Oak Ridge Today

Roane State Playmakers to perform production of Lionel Bart’s ‘Oliver!’ April 21-23

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During a rehearsal, Sophie King of Arts in Motion teaches the children who play orphans the choreography for "Food Glorious Food." (Photo by Roane State)

During a rehearsal, Sophie King of Arts in Motion teaches the children who play orphans the choreography for “Food Glorious Food.” (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous novel, “Oliver Twist,” comes to Roane State’s O’Brien Theater for only three performances in a rare collaboration of the college’s Music and Theatre Arts departments.

The curtain goes up on Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23.

It’s the story of a 9-year-old orphan and his misadventures, from being half-starved in a workhouse and famously asking for more gruel, to learning how to be a pickpocket on the gritty streets of 19th century London.

Memorable songs abound, from “Where Is Love?” to “Food Glorious Food” and “It’s a Fine Life.”

“It’s one of my favorite shows and a classic musical from the 1960s that’s been updated to add new songs,” said director Clarissa Feldt. “It’s a really fantastic big production.” [Read more…]

Bob Clement, former member of Congress, to speak, sign books at Green McAdoo

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Former member of Congress, Bob Clement (D-TN) will speak and sign books at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton on Monday, April 10, 2017. (Submitted photo)

Former member of Congress, Bob Clement (D-TN) will speak and sign books at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton on Monday, April 10, 2017. (Submitted photo)

Former U.S. Congressman Bob Clement, a Tennessee Democrat, will read and sign his new memoir in Clinton in April.

Clement’s new memoir is titled “Presidents, Kings, and Convicts: My Journey from the Tennessee Governor’s Residence to the Halls of Congress.” The memoir shares his front row seat to some of America’s most significant events, including the 1956 desegregation of Clinton High School, a press release said.

Clement will be at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, April 10. The Green McAdoo Cultural Center is at 101 School Street in Clinton.

Clement’s book describes behind-the-scenes accounts of some of his most memorable events beginning with his childhood growing up in the Tennessee governor’s mansion to becoming a Tennessee Valley Authority director, military officer, college president, successful businessman, and a member of Congress for eight terms, a press release said. It features a chapter on the desegregation of the South, specifically the role his father, Frank G. Clement, played in helping to integrate Clinton High School, fighting against the racial intolerance of the day, the press release said.

“He was instrumental in restoring order after the tragic bombing of the school in 1958, and ushering 12 black students back to the school in an act of racial equality and tolerance,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State’s Stephens honored for poetry

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DeAnna Stephens

DeAnna Stephens

While she loves writing poetry, the challenging act of “paring and refining” her efforts is as enjoyable and intellectually challenging, Roane State Community College assistant professor of English DeAnna Stephens said.

Stephens’ poem, “Bundt Season,” was recently a finalist in the prestigious Lascaux Review. That literary journal provides a showcase for emerging and established writers and artists whose talents have lingering impacts.

Her poem “deals with the rituals surrounding death, and the complex ties we maintain with family,” said Stephens, who said she wrote her first poem when she was 13.

“I am drawn to poetry…because it connects the individual experience to the universal in a way that is different from other genres,” she said. [Read more…]

Community Band Concert is April 2 at ORHS

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Pictured above is Deidre Ford, who will be singing "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" in the Community Band Concert in Oak Ridge on April 2, 2017. (Submitted photo)

Pictured above is Deidre Ford, who will be singing “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” in the Community Band Concert in Oak Ridge on April 2, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

On Sunday afternoon April 2, the Oak Ridge Wind Ensemble/Community Band will present its last concert of the 2016-2017 “Exploring Our Roots in Wind Band Music” series. The “Music of North America” performance will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The April 2 concert promises to be an exceptionally entertaining show featuring music by outstanding American composers such as Gershwin, Leroy Anderson, John Phillip Sousa, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Henry Fillmore, and others presenting a variety of selections ranging from dixieland, classical, gospel, jazz, and cajun two-step to marches, show tunes, and light pop, a press release said.

The Community Band is also pleased to present trumpet soloist Tim Michaels, vocal soloist Deidre Ford, and the band’s own Dixieland ensemble with trombonist Don Batchelor, clarinetist Deidre Ford, trumpet player Tim Ford, tuba player Tim Powers, and percussionist Cindy Redd, the press release said. [Read more…]

Celebrated violinist Rachel Barton Pine to perform in Oak Ridge

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Violinist Rachel Barton Pine (Submitted photo)

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine (Submitted photo)

 

There will be a series of performances and outreach activities featuring internationally renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine in late March and early April, a press release said.

The events, scheduled from March 30-April 2, are presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

Pine is an American violinist who made her solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 10, and she was the first American and youngest ever gold medal winner of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, the press release said.

Saturday, April 1: [Read more…]

Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference set for April 6-8

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Carol Aebersold, keynote speaker at the awards banquet, native Oak Ridger, and author of "The Elf on the Shelf." (Submitted photo)

Carol Aebersold, native Oak Ridger, and author of “The Elf on the Shelf.” (Submitted photo)

“Write Here, Write Now” is the theme of the Tennessee Mountain Writers’ 29th Annual Conference, scheduled Thursday through Saturday, April 6-8, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The conference will include writing contests, workshops, networking, manuscript evaluations, publishers, editors, book signings, a bookstore, vendors, and more, a press release said.

