Oak Ridge Today

ORHS Fusion Orchestra will perform on ‘Blue Plate Special’ on WDVX on Friday

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The Oak Ridge High School Fusion Orchestra will perform on the “Blue Plate Special” on WDVX FM 89.9 on Friday.

The show is scheduled from 12-1 p.m. Friday, February 3, at the Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge. It’s free.

The groundbreaking fusion orchestra is now in its second year at ORHS, and it is the brainchild of ORHS Orchestra Director Doug Phillips, a press release said. According to Phillips, the class is a result of his doctoral studies during the past seven years at one of the top music universities in the world: Boston University. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has new choral director

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Jaclyn Johnson

Jaclyn Johnson

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has a new choral director, Jaclyn Johnson.

A press release said Johnson has made it her life goal to share her passion for music with ensembles and audiences around the world. Before completing her doctoral degree in choral conducting at the University of Michigan, Johnson had a thriving career as a high school choral educator and church musician, the press release said.

Ensembles under her direction have received numerous honors and awards, including performances at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference (2011), Western Division Conference (2010), and Central Division Conference (2014), the press release said. In 2014, Johnson represented the United States as an international exchange conductor to China. She is currently the associate director of choral activities at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

“I am honored to be the new choral director for ORCMA and to work with such brilliant individuals,” Johnson said in the press release. “Oak Ridge has a rich and unique musical history, and I aspire to further this excellence with inspiring and exciting programs. We welcome any new members who have a passion for singing!” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra to perform in Free Family Concert on Sunday

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Family Concert Instrument Petting Zoo

Family Concert Instrument Petting Zoo (Photo courtesy ORCMA)

 

In what has become a fun-filled, family tradition, the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will present the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Free Family Concert for families and music lovers on Sunday, January 29, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

The concert is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Sunday. It is appropriate for all ages and includes informative pieces and instrument demonstrations so that first timers can learn about the symphony orchestra, a press release said.

Music Director Dan Allcott recently instituted another tradition, whereby a special prize is awarded to the winner of the Ralph Einstein Youth Aliyah Concert competition. Allcott offers an opportunity for the winner to perform with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra on the Family Concert.

“I think it is very inspiring for young people to see young performers,” Allcott said. “We want them to know that someday they could be on stage with us. The soloist for this year’s concert will be 17-year-old violinist, Mitchell Cloutier.” [Read more…]

New wine festival to focus on quality, wine trails, Nine Lakes region

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Nine Lakes Wine Festival Logo

The first-ever Nine Lakes Wine Festival will be held May 19-20 in Oak Ridge.

The festival will focus on the wine trails of the eastern half of Tennessee and their award-winning wines, a press release said. The festival is just 30 minutes from downtown Knoxville, and it bears the name “Nine Lakes” from the nine lakes made by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the Knoxville area.

“The beauty of our waterfront Melton Lake Park is perfect for a wine festival,” said Marc DeRose, president of Explore Oak Ridge, the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau, which is one of the sponsoring partners for the event.

Nine Lakes Wine Festival will feature 20 wineries that participate in five different wine trails. They will be grouped by trail, for a seamless tasting experience, the press release said. [Read more…]

Free student admission for Cumberland Piano Trio on Saturday

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The Cumberland Piano Trio is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Students will be admitted for free to the Cumberland Piano Trio concert in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The concert is presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. It starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, January 21, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Established in 2013 as an outgrowth of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s Isotone series, the Cumberland Piano Trio has become well-known for championing the works of 21st-century composers, a press release said.

The Cumberland Piano Trio made its New York recital debut at Symphony Space with Isotone in May of 2016. [Read more…]

Community Band Showcase Concert is Sunday, Jan. 29

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Oak Ridge Wind Ensemble Christmas 2016

The Oak Ridge Community Band is directed by Dale Pendley performing a Christmas program last December at the Canterfield Senior Living facility. (Submitted photo)

 

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An excellent way to usher out a wet, dreary January is by making plans to attend the entertaining “Music of Small Ensembles” Showcase Concert presented by the Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble on Sunday afternoon, January 29. This performance will begin at 3:30 p.m., and it will be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church, which is at 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Sunday concert will feature band members and area musicians in small groups showcasing their talents with an array of musical selections including classical, jazz, blues, swing, show tunes, and novelty pieces.

