Music has always been a lasting part of our lives, and few forms have endured like classical symphonic music. While other genres have faded or become nostalgic trends (remember the Gregorian Chant craze of the 1990s?), symphonic music has remained. The question is—why?
Nearly a century ago in Knoxville, Bertha Walburn Clark offered an answer: “Every important occasion in life must have music.” That answer gave us the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
In this two-part series, I explore that question through the lens of the KSO as it enters its 90th season. Through conversations with CEO Rachel Ford and Music Director Aram Demirjian, observing rehearsals, and attending their recent concert on Market Square, I delved into the orchestra’s past, future, and the significance of this milestone year. By focusing on a few key moments rather than trying to provide an exhaustive history, the conversations illuminated the role of the KSO in Knoxville.
The Symphony’s Role in Knoxville
Before exploring the how of the KSO, I wanted to ask the why. Many of us have attended a symphony or at least heard a recording of one—but what is it about this music that continues to captivate, even in the age of modern music? Do we attend to feel cultured? Are we looking for a thrilling piece that sets our toes tapping and hearts beating? And why do these pieces—whether ancient and sacred or modern and secular—move us so deeply?
Our conversation began with the role of symphonies in communities, especially in Knoxville. Ford shared that the KSO is committed to “making music accessible to everyone in our area,” much like Bertha Walburn Clark’s vision.
Demirjian agreed.
He emphasized the orchestra’s mission to reach people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of musical experience—and to make it exciting. “What we provide to Knoxville—and really all of East Tennessee—is an outlet for enrichment, education, excitement, and, on top of that, fellowship,” he said. One of his most compelling arguments for symphonies is their ability to unite people in a divided world.
“We’re as digitally connected as ever,” he told me, “and yet we’ve never been more far apart. An orchestra concert is one of a precious few venues now where you can come together with hundreds upon hundreds of other people in a shared love of something that feeds each and every one of you in whichever way is right for you. And for just that little two-hour snatch of time, you have everything in the world in common…. ”
The packed crowd that filled Market Square at the free September 11 Symphony on the Square was evidence of this thought.
Amongst the massive crowd that filled the entire square back to the grove of trees, children were lying on the stage steps while older folks sat in rocking chairs. A small group broke into dance. Everyone cheered and laughed. Even one of the dogs in the crowd voiced his disapproval of Leroy Anderson’s The Waltzing Cat to the surprise of the crowd.
Crowds were also treated to Knoxville Poet Laureate Linda Parsons’ poem Beyond, set to music by the KSO. I recorded this moving performance but sadly the audio was corrupted. We were also participants in pianist Lara Downes Declaration Project for NPR, an exploration of the 250th Anniversary of America, as she played a rendition of Amazing Grace arranged by Demirjian. The crowd lingered for some time to talk and enjoy the incredible weather.
Demirjian discussed audiences’ eagerness to engage at a deeper level with the orchestra to discover a deeper meaning within the various works, both old and new. This hunger has shown itself in the new post-concert Q & A’s with the conductor and guest artists. Demirjian said that around 100 people regularly stay after the concert to chat. He explained the audience’s perspective, “I want to hear why he put the program together, why these pieces fit together, because there’s always a reason between point A and point B of the evening. There’s a deeper meaning, if you will, and people have come to expect that.”
Demirjian reflected on a simultaneous challenge and opportunity of symphonic music. “I think one of the challenges of making this orchestra music that is an incredible statement of humanity and all of the emotional commonalities that we have is, for the most part, as opposed to opera and theater and a number of other performance media, we don’t have words. We have story, but lacking words. It’s not always obvious unless it’s explained. And we also have allegory, but once again, it’s not as obvious. So, one of the things that we and I and the programs that I program are always trying to do is…a narrative thread.” Many of the programs this season follow a thematic thread, either musically or narratively.
The thread of the KSO itself can be traced to its origins over a century ago.
Bertha’s Little Symphony
At 90 years old, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra owes its existence to a founder and conductor who defied the norms of her time. Both Ford and Demirjian described Bertha Walburn Clark as a ‘force of nature”—one of the few women in the early 20th century to both found and lead an orchestra.
After the death of her first husband, Bertha married Harold Clark, a Knoxville music store owner and cellist. Driven by her belief that “every important occasion in life must have music,” she formed Bertha’s Little Symphony (also referred to in some records as Clark’s Little Symphony) in the 1920s. Harold played alongside her in the small string ensemble, which gradually expanded into a full orchestra. In 1935, Clark officially chartered the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and served as its music director for decades. Even after stepping down, she remained active as principal viola. Thanks to the McClung Collection and the foresight of James Thompson, we have a picture of that early ensemble.
A few years ago, the KSO was contacted by a Michigan professor who identified himself as Clark’s grandson. He fondly remembered his summer visits to Knoxville and shared that she passed her love of music on to him—he became an accomplished flutist. He also donated photographs and a couple of her batons, which are now displayed in the KSO offices.
Another meaningful piece of Clark’s legacy came from a fellow violist, who purchased her viola from Harold Clark after Bertha’s passing. The instrument was later donated to the KSO and is still played at select events—bridging the orchestra’s present to its rich past. Joshua Ulrich plays Clark’s 19th century Parisian viola for the KSO. He said that “I can’t say enough about the legacy and being able to sit in the chairs that she once sat in. It’s such an honor to be able to hold her instrument and to be able to experience it during the 90th season of the orchestra.” He was excited about the return of Midori, Vadim Gluzman and Zlatomir Fung, to name a few guest performers. He was also thrilled about the nine new commissions, which we will cover in tomorrow’s article.
