Feature article
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Arts groups enrich the community
By staff report
Though it gave birth to country music and claims bluegrass as a favorite son, Northeast Tennessee has much to offer in other forms of artistic expression, too — be it in the realm of rock ’n’ roll, live theater or dance. There’s usually something different to sample each weekend.
DANCE
Bristol Ballet Co. has been in operation for more than 50 years and each year gives several performances at the Paramount Center for the Arts, State Street in downtown Bristol. (276) 669-6051.
Centre for the Performing Arts, 727 N. Eastman Road, has performed “The Nutcracker” annually in Kingsport for several years. (423) 246-2199.
Johnson City Ballet Company performs both traditional and non-traditional ballets. (423) 926-4468.
Kingsport Ballet School and Co., 220 Broad St., is a non-profit organization run by a parents’ coalition. It stages several performances each year. (423) 378-3967.
MUSIC
East Tennessee Children’s Choir, which features more than 60 voices of children in fourth- through eighth-grade from the Tri-Cities and Southwest Virginia, performs numerous concerts each year. The choir holds auditions each year. Check with music teachers for more information or visit etchildrenchoir.org. The Highlands Youth Ensemble is an offshoot of the ETCC and features ninth- through 12-graders singing an a cappella repertoire. Membership is by invitation of the artistic director.
Johnson City Civic Chorale is a regional, non-profit collection of volunteer singers who perform several concerts each year at venues throughout the Johnson City area. (423) 638-2195 or geocities.com/Vienna/Choir/4061.
Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, which features 70 musicians, performs several subscription concerts each year at Milligan College’s Seeger Chapel, and also performs a pops concert and a handful of special events at Johnson City venues. (423) 926-8742 or jcsymphony.com.
Symphony of the Mountains is a regional orchestra serving cities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The symphony performs a regular series of concerts at Toy F. Reid Employee Center on Wilcox Drive in Kingsport and other venues throughout the Tri-Cities. (423) 392-8423 or symphonyofthemountains.org.
The symphony also has its own chorus, Voices of the Mountains, composed of singers from throughout the Tri-Cities and Southwest Virginia who are accepted into the chorus through audition. The chorus performs symphonic works with the Symphony of the Mountains, under the direction of Cyrus Ginwala, as well as other vocal repertoire in a variety of styles, including small ensemble performances, at various venues.
Symphony of the Mountains Youth Orchestra boasts 60 young musicians from throughout the Tri-Cities who audition for inclusion each year. The orchestra performs three free concerts each year. (423) 392-8423.
THEATER
Barter Theatre, based in historic Abingdon, Va., and known as the State Theater of Virginia, is a fully professional theater company that offers a mixture of comedies, dramas, musicals and mysteries on two stages. (276) 628-3991 or bartertheatre.com.
Bud Frank Theatre, located on the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, serves as the home to ETSU’s Division of Theatre, which performs a variety of productions there each year. (423) 439-7576.
Johnson City Community Theatre, on East Maple Street in Johnson City, is the oldest community theater in the state. It has showcased the talents of volunteer actors from throughout the Tri-Cities in a variety of comedies, musicals and dramas. (423) 926-2542 or jcct.us.
Kingsport Theatre Guild offers a full slate of comedies and musicals at Kingsport Renaissance Center, as well as children’s productions through its Young People’s Series. (423) 392-8427 or kingsporttheatre.org.
Theatre Bristol provides arts education, youth programming and community outreach projects amid its regular offering of adult and family musicals, comedies and dramas throughout the year at its ARTspace and the Paramount Center for the Arts. (423) 968-4977 or theatrebristol.org.
VISUAL ARTS
Carroll Reece Museum, located on the campus of ETSU, houses a permanent collection of more than 10,000 artistic works by such well-known masters as Picasso, as well as craft artisans and artists from the Appalachian region. (423) 439-4392.
Hands On! Regional Museum, Main Street, Johnson City, is a children’s museum featuring more than 22,000 square feet of exhibit space that features a host of interactive exhibits and fun, educational activities. (423) 434-4263 or handsonmuseum.org.
Johnson City Area Arts Council, Main Street, Johnson City, features a wide array of educational programming, seasonal programming and traveling art displays throughout the year. (423) 928-8229 or arts.org.
Kingsport Renaissance Center, managed by the city’s Cultural Services Division, is home to the Kingsport Art Guild, which exhibits monthly shows in its gallery on the second level and holds the Appalachian Art Show each year. (423) 229-2559.
Slocumb Galleries, located in Ball Hall on the campus of ETSU, showcases the work of the university’s art students and other artists across the country, and also holds each February one of the region’s most prestigious juried shows, “Positive/Negative.”
William King Regional Arts Center, Abingdon, Va., features resident artist studios, an outdoor sculpture garden, a museum and year-round classes in the visual and performing arts for both adults and children. (276) 628-5005 or wkrac.org.
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