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.

THURSDAY, APRIL 3RD, 2025 | 5:30-7pm
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, ART + ARCHITECTURE RM109 | 1715 Volunteer Blvd.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRI-STAR ARTS

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present an upcoming exhibition in their Main Gallery at the historic Candoro Marble Building. A solo show featuring recent works by artist Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi (Johannesburg, South Africa) opens Friday, April 4 and will run through Saturday, June 14, 2025. Curator: Brian R. Jobe.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 4, 2025 from 5:00 until 8:00 pm (artist in attendance). The address is 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920 and admission is always free of charge. Visitors should drive only on the crushed gravel driveway and parking lo surfaces. Driving vehicles on the lawn is always prohibited.

There will be an artist talk on the evening of Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the University of Tennessee School of Art (room AA109) co-presented by the UT School of Art. Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi obtained her BA from Harvard University (2004) and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York (2008). She divides her time between studio work, performance, and navigating the field of art as social practice. Her work investigates the lived consequences of imperial histories and the personal dimensions of political identities, collectivity, and futurity, among other concepts. https://thenjiwenkosi.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

The O’Connor Senior Center Artist Trading Card group will be exhibiting recent artwork by its members and other artists at the Fountain City Branch Library from Tuesday, April 1st through Wednesday, April 30th during regular library hours.

Artist Trading Cards are small works of art (2 1/2” X 3 1/2”) of any medium. ATCs began in Switzerland in the 90’s by artist Vanci Stirnman and have become a popular genre of art. ATC groups meet around the world online and in person. The goal is to have fun, create something and connect with others by trading and sharing cards. The O’Connor group meets on the fourth Monday of the month from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. The small exhibit of ATCs can be seen at the Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Rd, Knoxville, TN 37918.

Tim Wiegenstein, Creative Aging Teaching Artist, provides instruction, materials, prompts and creative ideas at the O’Connor Center. No age requirements apply for this program; ATCs are for any age, and intergenerational events are encouraged.

The O’Connor Center is located at 611 Winona Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. For more information, call 865) 523-1135, or email info@oconnorcenter.org

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