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Knoxville Symphony Orchestra to present 35th Annual Clayton Holiday Concert on Dec. 17-19

December 10, 2021

One of East Tennessee’s favorite holiday traditions will continue in 2021 when the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents the 35th Annual Clayton Holiday Concert on Dec. 17-19.

The performances, sponsored by Clayton Homes, Clayton Volvo, Clayton Foundation and FirstBank, will be held at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium.

“I’m very excited to conduct this year’s annual Clayton Holiday Concert,” KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum said. “This year’s show will be full of wonderful music that everyone will enjoy, and it will be a fantastic way to celebrate the holidays!”

Performances will be held on Friday, Dec. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 18, at 3 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 19, at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $18-$49, and children’s tickets start at $10.

Tickets are available online at knoxvillesymphony.com/concert/clayton-holiday-concert. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by calling 865-521-2300.

The KSO will partner with the Knoxville Choral Society, Webb School of Knoxville Select Ensembles, GO! Contemporary Dance Works and featured vocalists Jennifer D’Agostino and Michael Roemer to bring holiday favorites to the stage, including “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

“It is such a tradition for GO! and for all of Knoxville, and it is one of our favorite performances,” said Lisa Hall McKee, Artistic Director of GO! Contemporary Dance Works. “It is such a wholesome, family-friendly performance that embodies the season in every way.”

Visit https://knoxvillesymphony.com for more information.

About the Knoxville Choral Society

Since 1951, the Knoxville Choral Society has brought some of the world’s greatest choral music to East Tennessee and is dedicated to performing traditional and contemporary choral music at the highest level. The fully auditioned membership performs a yearly concert series, collaborates with other Knoxville arts organizations and works to promote choral singing and music education throughout the area. Under the direction of conductor and artistic director John R. Orr, the membership of the KCS has grown to more than 145 of the best singers in the greater Knoxville area. The Knoxville Choral Society’s regular concert season includes major choral works and other concerts featuring varied styles of choral literature performed by the Masterworks Chorus and the Knoxville Chamber Chorale, a chamber ensemble selected from the membership. The KCS sings regularly with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in the Clayton Holiday Concerts and performs major choral works on the KSO Masterworks series. For more information about the Knoxville Choral Society and its current season, please visit www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org.

About GO! Contemporary Dance Works

GO! Contemporary Dance Works is a nonprofit pre-professional youth ballet company in Knoxville, Tennessee that comprises 50 dancers ages 12-20. GO!’s mission is to elevate enthusiasm for the performing arts in East Tennessee while providing youth the opportunity to express artistry through dance. Since its founding in 2003, GO! has presented over 200 performances to the Knoxville community. GO!’s repertoire consists of both classical and contemporary works commissioned by local, national and international choreographers and includes original, full-length contemporary ballets performed annually at the Bijou Theatre. GO! is noted for its interest in serving its community through collaborations and partnerships with schools, nonprofit organizations and community centers and has performed with the KSO in over 20 performances since 2009. GO! future performances include In The Shadows of Pine Mountain, a full-length contemporary work that explores the Scots-Irish exodus from Ulster to the Appalachian Mountains to be presented in February 2022 at the Bijou Theatre. For more information about GO! visit gocontemporarydance.com.

About Webb School of Knoxville Select Ensembles

Webb School of Knoxville’s Madrigal Singers are part of the school’s strong tradition of excellence in the choral performing arts. Webb’s Madrigal Singers, wearing elaborate costumes of the Renaissance era, traditionally sing for Madrigal Dinners during the holiday season. As a service to the community, the Madrigal performers sing at a number of different venues annually during the holidays. The director of Webb School of Knoxville’s Madrigal Singers is LeAnne Johnson, now in her 13th year of teaching choral music at Webb School and 29th year teaching music. Johnson graduated from the University of Tennessee in vocal performance and earned a master’s degree at Carson-Newman University and EdS at Lincoln Memorial University; and previously performed at Dollywood, Knoxville Opera and other community groups. Jean Helbig is chair of the arts department at Webb. She also is assistant choral director and accompanist and has taught at Webb School for 30 years. Additionally, she teaches private piano classes and is the accompanist at Robertsville Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.

About the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
Led by Music Director Aram Demirjian, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra consists of 80 professional musicians and performs 300 programs throughout the region each season, reaching audiences of more than 200,000 people. The KSO performs in traditional venues such as the Tennessee Theatre, Bijou Theatre and Civic Auditorium, as well as non-traditional places like hospitals, schools, city parks and churches. For more information regarding the KSO, please visit www.knoxvillesymphony.com or call 865-291-3310.