Native Oak Ridger Carol Aebersold will be the keynote speaker at the awards banquet, the concluding event of the conference. Aebersold is the award-winning co-author of the acclaimed book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” as well as several board books.

Aebersold serves as a spokeswoman for the North Pole, traveling nationally—and sometimes internationally—in support of her books, providing kids with a direct line to Santa, the press release said. She is also a co-founder of The Elf on the Shelf’s publishing company, Creatively Classic Activities and Books (CCA and B, LLC), where she serves as owner and partner. Her book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition” has been on the best-seller lists of USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly almost yearly since its 2005 launch. [Read more…]

ORHS Orchestra wins top national orchestra award for second straight year

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Oak Ridge High School Orchestra pictured at Universal Studios on Day 3 of Festival Disney on Saturday, March 11, 2017. (Photo courtesy ORHS Orchestra)

The Oak Ridge High School Orchestra is pictured at Universal Studios on Day 3 of Festival Disney on Saturday, March 11, 2017. (Photo courtesy ORHS Orchestra)

 

Oak Ridge High School Orchestra has won a top national orchestra award for the second year in a row, officials said.

The ORHS won Best 10-12th Grade Orchestra, Gold Orchestra Award, Outstanding Soloist, Best 9th Grade Orchestra, with Superior and Excellent Awards at the Festival Disney competition in Orlando, Florida, this past weekend, Director Doug Phillips said.

The ORHS Orchestra also won Best High School Orchestra one year ago, in a competition in New York City last March. The orchestra earned 11 total awards during that trip.

“It’s official: ORHS 10-12 orchestra back-to-back national champs!” ORHS Orchestra posted on Twitter after this year’s awards were announced in Orlando on Saturday, March 11.

Festival Disney is endorsed by the National Association for Music Education and also the Grammys, Phillips said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Philharmonia has open house Sunday; bring your instrument if you’d like to play

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The Oak Ridge Philharmonia performs at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in 2016. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia performs at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in 2016. (Submitted photo)

 

By Dale Gedcke

Would you like to join an ensemble that plays famous Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary music…with strings attached?

The March 12 Open House with the Oak Ridge Philharmonia may be the opportunity you need to explore the benefits of playing with this excellent orchestra. Bring your instrument, and discuss the possibilities with Director/Conductor Marcelo Urias, the board members, and current players in the Philharmonia.

Refreshments will be served, and you may be able to play a few pieces with us, just for fun, while you are there. No auditions are necessary. Within a few rehearsals, you will be able to decide whether you and the orchestra are a fulfilling match.

Aspiring musicians typically encounter little difficulty locating concert bands in which to play. But orchestras, with the full complement of strings added to the woodwinds and brass, are hard to find. Even experienced professionals have to compete intensely for the scant positions open in sparse, professional orchestras.

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia is a community orchestra dedicated to committed volunteers. It presents a rare opportunity for musicians who want to polish their skills, while enjoying playing with the full spectrum of sounds only the combination of woodwinds, brass, and strings can deliver. [Read more…]

Art Center show to highlight works by instructors, students

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student2

The next installation in the Oak Ridge Art Center’s galleries will be the Instructor/Student Show titled “Movers, Shakers, Mentors, Makers II.”

This will showcase works by the current instructors and their students, a press release said.

“So if you were curious as to what happens in their classes, you will not want to miss this amazing show!” the press release said.

There will be an opening reception for this show from 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 17, with a gallery talk about the newest installation at 6:30 p.m. It’s a free event, and everyone is welcome to attend, the press release said.

Semi-animated musical show Saturday at Grove Theater

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Pink House performers

“The Pink House: A Tale of Two Faces” will be presented on Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Grove Theater.

This traveling, semi-animated variety show hosts eminent local musicians in an ongoing epic about an artist and his various misadventures, a press release said.

The show is illustrated by Desmond Darko of Oak Ridge. It is voice-acted by Darko, Courtney Harvey, and Austin Puckett.

Musical guests are Mojlae, a folk guitarist who experiments with electronic and synthetic sounds, and The Shut Inns, an alternative rock band that uses grunge and punk influences. To hear samples of Mojlae’s music, visit https://soundcloud.com/mojlae. [Read more…]

See the 2017 Secret City Festival schedule here

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Secret City Festival Flyer 2017

See the Secret City Festival schedule of events above. The events start Friday, June 2, and end June 17.

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available. For more information, contact sponsor@celebrateoakridge.org.

Woodland student Caleb Johnson wins first-place award at Dogwood Arts

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Student art work by Caleb Johnson (Photo submitted by Mary Katherine Chin)

Student art work by Caleb Johnson (Photo submitted by Mary Katherine Chin)

 

Woodland Elementary School art student Caleb Johnson recently won first place in his grade level at the Dogwood Arts Festival.

“This is huge,” said Woodland Elementary School teacher Mary Katherine Chin. Hundreds of works of art are sent in, Chin said.

“But only a select few are chosen,” she said. “Even fewer get awards.”

The Dogwood Arts SYNERGY art exhibition features the work of gifted students from local schools (grades K-12). The exhibit is alongside an exhibit by East Tennessee’s finest K-12 art teachers and current art interns/student-teachers from public and private schools and academies, a press release said. Awards and scholarships are presented to encourage further development of these art students’ artistic aptitude.

Jefferson Middle School art teacher Jim Dodson is a committee chair. (You can see him featured in a video on the site, as well as student work from prior years, at this link.) [Read more…]