Calendar of Events

Bearden Middle School chorus presents Aladdin Jr, the Musical!

March 1st at 7pm
March 2nd at 7pm
March 3rd at 3pm
*Tickets purchased online will be available at the Will Call at the selected performance.

Join us as 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” for young performers!

https://app.memberhub.gives/aladdinjr2024/Campaign/Details
Bearden Middle School, 1000 Francis Road, Knoxville, TN 37909
865-539-7839

Akima Club of Knoxville will present Akima Cabaret 2024 80's MIXTAPE on Friday, March 1st & Saturday, March 2nd at The Mill & Mine. This professionally scripted and staged show performed by Akima members and associates will feature lots of 1980s big hair, neon accessories and unforgettable music and dance. Proceeds from the event will fund the Akima Grant program which provides financial aid to area non-profit agencies covering Arts, Culture and Science; Children and Youth; Medical and Social Services; Senior Assistance and a variety of other fields. Akima is a 501(c)(3) organization. Go to AkimaClub.org for tickets and more information.

Fri at 7 PM, Sat at 2 PM, tickets are $75. https://events.handbid.com/auctions/akima-auction-2024/tickets

GODSMACK: VIBEZ TOUR
FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024, 7:00 PM at the Tennessee Theatre.

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

Friday, March 1, Singer Songwriter Showcase at Pretentious Beer Co., 131 South Central Street.

We're thrilled to have Bogues out of Nashville as well as Knoxville's own Nancy Ann, Lazarus Lake, and Joseph Barnum all taking the Pretentious Beer Co. stage in a special singer songwriter showcase! If you want to see some of the best up-and-coming songwriters in the area that you may or may not have heard of yet, you'll want to come down to check this show out.

Tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/singer-songwriter-showcase-at-pretentious-beer-co-tickets

Jubilee Community Arts presents Blakeley Burger at the Laurel Theater, March 1, at
8:00 PM.

Blakeley Burger is a classically trained Louisville fiddler with roots in Lexington and Eastern Kentucky. She was a 2023 Berea College Media Archive Fellow, researching the musical techniques and lives of Kentucky fiddlers such as Doc Roberts, Ed Haley, Emma Lee Dickerson, Lella Todd, and Buddy Thomas through field recordings and oral histories. Blakeley performs nationally and in South America and has recorded on June Appal and Dolceola Recordings. She frequently performs with Kentucky Wild Horse and in a duo with banjo player/singer-songwriter Grace Rogers. Blakeley also teaches fiddle for the Happy Hollow Hootenanny, the Kentucky Arts Council, Louisville Country Dancers, and the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School. She has studied with mentors such as John Harrod, Daniel and Amy Carwile, and Jesse Wells. She will be joined by Lexington-based banjo player Nadia Ramlagan, a documentarian and member of the Possum Queens, and the Knoxville-based songwriter and member of Watchouse, Josh Oliver.

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

On Friday, March 1, 2024, at Central Bearden Baptist Church, the Knoxville Choral Society, led by Dr. John R. Orr, will present a winter concert featuring Christopher Tin’s "The Lost Birds: An Extinction Elegy." Tin, a multi-Grammy award-winning composer of film and video-game soundtracks, is best known for his piece “Baba Yetu,” written for the video game Civilization IV, which was the first video game music ever to win a Grammy. "The Lost Birds" incorporates poetry by Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Sara Teasdale, serving as a musical memorial to bird species that have become extinct. Tin’s music is sweeping, pastoral, and romantic, celebrating beauty, hope, peace, and renewal. The Knoxville Choral Society will be joined by members of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and the concert will feature solo performances from the 2023-2024 Knoxville Choral Society scholarship winners: Gracie Webb, Kevin Spooner, and Adrian Peña. This concert will be dedicated to longtime Knoxville Choral Society supporter and patron, Dr. Patsy Kylene Williams Boyce.

Central Bearden Baptist Church, 6300 Deane Hill Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919
Tickets are $15. Available online at www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org and at the door.

The Knoxville Choral Society is an auditioned choir that has been bringing the joy and wonder of choral music to East Tennessee since 1951. They are dedicated to maintaining a rich tradition of choral excellence for both their members and audiences.

Start your First Friday fun with WDVX!

Be a part of our live audience at Visit Knoxville on March 3 at 6pm ET for First Friday Live.

Come see us for a free show with musical guests Thrift Store Cowboys - https://www.thriftstorecowboys.net/

You can listen online at https://wdvx.com/listen or livestream from the WDVX Facebook Page.
301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Tel: 865-544-1029

The University of Tennessee College of Music’s annual Contemporary Music Festival celebrates contemporary music through concerts of new music, workshops, and paper presentations each spring. It welcomes guest performers, scholars, and composers from around the world.

Wednesday, February 28
5:30 – 6:30 PM | The Emporium Downtown (100 S. Gay Street) -- Alejandro Rutty (6-string bass) and Jorge Variego (clarinets)

Thursday, February 29
12:55 – 2:10 PM | Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Room 40 -- Ian Dicke presentation

5:30 – 6:30 PM | Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Powell Recital Hall -- Ian Dicke presents “Cowboy Rounds,” his debut album that reimagines a collection of folk songs from the John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip archive at the Library of Congress. Using the text and vocal contours of the original field recordings as a foundation, each track weaves an intricate sonic tapestry of processed loops that reflect the source material’s grit. The multidimensional songs explore themes of loneliness, oppression, and paranoia that form alarming parallels to the issues plaguing contemporary American society today.

Friday, March 1
9:10 – 10:00 AM | Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Room 40 -- Lecture by Rodrigo Sigal (Supported by the Fulbright Foundation). Sigal joins us from Mexico where he teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia.

10:20 – 11:10 AM | Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Room 40 -- Eunmi Ko, Anruo Chen, Ania Vu, and Chen-Hui Jen discuss the MUTED project

2:30 – 3:30 PM | Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Powell Recital Hall -- Rodrigo Sigal (monographic concert of electronic music).

5:30 – 7:00 PM | Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, Powell Recital Hall -- Eunmi Ko presents MUTED, featuring music of composers Anruo Cheng, Grace Ann Lee, Chen-Hui Jen, and Ania Vu.

University of Tennessee College of Music
117 Natalie L. Haslam Music Center
1741 Volunteer Blvd.
Knoxville TN 37996-2600
Phone: 865-974-3241
Email: music@utk.edu
https://music.utk.edu/events/cmf/

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