Calendar of Events

Marble City Opera will present an immersive, site-specific production of The Human Voice on April 3, 4, and 5, 2025 at Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville.

The Human Voice was composed by Francis Poulenc in 1958. It is a one-act monodrama based on a play by Jean Cocteau. Marble City Opera’s production will be sung in English. The only character is a woman on the phone with her former lover who abandoned her for another woman.

Historic Westwood is a Queen Anne style home completed in 1890. It was the residence and studio of artist Adelia Armstrong Lutz and her husband John. Westwood has served as the headquarters for Knox Heritage since 2013.

Soprano Kathryn Frady will sing the part of Elle, accompanied by Brandon Coffer on piano. Marya Barry will be the stage director for the production.

Marble City Opera: 865-226-9756, www.marblecityopera.com

TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN WRITERS PRESENTS THE 36TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE,
April 3-5, 2025, at the Double Tree Hotel, Oak Ridge, TN

The conference will include Workshops, Networking, Publishers, Book Signings, Bookstore, Vendors and Manuscript Evaluations!

Deadline for MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION ENTRIES is MARCH 1, 2025.

Workshop Leaders include JANISSE RAY - Banquet Speaker and Nonfiction; CHARLES DODD WHITE - Fiction and General Session; CAMERON L. MITCHELL - Poetry; KRISTIN O’DONNELL TUBB - Young People’s Literature.

Specialty Sessions include JENNIE IVEY – Inspirational Writing; KELLE JOLLY – Writing a Blues Song; TERRY SHAW, JENNIE IVEY, KRISTIN O’DONNELL TUBB – Fitting a Writing Practice Into Your Busy Life; KEITH STEWART – Humor Writing; LARRY D. THACKER – Writing Short Stories.

Early Conference Registration Rate ends March 21, 2025.
For complete information on all of this and to register, go to our website, tmwi.org

JEFF ARCURI: WHOLE WIDE WORLD TOUR
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 | 7PM

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

Thursday, April 3, 8:00 PM at the Bijou Theatre. Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld is bringing An Open Book: I Laugh At Myself to the Bijou. This one-man show will take you on a deeply personal journey through Furstenfeld’s life, music, and creative evolution. The I Laugh At Myself tour is an all-new, evolved experience from his previous Open Book shows. It features completely fresh stories, songs, and insights, offering fans a rare glimpse into the man behind the music and the stories that have shaped his career. This unique blend of acoustic performances, heartfelt storytelling, and intimate audience interaction makes the I Laugh At Myself show a must-see event.

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B006184E06D6201

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

A Zoom Program Sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society on Thursday, April 3 at 7pm

Our hummingbirds are returning to East Tennessee in April after their winter migration. Did you know there are over 330 hummingbird species, but they are only found in North and South America? They may be small, but they are colorful and powerful.
Join the UT Arboretum Society via Zoom on Thursday, April 3, 7pm EDT as Michelle Campanis, education coordinator at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, and naturalist/author Stephen Lyn Bales, give us an overview of our beloved hummingbirds. The First Thursday Nature Supper Club presentation is hosted by the UT Arboretum Society each month. The class is free, but you must register to receive the Zoom link and recording. Register at www.utarboretumsociety.org under Programs.
These vibrant flower-loving pixies occur in a wider range of colors than all other bird species combined. Purple, yellow, green, crimson, blue, like the colors of a rainbow. The wintertime Rufous Hummingbird is even bathed in UT Orange! Yet, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is our most familiar summertime hummer. Closed captions are available. Please contact Michelle at mcampani@utk.edu for any questions or registration issues.

To contact Stephen Lyn Bales or buy one of his UT Press books, email him at hellostephenlyn@gmail.com.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. | TICKETS
Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. | TICKETS
Knoxville Museum of Art

Concertmaster William Shaub rounds out the Merchant & Gould Concertmaster & Friends Series season with an exuberant program featuring Sarasate’s spirited Zapateado, Djiwadi’s theme from HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Wallen’s “Five Postcards” and Schoenberg’s unique and powerful String Quartet No. 2.

