The Oak Ridge Philharmonia will have two free concert dates in November.
The two concerts will include:
“We hope you can join us for a generous portion of�fun and very enjoyable�music,” a press release said.
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Twenty-three professional comedy groups and three local high schools will perform at the Secret City Improv Festival in Oak Ridge this weekend.
The festival is scheduled Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, at the Historic Grove Theater.
It’s the third year in a row that the festival has been in Oak Ridge.
The festival consists of eight unique performances featuring 23 professional improv comedy troupes, three local high schools, and workshops and masterclasses with experienced improvisers from across America, a press release said. The Secret City Improv Festival will feature comedy improv troupes from 15 cities representing 10 states this year.
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On Thursday, Oak Ridge will host a movie premiere of “Oppenheimer,” a movie about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists who helped build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Oak Ridge was part of the top-secret project to build those bombs.
The movie will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at Cinemark Theater.
“Explore Oak Ridge is thrilled to present the premiere of ‘Oppenheimer, a movie that not only entertains but also pays tribute to the remarkable history of our city and the Manhattan Project,” said Katy Watt, president of Explore Oak Ridge. “This event celebrates Oak Ridge’s contributions to science and innovation, and we are honored to showcase our community’s heritage on the silver screen. Everyone is invited to an evening filled with drinks, popcorn, and a deep sense of pride as we honor the enduring spirit of our remarkable community and the remarkable history that defines us.”
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Oak Ridge Schools will host a free, community-centered red carpet event Wednesday featuring a 90-minute panel discussion and a screening of the documentary film “Oppenheimer After Trinity.”
The panel—made up of local scientists, historians, filmmakers, and Oak Ridge students—will re-examine the conversations held over 80 years ago surrounding the splitting of the atom and discuss the development and deployment of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and their potential impact on future generations, a press release said.
The event will be held at the Oak Ridge High School Auditorium on Wednesday, July 19, from 6-8:30 p.m. and it will include free popcorn and soda for attendees. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for guests to mingle, enjoy the red carpet, and take photos, the press release said.
“As a nod to the birth of Oak Ridge, 1940s era attire is encouraged, though not required,” the release said
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Progressive bluegrass musician Sam Bush will headline ORNL Federal Credit Union’s second Summer Sessions concert in Oak Ridge on Saturday, July 8. North Carolina-based Yarn will open for Bush. The concert is free.
Bush is from Bowling Green, Kentucky, but he is not your traditional bluegrass musician, a press release said.
“Popularly known as the King of New Grass, he bought his first mandolin at the age of 11, and by the time he was a teenager, he was a champion fiddler,” the press release said. “Bush knew early on that traditional country or bluegrass was not the music he wanted to play. He incorporates a variety of genres into his songs and his style is sometimes shunned by traditionalists, but welcomed by ‘long-hairs and hippies.'”
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The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform in Alvin K. Bissell Park on Tuesday, July 4 (Independence Day), before the city’s annual fireworks show.
The band is scheduled to play patriotic melodies starting at 7:30 p.m., a press release said.
“The music will stir your soul, bringing us closer as we honor our nation’s heritage,” the press release said. “As the final notes fade, prepare for a breathtaking fireworks display.”
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Oak Ridge’s annual fireworks show is scheduled to being at dark Tuesday, around 9:45 p.m. on Independence Day, July 4. There will be music before the show.
The celebration, which is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, will be at Alvin K. Bissell Park in central Oak Ridge.
The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform prior to the fireworks. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses, a press release said. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m.
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The Lavender Festival has expanded. Here is a schedule of musicians and presentations, and information about additional events.
The free festival, the 23rd Jackson Square Lavender Festival, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 17, in Jackson Square. Since 1999, the Lavender Festival has been held the third week of June, which is when the lavender is in bloom in Tennessee. In addition to several local lavender farms, the festival features 150 artisan and food vendors, live music, informative presentations, and free children’s activities.
For information about vendors, parking, road closures, children’s activities, and more, visit www.JacksonSquareLavenderFestival.org. The festival is “rain or shine,” a press release said.
Here is what is new this year:
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The 23rd Jackson Square Lavender Festival returns to Jackson Square this month. The Main Event is free to the public on Saturday, June 17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lavender Festival was named Best Festival last year by the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council, a press release said. It is presented this year by the City of Oak Ridge, which will have a booth for information about living, working, and playing in Oak Ridge.
Since 1999, Lavender Festival has been held the third week of June, which is when the lavender is in bloom in Tennessee. In addition to several local lavender farms, the festival features 150 artisan and food vendors, live music, informative presentations, and free children’s activities.
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The Parish Choir of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge will be heading overseas this summer to sing in some of London’s most historic churches.
The choir will lead worship at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 10, Westminster Abbey on July 13, and St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on July 16 while the professional choirs there take their summer vacation.
St. Stephen’s will be visiting during a time of continued celebration following the coronation of King Charles III earlier this year, a press release said.
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Tim O’Brien will kick off ORNL Federal Credit Union’s Summer Sessions concert series in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 10. Opening for Tim O’Brien will be the Po’ Ramblin Boys, who were a crowd favorite during the 2021 series, a press release said.
O’Brien is based in Nashville. He is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, and a lifelong devotee of bluegrass music with more than 40 years in the industry, the press release said. He started touring nationally in 1978 with Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize, and his songs “Walk the Way the Wind Blows” and “Untold Stories” were bluegrass hits for Hot Rize, and country hits for Kathy Mattea. Artists like Nickel Creek, Garth Brooks, and The Dixie Chicks have covered O’Brien’s songs, and over the years, he has collaborated with his sister Mollie O’Brien, songwriter Darrell Scott, and noted old-time musician Dirk Powell, as well as with Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, Dan Auerbach, and Sturgill Simpson.
O’Brien’s skills on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo make him an in-demand session player, the press release said. The International Bluegrass Music Association awarded him song of the year in 2006 and named him best male vocalist in 1993 and 2006. He was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2022. Notable O’Brien recordings include the bluegrass Dylan covers of “Red on Blonde,” the Celtic-Appalachian fusion of “The Crossing,” and the Grammy winning folk of “Fiddler’s Green.” His duet recording “Real Time” with Darrell Scott is a cult favorite, the press release said, and he won a bluegrass Grammy as part of “The Earls of Leicester.”
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The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform in a Memorial Day concert on Monday evening, May 29.
The free concert is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Monday at the Alvin K. Bissell Park Pavilion in the center of Oak Ridge.
The concert will include a mix of classical masterpieces, contemporary hits, big band tunes, infectious marches, patriotic anthems, and toe-tapping jazz melodies, a press release said.
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