There will not be a Secret City Festival this year, organizers said Thursday.
In April, organizers had announced that the festival, which is normally in June, was postponed. But no new date was announced at that time.
On Thursday, the Secret City Festival board of directors said they have explored every option to have the festival in 2020, but “we have determined that we cannot provide the level of excellence this year that we wish to.”
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The Lavender Festival, one of Oak Ridge’s most popular festivals, has been postponed to 2021 as the city, state, and country try to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“After consulting with Oak Ridge city officials, and in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce that Lavender Festival 2020 will be postponed until June 19, 2021,” said Barbara Ferrell, a Jackson Square business owner and Lavender Festival Committee member. “We agree with city officials that Lavender Festival’s crowd and limited area make it an unsafe event as the COVID-19 virus continues to circulate in our community.
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The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association presents its Eighth From Rock to Bach Music Festival and Fundraiser on Saturday, March 7, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Tunrpike.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m., with the first of 19 varied musical groups taking the stage at 10 a.m., a press release said. A complete list of performers may be found at ORCMA.org.
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Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” the musical based on the classic animated film, in four performances this weekend.
The performances are Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center. Advanced tickets are $8, and they are available at the ORHS office and The Ferrell Shop. At the door, tickets will be $9 for students and $10 for adults.
Under the direction of Dana Wham—who has directed, choreographed, or acted in numerous adult and children productions throughout the region— this year’s “The Little Mermaid” continues the ORHS Masquers tradition of bringing excellent performances, impressive sets, amazing orchestration, and technical panache to the stage, a press release said.
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Submitted
Come for an afternoon of music and a great way to end February, Black History, and Interfaith Harmony Month in Oak Ridge!
Multiple community organizations join to make this free concert available. The greater Oak Ridge community welcomes Eric Dozier to the Historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge on Saturday February 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and a Q&A with the artist will follow. The program is free to the public, and donations will be accepted.
From the small rural town of Bakewell, Tennessee, where he was born, Dozier has brought his love of music to the world. He has traveled throughout the United States and Canada, and toured internationally since the age of 12. It was a critical encounter in the Czech Republic, a far cry from Bakewell, that prompted him to pursue his calling. This led him to recognize the true power of music to heal hearts. Of himself he says: “I am a cultural activist, anti-racism educator, and itinerant blues preacher leveraging the power of music to promote healing, justice, and racial reconciliation.”
Eric Dozier is a music educator, cultural activist, and recording artist who uses music to engage communities in dialogue about racism. Encouraging people in finding and lending their voice to the ever-emerging story of humanity lies at the heart of his work. He is committed to “Uniting the World One Song at a Time.” A graduate of Duke University and Duke Divinity School, Dozier is currently pursuing a doctorate researching the effects of Black Gospel Music on communities outside of the Black Church.
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The Winter Farmers’ Market will be in the Social Hall, rather than the gym, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Saturday, February 22, a press release said. The Social Hall is in the basement of the church chapel.
The market is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., through March 28. It has free entry and free parking.
“We have the same great farmers and bakers, just a different room this week,” said market director Rebecca Williams. The move to the different room is only for this week.
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Folk dancers representing many cultures around the world will be among entertainers at the International Festival on Saturday, February 29, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.
The family-friendly International Festival will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from many countries, with musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day and crafts for children to make and take home. The festival entertainment will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Februar 29 at the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.
Entertainers include the Oak Ridge International Folk Dancers; Spice of India Dancers; Kinetics Wellness Studio, with instructor Katrien Sevrin and students presenting contemporary Egyptian dance; Pasión Flamenca, performing flamenco and Spanish folk dances; the Meriaki Greek Dancers from St. George Greek Orthodox Church; the Tennessee Irish Dancers; Debka and the Oasis Dancers; National Martial Arts, demonstrating martial arts with audience participation; and the Asian Culture Center of Tennessee, along with the University of Tennessee Japanese Program. [Read more…]
George Hayden
The Oak Ridge Community Band has a “Tennessee Tribute” concert on Sunday.
The concert is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, February 16, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
“This performance will be a celebration of the rich musical heritage of Tennessee and will also feature guest director George Hayden,” a press release said. “Also, with Valentine’s Day on Friday, treating your special somebody by attending Sunday afternoon’s ORCB concert is a great way to celebrate this special weekend.”
George Hayden, band director at Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School in Maryville, will conduct the Community Band in Gary Gilroy’s “Three Stars of Tennessee,” the press release said. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra with special guest violist Derek Reeves will pay tribute to trailblazing black and African American composers in Musical Firsts on Sunday.
The concert is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 9, in the Historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge. Tickets are available at ORCMA.org, by phone at (865) 483-5569, or at The Ferrell Shop in Jackson Square. Tickets are also available at the door. Prices are $25 for adults, $10 for young adults ages 19-29, and free for youth 18 and younger through the Penny4Arts initiative.
The orchestra will perform music by acclaimed composers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Jessie Montgomery. Reeves, the soloist, will be featured in the music by Still and also the “Viola Concerto” by Georg Friedrich Telemann before leading area viola students in a master class, a press release said.
“I’ve known Derek since he was a talented undergraduate student at Indiana University,” said Music Director Dan Allcott. “Now a seasoned professional, Derek belongs to that special category of musicians who has the ability to cross multiple boundaries and musical genres to engage all audiences. Oak Ridgers are in for a treat.”
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Father and son Edgar and George Meyer, a Grammy-winning bassist and a violinist, will perform in Oak Ridge in February.
The Meyers perform original compositions for violin and double bass duo alongside traditional fiddle tunes, a press release said.
At the heart of the program in Oak Ridge will be their new co-written duo, co-commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest and Bravo! Vail in 2019, the press release said.
The concert will be sponsored by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, and it will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 17, at the First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge. Tickets for adults are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Tickets for youths 18 and under are $15.
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The Oak Ridge History Museum will host an evening of 1940s music by the Oak Ridge High School Choral Ensemble and the Oak Ridge High School Jazz Band on Saturday, January 18, at 7 p.m.
Admission is free, although donations to the museum are certainly welcome, a press release said.
The Oak Ridge History Museum (www.oakridgemuseum.com) is located at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge, across the street from the Kroger Marketplace.
This press release was submitted by a subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will continue the celebration of its 75th anniversary season by presenting the Oak Ridge Chorus in “GLORIA!” on Saturday, December 7.
The concert is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, which is at 212 North Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. Tickets are available at ORCMA.org, by phone at (865) 483-5569, at The Ferrell Shop, or at the door. Prices are $15 for adults, $5 for young adults ages 19-29, and free for youth 18 and younger through the Penny4Arts initiative. An extended Cyber Monday sale waives fees for online purchases, a press release said.
The performance of John Rutter’s Gloria is scored for chorus with organ, timpani, and an octet of brass players.
“Thanks to our affiliation with the Oak Ridge Symphony, musicians from the ranks of the orchestra will fulfil those roles, with St. Stephen’s Music Director Simon Ballintoy as our organist,” said Choral Director Seth O’Kegley.
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