FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT

Thursday, Sept. 3 | 7:00 p.m.
Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum
2743 Wimpole Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37914

Join the KSO for a free evening of live music, poetry, and storytelling throughout the beautiful setting of the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. Guests are invited to stroll through the gardens beginning at 7:00 p.m. as KSO chamber ensembles perform in three locations across the property. This year, the music will include a special tribute to Dolly Parton, with arrangements including Wildflowers, Light of a Clear Blue Morning and Jolene. The evening culminates at 8:00 p.m. with a string orchestra performance on the Rita Johnson Garden lawn outside the Dogwood Center, including Parton’s I Will Always Love You.

Poetry & Storytelling

The KSO partners with Knoxville Poet Laureate Linda Parsons and Declaration: I Am Tennessee, a literary project celebrating the people, places, history, and spirit of Tennessee through poetry and short prose. Featured writers from the collection, Linda Parsons, R.B. Morris, Bethany Lemons, Marilyn Mascaro, and Anna Wooliver Phillips, will present readings throughout the evening.

Music Inspired by America and Appalachia

The evening’s main performance features music inspired by American and Appalachian traditions, including Ashokan Farewell, Jennifer Higdon’s Reel Time from Southern Harmony, Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz, Aaron Copland’s Hoe-Down, and Tennessee favorites including Tennessee Waltz and Rocky Top.

Plan Your Evening

Food vendors Tarik’s North African and Irvey’s Ice Cream will be on site beginning at 5:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and flashlights.

Free parking is available on site, with additional free parking at Community Evangelistic Church, 2650 Boyds Bridge Pike, and free shuttle service to the Botanical Garden.

No tickets are required. This event is free and open to the public.

In case of inclement weather, the performance will move indoors to the Dogwood Center, where seating will be limited.

Performance Times and Locations

1: Stone Terraces – 7:00 & 7:25
2: Row Garden – 7:15 & 7:35
3: Howell Legacy Garden – 7:05 & 7:35
Finale: Dogwood Center – 8:00 pm