Recently in classical music Category

Today's First Friday, so there's art, box wine, and fruit-and-cheese plates all over downtown. There's plenty more to do this weekend, though. Here are some highlights:



• Wendy Williams, the AVN Transsexual Performer of the Year for 2009, will be signing autographs at Rainbow Video in North Knoxville today at 5 p.m. Jesse Fox Mayshark interviewed Williams for this week's issue.

• The John Myers Band, led by the local veteran R&B singer John Myers (above), is performing at Knoxville Museum of Art's Alive After Five series at 6 p.m. The show is free. Jack Neely profiled Myers in 2007, and I reviewed his new CD this week.

• Royal Bangs play at Barley's Taproom tonight, with former Bang Brandon Biondi's band Coolrunnings--whose remix of Twin Sister's "All Around and Away We Go" was featured on Pitchfork earlier this week--opening.

• The Night of 1,000 Dollys, an annual celebration of all things Dolly, moves to Club XYZ in Happy Holler tonight. The party includes biggest hair, biggest boobs, and Dolly look-alike contests and late-night Dolly-themed drag shows. It's 21 and up and admission is $3, unless you have a Dollywood season pass or ticket stub, in which case you get in free. 

• Local "anti-pop" stars Hudson K celebrate the release of their debut album, Shine, at the new Relix Variety Theatre in Downtown North, on Central Street, on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, which includes a copy of the disc. Janet Jay interviewed Hudson K singer/pianist/songwriter Christina Horn this week. 

• Cellist/singer/songwriter Ben Sollee, whose scheduled headlining performance at last month's Dogwood Arts Rhythm N' Blooms festival was canceled when volcanic ash stuck Sollee in Sweden, will hold a makeup performance at the Knoxville Botanical Garden on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$75. The expensive seats include a reception with Sollee. Discounts are available for Rhythm N' Blooms passholders. Jack Neely interviewed Sollee here. 

The Metropolitan Opera and the English National Opera have commissioned an opera from NYC composer Nico Muhly, who's performing at Big Ears in March. It's quite an accomplishment for the 28-year-old Muhly. The opera, with a libretto by Craig Lucas and based on the real-life story of a teenager who tried to arrange his own murder on the Internet, is scheduled to debut in London in 2011 and premier at the Met during the 2013-14 season.

The New York Times has more.

From Alan Sherrod's MP classical music blog:

"Word has it that Knoxville Opera is having a little cocktail party as part of this week's First Friday in the S&W Grand from 6 to 9 p.m. I've also heard they are calling it Opera After Hours at First Friday. And, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if members of the Knoxville Opera Studio were there to entertain those that drop in on the downstairs bar area."

Read Alan's profile of Rachele Gilmore, who's starring in KOC's production of Lucia di Lammermoor next weekend, here.