickets available at TicketLeap (jubilee-community-arts.ticketleap.com), by mail or at the door 30 minutes prior to show - $30 at the door, $25 General Audience Advance, $24 JCA members, students & seniors 65+

Jubilee Community Arts at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. Tickets: https://jubilee-community-arts.ticketleap.com. Information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org

Jazz Pianist and singer DIANA KRALL
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2024, 7:30PM at the Tennessee Theatre.

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

Join "United Through Art and Music: Charity Art Auction featuring Marki," an event jointly organized by two local nonprofit organizations: koloHUB and Restore Ukraine.

The event will host a charity art auction showcasing works by talented Ukrainian artists and a mesmerizing violin performance by Ukrainian violinist Marki.

Guests can participate in a raffle (minimum donation of $25) for a chance to win more than 20 exclusive Ukrainian souvenirs and enjoy a delicious Ukrainian buffet and refreshments from the cash bar.

Admission is free! Held at the Emporium, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, 3-6 PM
https://www.facebook.com/events/3574470226129336

Saturday, February 24 | 10 am - 4 pm

The family-friendly International Festival will present entertainment, crafts and foods from many countries, with musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day and crafts for children to make and take home. Entertainers include the Tennessee Irish Dancers; Pasión Flamenca performing Flamenco dance; Katrien Sevrin performing belly dance; Wolfgramm Farms Tonga and Taro dance group; and the Asian Cultural Center’s Japanese Shamisen. The event will be emceed by Raya Quttaineh and Fernando Garcia-Franceschini of WBIR. Activities during the day include:
• Crafts for children to make and take home, including a giraffe headband, paper wonton craft, and Henna hand decorating.
• Postage stamps from many countries available for collecting in the Craft & Science Room, hosted by the Knoxville Philatelic Society.
• Opportunities to learn Morse code and how to communicate with other countries through amateur radio, hosted by the Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club in the Discovery Lab.
• Visits to the model train layouts of the Knoxville Area Model Railroaders in the World of Trains exhibit.

Food vendors will have dishes from many countries available to purchase. They include Tarik’s North African serving za’atar chicken, beef kofta, and almond baklava; Empanadas Bolivianas, with empanadas de queso, empanadas de cornmeal, salteñas, and tres leches cake; Mucho Gusto 4 U, with Cuban sandwiches and flan; Mia Riffert offering Indonesian food; Knox Asian Festival with onigiri, Japanese curry rice, and mochi; Handmade Toffee & Treats; Tennessee Irish Dancers, offering Irish whiskey cake; Hungary Czech, with kürtőskalács; and Sons of Norway, with lefse.

Hola Hora Latina, an organization promoting unity by creating bridges between the Hispanic/LatinX communities and the community at large through art, culture, education and leadership, will host a booth. The Children’s Museum will have international dolls and other items for sale.

Online tickets are available at a discounted price of $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6 for children ages 3-17, with a small surcharge, at this site: https://bit.ly/intfestcmor. Admission to the International Festival at the door is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $10 for children 3-17. Children 2 and under are free. Children’s Museum members have free admission with proof of membership at the door. Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, 461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: T-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4. Information: 865-482-1074, www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

Disney’s Aladdin JR. is based on the 1992 Academy-Award®-winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show. The story you know and love has been given the royal treatment! Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and the Genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of the princess, Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and his moral character. With expanded characters, new songs, and more thrills, this new adaptation of the beloved story will open up “a whole new world!”

Performed Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM.

KCT is East Tennessee’s leading producer of plays for children and families.
Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler is the first retrospective exhibition of Carl and Pearl Butler, the iconic country music duo whose timeless lyrics and harmonious melodies left an indelible mark on country music. With a career spanning over four decades, Carl and Pearl Butler became celebrated figures in the world of country music. “Carl made scores of major-label records during the 1950s,” says Bradley E. Reeves, the exhibition’s guest curator and author of the new book Honky Tonkitis: On the Road with Carl Butler and Pearl. “These are some of the best bluegrass, gospel, and hard country records ever made, although none could be called a massive hit.” That honor would come in 1962, when Carl and Pearl recorded “Don’t Let Me Cross Over.” The song remains among the fastest ever to ascend to No. 1 on Billboard Hot Country Singles. Carl and Pearl’s unique “Knoxville sound,” along with heartfelt lyrics, earned them a dedicated fan base who supported them at performances across the United States and Canada through the 1970s. The exhibition offers visitors a rare glimpse into the lives of these music legends.

Key highlights of the exhibition include:
1. Rare Family Archives: Museum guests will have the opportunity to view the Allen “Junior” Butler Family Collection, which has been made publicly available for the first time and includes never-before-seen photographs, home movies, original instruments, and stage costumes that belonged to Carl and Pearl Butler. “I’m grateful to Allen Butler and his family for opening their home and archives to share with us,” says Reeves.
2. Musical Journey: Explore the duo's musical journey through a feature film, which transports visitors through various periods of their career and traces their unfiltered, raw singing style, one that derived from and advanced the “Knoxville sound.”
3. Behind-the-Scenes: Gain insight into the lives of Carl and Pearl Butler through never-before-seen family photographs and recently uncovered anecdotes from the family and fellow musicians, including Dolly Parton who viewed the Butlers as her “second parents.” “Despite their successes,” says Adam Alfrey, Assistant Director for Historical Services at Knox County Public Library, “Carl and Pearl faced personal and professional struggles, which are intimately documented through the family’s photographs.”
4. Interpretive Experience: Engage with the exhibition to understand how both Knoxville and Nashville played a role in the development of country music. Also, learn how chart-topping artists can quickly become all but forgotten, even in their hometown. “The Butlers somehow fell through the cracks,” reflects Reeves. “It’s my hope that this book and exhibition will contribute to a reappreciation of their great body of work.”
They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler promises to be a heartfelt educational experience for country music enthusiasts and fans of all ages. It serves as a testament to the enduring influence of Carl and Pearl Butler on the world of music.

At 5:00 pm, Friday, October 6, 2023, there will be an opening reception for They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler. The event will include a meet and greet with Carl and Pearl Butler’s family, a book signing by guest curator Bradley E. Reeves, and an exhibition of Appalachian musical pioneer paintings by artist Amy Campbell. At 7:00 pm, there will be a “Tribute to Carl and Pearl,” opened by a performance of the Paul Brewster and Friends Band, comprised of 14-year-old mandolin prodigy Wyatt Ellis and Grand Ole Opry performers Daniel Grindstaff, Kent Blanton, Stephen Burwell, and John Meador. A screening of 8mm home movies shot by the Butlers (watch for an appearance by 10-year-old Dolly Parton), as well as some of the Butlers’ rarest television appearances, will conclude the evening.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.eastTNhistory.org/lights-camera