On the January 29 program will be the Secret City Tuba-Euphonium Quartet with euphonium players John Caughman and Bill Bell and tuba players Tim Powers and Joe Williams performing John Caughman’s arrangement of “Antiphonal Alleluia,” Reinhold Gliere’s “Russian Sailors Dance,” and Leroy Anderson’s “Bugler’s Holiday.” [Read more…]

Cumberland Piano Trio to perform in Oak Ridge on Jan. 21

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The Cumberland Piano Trio is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

The Cumberland Piano Trio will perform in Oak Ridge on Saturday, January 21.

The concert is presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. It starts at 7 p.m. January 21 at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

The Cumberland Piano Trio includes violinist Susan Eddlemon, cellist Dan Allcott, and pianist Emi Kagawa. It

The January 21 concert will feature Gabriel Faure’s “Piano Trio in D minor” and Johannes Brahms’ “Piano Trio No. 1 in B major.” [Read more…]

Grace Lutheran Writers putting together anthology; submit material by Dec. 31

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Grace Writers of Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge is putting together an anthology to be published in spring 2017. If you would like to contribute an essay, poems, or a piece of fiction, please use the guidelines below and submit no later than midnight, December 31, 2016.

Please use a readable 11/12-point font such as Times New Roman or Arial and submit up to three poems or one essay or piece of short fiction. Work should be inspirational but need not be religious.

In addition: [Read more…]

Secret City Festival to expand into week-long celebration in June

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Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

The Secret City Festival will expand into a week-long celebration in June, and it will be called the Secret City Celebration.

The change has been announced by Celebrate Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization created by the Oak Ridge City Council to take over the production of the festival from the city.

The Secret City Celebration will include a full week of events celebrating the arts, culture, and history of Oak Ridge, organizers said. It will kick off with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2017. It will include events presented by Celebrate Oak Ridge and other partner organizations.

“A crowd favorite, World War II Living History, will serve as the kickoff event on June 2 and 3, with re-enactments scheduled on Saturday,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Christmas Concert by Community Band this afternoon

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The Oak Ridge Community Band performs in a Christmas concert at First Baptist Church in 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

To help you ring in the Christmas season, the Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble has a free Music of the Season concert this Sunday afternoon, December 11. The performance begins at 3:30 p.m. and will be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church at 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It’s open to the public, dress is casual, and there will be refreshments at the conclusion of the program, a press release said.

“This concert is a wonderful opportunity to bring family and friends to relax and enjoy hearing familiar holiday tunes and sing favorite Christmas carols,” the press release said.

Among the numbers on Sunday’s program are two of Leroy Anderson’s most well-known holiday tunes: “A Christmas Festival,” featuring a medley of carols, and the time-honored piece “Sleigh Ride,” in which you can not only hear the bells on the horse pulling the sleigh but the crack of the whip, the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, and the horse’s distinctive neigh. [Read more…]

ORHS Brass Quintet at Band Concert this Thursday

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Santa with the Oak Ridge High School Brass Quintet: Michael Bytell-Lancer—trumpet, Logan Swain—trombone, Ty Dahl—trumpet, Travis Pitz—horn, and Issair Franquez—tuba. (Photo credit: Atom Ray Photography, Angela Carr, photographer; used with permission)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Brass Quintet welcomed Santa to Jackson Square on Saturday, and the Brass Quintet will be just one of the student groups to be enjoyed at the ORHS Band Concert this Thursday.

“Band directors Spence Milligan and Mike Spirko—along with the JazzKats, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Combined Bands—invite you to come and enjoy an evening performance with a little jazz, a little jingle—and a lot of jolly!” organizers said in a press release. “The always popular annual rendition of ‘Sleigh Ride,’ by Leroy Anderson, performed by the Combined Bands will surely make your season bright!” [Read more…]

ORHS Orchestra presents tribute to Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Dec. 15

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Oak Ridge High School Orchestra will present its third annual tribute to Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Thursday, December 15. The concert is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. December 15 at Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

The public is invited to attend this high-energy concert, which will also include several traditional holiday favorites, organizers said.

Tickets are $3 at the door.

For more information, visit www.orhsorchestra.org.