As January ends and February begins next week, multiple arts events will make choosing difficult.
Two free events in downtown churches will take place Tuesday, Jan. 30. At 7:30 p.m., the Cathedral Arts Series at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Ave., presents cellist D. Scot Williams and violinist Sean Claire in an all-Bach program of each playing solo works of Bach’s music, interspersed with Bach canons, a kind of round in which each instrument plays a section of music that is off-set from the other musician playing the exact, or similar material.
Also, at 7:30 p.m., at Church Street United Methodist Church, 900 Henley St., organist Edie Johnson will perform a concert of organ works in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation: Music influenced by Lutheran Chorale tunes, free works from the Reformation era, and music from the German Baroque period.
In a special one-day only offer, available on Tuesday, Jan. 30, Go! Contemporary Dance Works will have specially priced $10 tickets for their Feb. 10-11 production of “Alice” at the Bijou Theatre. The dance production is based on Alice in Wonderland. Tickets must be purchased in person at Studio Arts for Dancers, 1234 Rocky Hill Road. Info: 865-539-2475.
At noon Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Square Room on Market Square, the Knoxville Symphony Q Series of chamber music will present the Principal Woodwind Quintet, performing William Grant Still’s “Miniatures for Wind Quintet,” followed by the Principal String Quartet performing Franz Schubert’s “String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor,” known as the “Rosamunde” quartet. The admission ticket includes lunch prepared by Café 4. The Q Series are very well attended. Call the KSO ticket office at 865-291-3310 for pricing and any available tickets.
Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Clarence Brown Theatre, on the campus at the University of Tennessee, offers a “pay what you wish” preview performance of CBT’s production of Kenneth Jones “Alabama Story,” which opens, Friday, Feb. 2.
The play centers on the age-old conflict of somebody’s loud objections over the contents of a book. Set in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama, this run-in is between a politician and a dedicated librarian who refuses to ban a book about the seemingly innocent, but controversial for the time, a children’s story about a white rabbit marrying a black rabbit.
Playwright Jones describes the play as a mash-up of a courtroom thriller, memory play, romance and historical drama. “But underneath all that is a script about how character is tested in a time of great social change,” Jones said. Check Clarence Brown’s website, or call the box office at 865-974-5161 for ticket pricing and availability.
Thursday, Feb. 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m., The Knoxville Museum of Art will hold an opening reception for an exhibition titled “Press Ahead: Contemporary Prints Gifted by Helen and Russell Novak.” The Novaks chose the KMA to receive their important gift because of the museum’s long-standing commitment to prints, the museum’s existing contemporary art collection and the association of KMA and University of Tennessee’s School or Art’s top-ranked printmaking program. Admission to KMA is free. Check the museum’s website for hours of operation.
Also, on Friday, Feb. 2, from 5:30-8 p.m., as part of the monthly First Friday arts events in downtown, Dogwood Arts will open an exhibition of emerging and established craftsmen and artists’ one-of-a-kind tables at the Dogwood Arts Gallery, 123 W. Jackson Ave. in the Old City. Check Dogwood Arts website, or call 865-637-4561 for gallery hours.
At 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3, Jubilee Community Arts presents the Georgia Crackers at the Laurel Theatre, 1538 Laurel Ave., in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. Call 800-838-3006, ext. 1, for tickets.