PABLO DE SARASATE: Zapateado
RAMIN DJAWADI: Theme from “Game of Thrones” for Violin and Piano
ERROLLYN WALLEN: Five Postcards for Violin and Viola
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG: String Quartet No. 2

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

It's fun, free, and easy! The Hike-a-Thon is free to register and you can participate from anywhere in the world. This month-long competition in April supports the protection of our lands and waters—where people and nature can thrive. https://campaigns.tenngreen.org/event/hike-a-thon2025/

TennGreen Land Conservancy empowers landowners and communities to protect large, connected natural areas that support diversity of life, inspire appreciation of nature, and spark action to protect the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land that sustains us all. To learn more, visit tenngreen.org.

2025 Featured Dogwood Trails: Holston Hills & Morningside. The Dogwood Trails are open annually from April 1-30th, just in time to showcase the beauty of spring in East Tennessee! Knoxville’s iconic Dogwood Trails date back to 1955 and today cover more than 90 miles in 13 neighborhoods throughout the city. Take a drive, a walk, or a bike ride and enjoy the scenic natural beauty of our region.

No RSVP required. Please email vbaumgartner@dogwoodarts.com or call (865) 637-4561 with questions or concerns.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Home Runs & Home Teams - A History of the National Pastime in Tennessee
Rogers-Claussen Feature Gallery

As Tennesseeans, baseball is in our DNA, and although the game is common to us, it has never remained the same during anyone’s lifetime. Who were among the first to play baseball in Tennessee? How did 31 Tennessee towns come to host a MiLB team? What makes a day at a Tennessee ballpark an iconic experience? Home Runs & Home Teams provides an overview of the national pastime as it has played out in the Volunteer State. For every story included in the exhibition, there are hundreds more–from players to pennants, from bat makers to bat boys–that could have been shared. So as you “round the bases,” think about your connections to the game, your ties to the past. What does baseball mean to you and to your community? What baseball stories should libraries and museums preserve to share with future Tennesseans? Let’s play ball!

601 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902
https://www.easttnhistory.org/exhibitions/home-runs-home-teams/

BY PHILIP DAWKINS
LAB THEATRE

A magical fable with music. This exciting new play tells the story of the Fail family and their seemingly difficult challenge to just stay alive around blunt objects, disappearances and the odd case of consumption. Sometimes you just never see death coming. In this upbeat, tuneful, magical fable you can either worry about the ever-impending death or you can live, love, and sing some songs along the way.

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information/tickets: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com

First Friday, 5-8 PM on March 7
Seven Decades in Bloom reflects on the 70-year journey of Dogwood Arts, with an immersive retrospective honoring our rich history, evolution, and impact on the region.

123 W. Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
Regular Gallery Hours: M-F | 10AM-5PM

KITE SYMPHONY: a multidisciplinary exhibition by Roberto Carlos Lange + Kristi Sword
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BIG EARS FESTIVAL | FIRST FRIDAYS: MARCH 7 + APRIL 4 | 5-9PM

EXTENDED BIG EARS HOURS: MARCH 27, 28, 29 | 12-9PM and MARCH 30 | 12-6PM and SPECIAL PERFORMANCES | STAR SCORES
Each day of the festival, a unique ensemble – featuring Lange, Rob Frye, and a cast of special friends and guests – will perform four experimental compositions alongside and impressionistic film exploring the forces shaping the West Texas landscape and Appalachian skies.
Thursday | March 27, 7:30PM | Performers: Rob Frye, Roberto Carlos Lange, and Darian Donovan Thomas
Friday | March 28, 1PM | Performers: Roberto Carlos Lange
Saturday | March 29, 1PM | Performers: Rob Frye and Roberto Carlos Lange
Sunday | March 30, 1PM | Performers: Rob Frye, Roberto Carlos Lange, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Kalia Vandever

Kite Symphony is a multidisciplinary exhibition by Roberto Carlos Lange and Kristi Sword. The project features a series of drawings called Radio Telescope. Two films, one experimental piece called Star Scores, will be scored live during the Big Ears festival, and a film documenting sculptural interventions during their time in Marfa, Texas. Sound is the throughline between these diverse elements of this long-term project. Lange is a musician (widely known as Helado Negro), Sword is a visual artist, and Kite Symphony is an extension of their collaborative practice where they create work at the intersection of music, performance, and visual art. Parts of the film were originally commissioned by Ballroom Marfa and organized by Sarah Melendez.

“Lange, better known as Helado Negro, teams with the visual artist Kristi Sword for a sprawling and inspired project paying tribute to the Marfa, Texas sky.” – Pitchfork

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, https://downtown.utk.edu