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Jon W. Sparks

Recent Work

  • Violinist Gil Shaham joins Memphis Symphony on 'Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto' Published 02/09/2012 at 5:24 a.m.

    You might be forgiven for thinking Gil Shaham is still a young prodigy. Although he's 40, the violinist has been a vital part of the Memphis classical scene ever since he appeared in the Artists Ascending program in the early ...

  • Theater auditions lure 850 seeking 90 seconds to fame Published 02/06/2012 at midnight

    Dramatic developments were taking place at Playhouse on the Square with hundreds of actors demanding to be heard.

  • Actors from across country compete for jobs at Playhouse Published 02/03/2012 at 4:26 p.m.

    Dramatic developments took place at Playhouse on the Square today with hundreds of actors demanding to be heard. >And they were — loud and clear, since it was the kickoff of the four-day Unified Professional Theatre Auditions, a national job ...

  • Memphis in May International Festival poster fetes Philippines Published 02/03/2012 at midnight

    Local artist Pinkney Herbert is celebrating "The Rice Terraces of Cordillera" in this year's fine arts poster for the Memphis in May International Festival.

  • Duo reel in audiences with music and wit Published 02/02/2012 at 5:52 p.m.

    Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet are the genial musicians who constitute Trout Fishing in America, a duo that keep it simple, smart and hugely entertaining. For some 35 years, Trout Fishing in America has been charming kids and adults with ...

  • Stage Review: Highlights redeem anxious 'next to normal' at Playhouse on the Square Published 01/26/2012 at 4:53 p.m.

    The challenge for the musical "next to normal" is to wring some beauty out of the story of a family devastated by mental illness.

  • Memphis Symphony Orchestra plumbs Russian music for 'Rach to Tchaikovsky' Published 01/12/2012 at 2:37 p.m.

    This weekend's Masterworks program by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra focuses heavily on Russia with works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

  • Kirov leaving Memphis Symphony Orchestra for Seattle Symphony Published 01/10/2012 at 12:24 p.m.

    Stilian Kirov, associate conductor for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, has been named assistant conductor for the Seattle Symphony.

  • Concert review: IRIS Orchestra's 'Taste of Heaven' elevates spirit Updated 01/09/2012 at 4:57 p.m.

    When Heidi Grant Murphy starts singing, you marvel at how a human voice can do what it does. Murphy's sweet, subtle, crystalline vocals elevated the luminously performed works in Saturday night's IRIS Orchestra concert at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre.

  • New Elvis exhibit among events for fans in 'landmark' year Published 01/05/2012 at 4:41 p.m.

    This weekend's Elvis Presley activities mark not only the entertainer's birthday -- he would have been 77 on Sunday -- but also the beginning of what Graceland is expecting to be a big year. "Elvis Week in August will mark ...

  • IRIS concert a heavenly endeavor Published 01/04/2012 at 5:22 p.m.

    Saturday night's IRIS concert programming takes an optimistic, New Year's view of the future. Michael Stern, artistic director and principal conductor, says the program, with guest soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, will fill the Germantown Performing Arts Center with gorgeous musicality ...

  • Cobb digs deeper into haunted psyche of 'Lady' Published 12/29/2011 at 1:13 p.m.

    Popular singer Joyce Cobb is taking on the role of jazz legend Billie Holiday for Hattiloo Theatre's production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill." It's the second time around in the role for the locally celebrated singer, who ...

  • Best of 2011: Memphis concerts expanded meaning of 'classical' Published 12/22/2011 at 4:47 p.m.

    Has the term "classical music" outlived its usefulness?

  • Last chance to explore twists on Scrooge in Memphis theaters Published 12/22/2011 at 4:24 p.m.

    Performances for procrastinators!

  • Storytelling celebration 'a feast for the ears' Published 12/15/2011 at 11:05 a.m.

    "Southern Yuletide: A Celebration in Story and Song" is bringing holiday literature and song to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.

  • Concert Review: IRIS plucks right strings at GPAC concert Published 12/05/2011 at midnight

    Saturday night's IRIS Orchestra concert was an all-strings triumph of programming and performance, again showing the deft touch maestro Michael Stern has in creating a presentation that is both familiar and adventurous.

  • Concert Review: Memphis Symphony Orchestra showcases its all-local talent Published 11/21/2011 at midnight

    Last weekend's performances by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra put into sharp focus just how capable it can be with what it has here in the city. There were no guest conductors, and the two guest performers were local talent. There ...

  • Beethoven just may roll over to 'Whoop That Trick' Updated 11/07/2011 at 5:41 p.m.

    As collaborations go, the pairing of rapper Al Kapone with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's Opus One seems like an insurmountable mash-up. Heather Trussell, a violinist with the classical group, acknowledges, "There are some people from both of our audiences that ...

