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KSO, Clayton presents Christmas extravaganza
Stephanie Burdette, Special to farragutpress - Thu, Dec, 11, 2008
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Lucas Richman continue an age-old holiday tradition in East Tennessee with the 22nd Annual Clayton Holiday concerts.
The theme of this year’s show is “A Holiday Peace” and will feature The Knoxville Choral Society singing the world premiere of “Hodie Christus natus est (This Day Christ is Born)” by local composer James R. Carlson.
Carlson, a native of Everett, Wash., has composed works for theater, dance, chorus, orchestra, voice and various chamber combinations. Carlson’s works have been performed at the New Music Days Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, the North Carolina Dance Festival, the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, the NYU Composers Seminar and the Sonoklect New Music Festival. His works also have been performed by the Ciompi String Quartet, Rilke Ensemblen Choir, the Auros Group for New Music, the Luna Nova Ensemble and the NEC Chamber Singers. Carlson’s large-scale cantata, “Motets & Marginalia,” was premiered at the 2001 Encounters/UNC Festival of New Music in Chapel Hill, N.C., and performed again by the University of Washington Chorale in Seattle in 2002. His work, “Labyrinth” (2001) for alto saxophone and narrator, was performed in Belgium and Luxembourg and was recently featured at the New Music Festival II at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In May 2003, his piano piece “Gryllus” was performed at the “Old Links to New Music” Contemporary Music Festival at Otterbein College in Ohio.
Carlson is a member of the steering committee of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church Performing Arts and Lecture Series in Knoxville.
“I always look forward to our Clayton Holiday Concerts because, as an East Tennessee tradition, they provide an opportunity for the whole community to come together and celebrate family, love and wonderful music,” Richman said.
This year’s concerts will feature classical and traditional holiday favorites such as Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and “Christmas Festival Overture,” Georg Frideric Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” featuring the Knoxville Choral Society, “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” performances by the Appalachian Ballet Company and the Sound Company Children’s Choir, the traditional Christmas sing-along with the KSO audience and everyone’s favorite elf: Santa Claus.
A highlight to the show is a performance of “Ave Maria,” featuring vocalist Shira Adler.
Adler has worked in a myriad of genres including opera, musical theatre, cabaret, jazz, oratorio, sacred and contemporary liturgical music. Her professional performances run from performances nationally with major symphony orchestras including multiple appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and soloist for the Pittsburgh Jewish Music Festival and Los Angeles Jewish Symphony to her debut in Austria under the baton of KSO’s Richman.
In addition, Adler also has appeared as guest artist with a myriad of renowned chamber ensembles and choirs including with the Westchester Chorale for Handel’s oratorio: “Israel in Egypt” and the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh “Children of Abraham” Interfaith concert.
Adler received a Bachelors of Arts in music from UCLA and Master of Fine Arts from UC-Irvine. A voice student of Michael Paul in New York City, Adler, her husband and their four children reside in Goldens Bridge, N.Y., where she balances her classical and spiritual musical career by serving as clergy for Temple Beth Shalom in Mahopac, N.Y.
The shows are sponsored by Clayton Homes, Clayton Bank and Trust and Clayton Volvo, offer a perfect way to celebrate the season with the entire family.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19-20, and at 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20-21, at the Civic Auditorium.
Tickets begin at $12 and children’s tickets are half price before fees. To purchase tickets call 865-291-3310 or 865-656-4444 or log onto the KSO
Web site at www.knoxville
symphony.com.
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