For a full and detailed history of Bertha Walburn Clark, the KSO has compiled an excellent biography available on their website. Any words added here would be a rehash of their article. Let’s jump forward to recent history with the hiring of Aram Demirjian as Music Director.
Aram Demirjian’s Tenth Anniversary as Music Director
Not only is the KSO is celebrating 90 years, Music Director Aram Demirjian is marking his tenth anniversary. When asked about career highlights, he said, “I won’t call them my big moments, but our big moments. I’ve been very fortunate to be here for 10 years—and hopefully much longer.”
He recalled his early days with the KSO, which were unusual for a conductor his age. “When I got the position here, I was in a situation that not a lot of 30-year-old conductors get to find themselves in, which is not only music director of an orchestra, of a very well-run orchestra, that already played extremely well. I was starting from a place of strength and just an immense amount of possibility.” He said that he was doubly fortunate to have an orchestra interested in his ideas, allowing him to “contribute to the wealth of things that was already happening.”
Demirjian’s appointment followed a competitive search, with 150 applicants undergoing interviews with the board, staff, and orchestra. As Ford noted, the process was a two-way street: “We tried very hard to be impressive so that someone would want to move here.”
For Demirjian, two things initially stood out: he knew the concertmaster from a summer music festival, and he was moved by Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. “If that piece could come from Knoxville, there had to be something special here,” he said.
Those weren’t his only reasons. After becoming a finalist—encouraged by his father to apply just two weeks before the deadline—he made a reconnaissance visit to Knoxville. “I quietly parachuted in for a weekend to hear the KSO when I wasn’t under the microscope,” he said. He also wanted to get a feel for the city. “Sitting on one of those benches in Market Square on a nice late March afternoon and just kind of feeling the vibe of the community and liking it.”
Working with KSO musicians sealed the deal. “the orchestra itself, the musicians, the experience that we had working together, you know, both the sort of the positive feedback I got from them in rehearsal and also the, you know, sort of possibility and potential that I could hear out of them.”
As the years have progressed, Demirjian noted that he “takes greatest pride in … the artistic growth of the orchestra. The orchestra was already playing at a very high level when I started, but it’s become really refined, especially over the last few years. And that’s thanks to just the artistry and the gifts and the rigorous approach of our musicians. I would stack up our sound and ensemble next to much, or extras in much larger cities.” Having recently attended a Philharmonic concert in a much larger city than Knoxville, I agree.
KSO Musicians’ Legacy and Innovation
The KSO afforded me a chance to sit on Sunday night’s rehearsal in preparation for their opening Masterworks concert this week. Director of Communications Matthew Seaman and I had a quiet conversation in the back of the Tennessee Theatre as the KSO ran through Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. We both remarked about the balance between the incredible professionalism and genuine enthusiasm of the instrumentalists. As an interloper in their rehearsal, I was warmly received by the musicians who immediately switched to the business of why they were there: preparation.
I’ve played in a lot of orchestra rehearsals and had to push through a fifth or sixth attempt at a section of music. I didn’t see this reaction at all. Seaman observed that, though performances are a job for players, it is also a calling. The joy in the faces on stage reflected Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and the excitement when the orchestra met Jennifer Higdon, composer of the first commissioned work in the 9 for 90 series was infectious. Come back tomorrow for a full interview with Higdon and an overview of the 9 for 90 series.
That calling is most reflected in its longest-serving members. Ford mentioned that three members have been a part of the KSO for over 50 years each. Cellist Bruce Wilhite has been a member for 55 years, and his father is a founding member of the KSO. These members have seen over half of the evolution of the KSO since its founding. Demirjian noted that “They are a wealth of knowledge, and they have seen how it has changed, from a musical standpoint, from an administrative standpoint, from a community standpoint, when there was nobody running the orchestra internally.”
Demirjian said that the KSO’s instrumentalists passion for music feeds back throughout the various concerts and series. He said, “They’re going after the same kind of sense of discovery. And they’re not doing it just because I’m leading the charge on Masterworks. There have been a number of occasions in recent memory, really throughout our time, when our musicians on our Q series, which is our chamber group recital series, program a composer that I had never heard before. And I hear them play it, and I hear their passion for it, and then I go up and look up that composer’s orchestral compositions. And then I’ll program something on Masterworks.”
Demirjian noted that one important part of the story of the last 10 years has been new music. He said that he wasn’t just talking about music written in the last 20 years but also music that is new to the audience. That could include commissioned music, programming music for the first time that was written two hundred years ago and expanding the repertoire with composers that haven’t been well represented. Demirjian noted a hunger within the musicians across the core orchestra who also play in chamber groups, string quartets, woodwind quintet, brass quintet, and the Concertmaster Recital Series.
Come back tomorrow to find out what all the members of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra have planned for this very special 90th season.
Many thanks to Joanna Bouldin and Eric Dawson of the McClung Historical Collection for their invaluable assistance in finding historical photos of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra as well as Matthew Seaman, Director of Communications for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, for facilitating the many fantastic conversations with the KSO and (tomorrow) one of the 9 for 90 composers.
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