Oak Ridge Today

Music Association appoints executive director

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Oak Ridge Civic Music Association appoints Joy Bonamarte as executive director (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has appointed Joy Bonamarte as executive director. The appointment was announced by ORCMA President Larry Vance.

ORCMA is home to the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Oak Ridge Chorus, Chamber Music Series, and Coffee Concerts, and the organization is gearing up to celebrate its 80th anniversary in the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

“Bonamarte brings a dynamic blend of artistic passion and strategic leadership to her new role,” a press release said. “With over a decade of experience in arts management, marketing, and a deep commitment to community engagement, Joy is poised to lead ORCMA into its next phase of growth and impact.”

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Saturday: Rock to Bach Music Festival & Fundraiser

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Four Leaf Peat (Image courtesy ORCMA)

The all-day Rock to Bach Music Festival and Fundraiser will feature performing groups on two stages in Oak Ridge today, Saturday, February 18.

Besides music, there will be a silent auction, celebration dinner, and special after-dinner entertainment with Four Leaf Peat, a traditional Irish music group in East Tennessee. The event has been organized by Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

You can come and go as you please during the music and hear these performers and more:

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Updated: Day of Peace features Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday

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Dan Alcott

Note: This press release has been updated to include information about event changes if it rains.

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday will present the Oak Ridge premiere of “Adaptation Variations” by Japanese American composer Takuma Itoh.

It will be the featured musical selection during the United Nations International Day of Peace observance Tuesday, September 21, at the International Friendship Bell and Peace Pavilion in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

The outdoor Music for Peace performance will follow Haiku for Peace presentations and children’s activities by Oak Ridge Girl Scouts during a program focused on the Friendship Bell, Peace Pavilion, and the adjacent karesansui garden. Ziad Demian, architect who designed the Peace Pavilion dedicated in 2018, will speak about the tradition and technology in the pavilion design, the press release said. [Read more…]

From Rock to Bach Music Festival is Saturday

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Kelle Jolly, Pineda and Kartal Band, and Secret City Winds (Submitted photo)

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 Orchestra, violist to pay tribute to trailblazing black, African American composers

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Derek Reeves

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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Grammy winner Edgar Meyer, son George to perform in Oak Ridge

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Edgar Meyer and George Meyer
Edgar Meyer and George Meyer

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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O’Kegley, Santa to conduct Oak Ridge Chorus on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Chorus Concert
The Oak Ridge Chorus is pictured in a concert above. (Submitted photo)

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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Oak Ridge Public Library to host concert with cellist

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Alicia Randisi-Hooker (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Library will host a lunchtime concert with cellist Alicia Randisi-Hooker on Wednesday, October 16, from noon until 1 p.m. as part of the World Wise Wednesdays program.

An engaging speaker and performer, Alicia Randisi-Hooker is a well-known member of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and the Trillium Piano Trio, a press release said. She has performed extensively in a rich variety of settings, from the Knoxville Symphony to the Philly Pops orchestras, and in many chamber ensembles.

She studied in Germany with members of the renowned Alban Berg Quartet, and performed concerts in Italy, France, Germany, and across the United States. As a noted Suzuki cello teacher, her private cello students have won awards and scholarships both nationally and internationally, the press release said.

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ORCMA to celebrate 75 years with concert, reception

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Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Oak Ridge Chorus 2019 (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a gala concert and reception on Sunday, October 20.

The concert and reception are scheduled to start at 3 p.m. October 20, at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The concert will be performed by the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and special guests, Sound Company. Radio personality Melony Dodson will serve as the master of ceremonies.

“We are thrilled, as always, to feature Katy Wolfe and the awesome Sound Company,” said Music Director Dan Allcott. “They put the word ‘future’ in our title.”

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Arts Council asks for help funding arts, music, ballet

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The Arts Council of Oak Ridge is asking for your help funding arts, music, ballet, and other organizations.

The Arts Council organizes the United Arts Fund Drive. That helps member organizations that include Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Oak Ridge Civic Ballet, Oak Ridge Arts Center, Oak Ridge Community Band, Oak Ridge Philharmonia, and Music Arts.

There are also two affiliate organizations, Tennessee Mountain Writters and Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The funds raised through the United Arts Fund Drive go directly to the member organizations you designate, a press release said.

“It is through your support that these organizations can continue to grow and thrive,” the release said.

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Rock to Bach Music Festival is Feb. 16

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Kelle Jolly (Submitted photo)

Kelle Jolly (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will present the seventh Rock to Bach Music Festival on Saturday, February 16.

The festival will be at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The all-day music festival, which is sponsored by TNBank, will treat attendees to multiple genres of live music performed on two stages throughout the day, a press release said.

The doors will open at 10 a.m., and Kelle Jolly will open the performances at 10:30, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORCMA ends concert season with Berlioz’s ‘Symphonie Fantastique’ on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Symphony with Dan Allcott

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra is pictured above in an earlier concert with conductor Dan Allcott. (File photo by ORCMA)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will ends its concert season with Hector Berlioz’s extraordinary “Symphonie Fantastique” on Saturday.

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will be led by Music Director Dan Allcott.

“Symphonie Fantastique” is a musical tale of unrequited love as allegedly experienced by the composer himself in a dream sequence, a press release said.

The concert will be held at Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and it will also include “River Rouge Transfiguration” by living American composer Missy Mazzoli, and two pieces from Berlioz’s “Tristia,” “Death of Ophelia” and “Religious Meditation,” featuring the Oak Ridge Chorus, which will be led by Jaclyn Johnson. [Read more…]