  • Stage Review: 'Mousetrap' is satisfying whodunit Published 11/03/2011 at 4:32 p.m.

    Germantown Community Theatre does some productions particularly well, as is the case with the current whodunit, "Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap." The perennially popular murder mystery, with all the British caricatures and twists that Christie lovers adore, is given a highly ...

  • Stage Review: Opera Memphis' 'Tosca' a winner Published 11/02/2011 at 4:31 p.m. 1 Comment

    For Ned Canty, it’s been almost a year of first impressions, all of which needed to come off well as he settled into running Opera Memphis. Canty took over as general director of the organization in January with a mandate ...

  • Concert Review: Conducting competition winners prove their talent Updated 10/17/2011 at 12:27 p.m.

    This weekend brought a gratifying coda to an unusual endeavor by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this year, the MSO announced it would host an international conducting competition. Saturday night at The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, first-place winner ...

  • Baton's lure alters career of conductor Published 10/13/2011 at 3:58 p.m.

    Last May, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra brought some fresh conducting talent to town in a battle of the podium. his weekend, three winners of the MSO's International Conducting Competition will lead the orchestra in Masterworks concerts of works by Dvorak, ...

  • 'Memories' linger in artwork of Richard Knowles, Steve Langdon Published 10/06/2011 at 5:12 p.m. 1 Comment

    Over three decades, Richard Knowles and Steve Langdon influenced art students at the University of Memphis, bringing different approaches in personality and creativity to their art and teaching.

  • IRIS show pushes envelope Updated 10/03/2011 at 12:48 p.m. 1 Comment

    Not everybody loved Saturday night's IRIS Orchestra's season opening concert. But nobody will forget it. The first number to open the 12th season at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre, Copland's "Latin American Sketches," was deceptive, promising a standard program. The ...

  • Concert Review: MSO delivers with classical standards Updated 10/03/2011 at 12:43 p.m.

    Mei-Ann Chen likes to refer to the reliable concert standards as the "meat and potatoes" of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's programming. Friday night's roundup of the killer B's works -- Bach, Beethoven and Brahms being featured -- was all about ...

  • Martin Short bringing many voices to IRIS show Published 09/29/2011 at 5:07 p.m.

    Wait, is that Ed Grimley? Performing with IRIS? Has the orchestra gone completely mental?

  • Capitol Steps troupe finds abundant political fodder Published 09/22/2011 at 4:19 p.m.

    The Capitol Steps have been showing up at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre about as often as congressional elections, but fortunately, they're a whole lot funnier.

  • Review: Memphis Symphony Orchestra rockets into Masterworks season Updated 09/19/2011 at 1:23 p.m.

    The Memphis Symphony Orchestra blasted off to the future this weekend. Maestro Mei-Ann Chen led the first Masterworks concert of the season Saturday night, a cosmic-themed program that was both conservative and ambitious. As she begins her second full season ...

  • Memphis Symphony gets cinematic, cosmic for Masterworks opener Published 09/15/2011 at 9:49 a.m.

    The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, fresh from a triumphant collaboration with Playhouse on the Square, goes for a bold but crowd-pleasing Masterworks concert at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts this weekend, the first of the season.

  • Stage Review: 'Every Good Boy' deserves applause Published 09/09/2011 at 3:21 p.m.

    It seems that the pace of collaborations in the performing arts has been picking up lately. Opera Memphis, DeltaCappella and Playhouse on the Square worked together on staging a singular production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" early this year. On ...

  • WLOK Stone Soul Picnic here to stay Published 09/01/2011 at 6:24 p.m.

    Nothing stops Shirley A. Johnson from finding a way to the WLOK Stone Soul Picnic every year. "I love the gospel singing and the people I have met along the way," the North Memphis resident says. "The Stone Soul Picnic ...

  • MSO, Playhouse offer familiar, fresh 'Favour' Published 09/01/2011 at 3:02 p.m.

    A collaboration of two art organizations is a challenging thing, but enormously satisfying when it succeeds. Seven years ago, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Playhouse on the Square joined forces to present a critically acclaimed performance of Tom Stoppard's "Every ...

  • Stage Review: ‘Camelot’ is low-budget production with heart Published 08/26/2011 at 4:53 p.m.

    The production of "Camelot" at the Evergreen Theatre strives mightily, finding more success in its noble heart than in the execution. It is a collective effort with proceeds going to the Emergency Needs for Theatre Artists Fund. Contributions to the ...

  • Bicycling for sport, fun, fundraising at Midnight Classic Published 08/25/2011 at 3:10 p.m.

    The midnight bikers will be out again this weekend. By 10 p.m. Saturday, Poplar Plaza will be full of people, tents, music by Venus Mission and bicycles warming up for the 2011 Meritan Midnight Classic Bike Tour & Lunar Festival.

