December 9, 2019
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will present the 33rd Annual Clayton Holiday Concert on Dec. 20-22 at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Music Director Aram Demirjian conducts the KSO and special guests for “Christmas on Broadway.”
There are four performances: Friday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 21, at 3 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 22, at 3 p.m. These concerts are sponsored by Clayton Homes, Clayton Volvo, Clayton Foundation and First Bank. View ticket and general information here.
Musical selections include songs from favorite holiday classics from the Great White Way on Broadway, including pieces from Annie, A Christmas Carol and Mame. Other musical highlights include “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. KSO will be joined by special guests Knoxville Choral Society, GO! Contemporary Dance Works, soloists Kathryn Paden and Jordan Bondurant, and maybe even Santa himself!
Santa Claus takes center stage with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 865-291-3310 or visiting the KSO website. Tickets range from $18- $49; children’s tickets start at $10. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by calling 865-521-2337.
Demirjian noted: “It wouldn’t be the holidays without live music, and the Clayton Holiday Concerts are a tradition that the KSO has been overjoyed to share with the East Tennessee community for 33 years. ‘Christmas on Broadway’ is a sparkling blend of show tunes and traditional carols, most of which you already know and love, some that you might have had no idea came from Broadway, plus a few new gems that will become regulars on your holiday season playlist.
“These concerts are a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent we have in Knoxville featuring our guest ensembles the Knoxville Choral Society, GO! Contemporary Dance Works, plus two soloists born and raised right here in East Tennessee, Kathryn Paden and Jordan Bondurant.”
About 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
Since 2003, GO! Contemporary Dance Works has served the Knoxville community, spreading enthusiasm for the performing arts, with exceptional and innovative performances including original contemporary ballets such as The Barbarosa: The story of female pirate legend Anne Bonnie; Tata Ajache: African Warrior Princess; Alice: A revolutionary ballet; and Jehanne … The story of Joan of Arc. GO! is known for blending classical and contemporary mediums of dance with daring artistry and athleticism that appeals to audiences far beyond the devoted dance-goer. This is GO!’s tenth appearance with the fabulous KSO as guests for Clayton Holiday Concerts. GO! will be presenting Unsung Heroes: Women of WWII at the Bijou Theatre on February 8-9. GO! is directed by Lisa Hall McKee, Artistic Director and consists of over 55 dancers pre-professional through professional level. For more information about GO! and their upcoming performances, visit www.gocontemporarydance.com.
About Aram Demirijian
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is flourishing under the transformative leadership of Music Director Aram Demirjian. Aram has appeared with the nation’s top orchestras and maintains a close relationship with The Philadelphia Orchestra, with which he appears three times in the 2019-20 season. He also makes subscription debuts with the Tucson Symphony, Portland Symphony and the Orlando Philharmonic. Other recent engagements include the Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Omaha, San Antonio and St. Louis symphonies, the Minnesota and Sarasota orchestras, and the Louisiana Philharmonic. A gifted public speaker, he is a passionate and vocal advocate for the arts, and he regularly addresses community and business organizations advocating for arts non-profits and arts education in our society. Aram is the winner of the 2019 Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S. and the 2011 Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize from the Aspen Music Festival, and he has appeared in masterclasses with renowned conductors Bernard Haitink and Kurt Masur. Aram holds a joint Bachelor of Arts in Music and Government from Harvard University and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from New England Conservatory.
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.