  • 'Camelot' production to benefit theatre workers Published 08/17/2011 at 6:31 p.m. 1 Comment

    Area theater organizations have pitched in present “Camelot” Friday through Aug. 28 at Evergreen Theatre as a benefit for The Emergency Needs for Theatre Artists Fund established earlier this year.

  • Time was ripe for 'How to Succeed' at Playhouse on the Square Published 08/11/2011 at 2:55 p.m.

    Like father, like son? One might suspect there's a fine synchronicity in the upcoming Playhouse on the Square production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

  • Stage Review: Hattiloo's 'Ain't Misbehavin'' pulsates with energy, movement Published 08/10/2011 at 1:13 p.m.

    Hattiloo Theatre has opened its sixth season with the Harlem Renaissance tribute revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” a glorious romp through those vivid days and nights when Fats Waller tunes kept the joints jumpin’.

  • Playhouse, 'August' lead Ostrander Award nominations for Memphis theater Published 08/10/2011 at 1 p.m.

    This year’s Ostrander Award nominations, honoring excellence in Memphis theater, were announced Wednesday.

  • Hatiloo ready to take on rowdy tribute to Harlem, 'Ain't Misbehavin' Published 08/04/2011 at 2:32 p.m.

    Hattiloo Theatre's season-opener "Ain't Misbehavin'" aims not just to be a robust entertainment, but also to set the standard for productions to come.

  • Stage Review: 'Dividing' is old-fashioned dark comedy Published 07/28/2011 at 12:33 p.m.

    The Circuit Playhouse staging of "Dividing the Estate" has a great deal of fun skewering the somewhat well-off folks who are primarily absorbed in themselves. Horton Foote's dark comedy sets up the Gordons, a Texas family headed by matriarch Stella ...

  • Stage Review: 'Drowsy' a rousing summer delight Published 07/21/2011 at 12:43 p.m.

    The loving/mocking tribute to musical theater known as "The Drowsy Chaperone" has found an audience in this town. The Tony Award-winning farce of nature got them laughing at the Orpheum in 2009, then was this season's opener for Playhouse on ...

  • Soulful symphony: Annual musical event is salve for flood-weary Memphis Updated 05/30/2011 at 2:25 p.m.

    The Sunset Symphony brought Memphis in May back to the river Saturday night with a program so thoroughly Memphis that even the "1812 Overture" had soul. he overture has been performed at nearly every Sunset Symphony since it started 35 ...

  • Battle of batons at Memphis Symphony Orchestra conductor competition Updated 05/30/2011 at 3:50 p.m.

    Ken Lam's first-place win Friday at the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's International Conducting Competition got the spotlight at the event. But it wasn't the only remarkable achievement.

  • BPACC series features stars of country, folk Published 05/25/2011 at 6:45 p.m.

    Country crossover singer Lee Ann Womack and folk luminary Peter Yarrow are among the acts coming to the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center for its 2011-12 season. "We're happy to kick off our 13th season with Lee Ann, who ...

  • Concert Review: Opus One, LaVere achieve pleasing harmony Updated 05/23/2011 at 4:34 p.m. 1 Comment

    Opus One, a novel concept in the world of symphonies, has, in little over a year, become a reliable fixture and and exemplar of the Memphis zeitgeist. The conductorless group of classical players has been teaming up with some of ...

  • Israel Festival to feature awards, music, fun Published 05/18/2011 at 6:22 p.m.

    For the fourth year running, the Friends of Israel are putting on the Memphis Israel Festival, a daylong celebration Sunday at Patriot Lake in Shelby Farms. It’s not a religious festival, although religion gets plenty of respect. “Probably about 60 ...

  • Memphis in May Sunset Symphony set for Tom Lee Park Updated 05/18/2011 at 9:53 p.m.

    The Mississippi River flooding will have eased up enough to allow the annual concert to go on in its usual spot on May 28.

  • Big Bob Gibson's team wins grand champion at Memphis barbecue contest Updated 05/16/2011 at 1:05 p.m.

    It was, despite the floods and upheaval, a good year for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Contest. And another good year for Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q of Decatur, Ala., a frequent trophy winner who won Grand Champion for ...

  • Judging underway for some categories at barbecue contest Published 05/13/2011 at 4:44 p.m.

    The second day of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest got off to a good start, with the first food judging underway, good attendance and a momentary threat of rain never getting past a light sprinkle.

  • MIM barbecue contest gets underway in new location Published 05/12/2011 at 6:28 p.m.

    Feeling a bit like a springtime Mid-South Fair, the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue got off to a mellow start late Friday afternoon at Tiger Lane. The Fairgrounds have proven to be a good alternate to the soggy Tom ...