By Lee Chaney, Writer
The Knoxville Opera Company’s annual Rossini Festival came around again this year, over the weekend of April 12 and 13. A street fair meant to showcase local creative talent and artisanry, there were cultural performances, food trucks, and vendor tents sprawled across Downtown Knoxville, creating a lively atmosphere for the crowd to enjoy.
Vendors were lined all the way down Market Street, stretching from Wall Avenue and ending at Church Avenue. The Artisan’s Row in Market Square featured handcrafted jewelry, crocheted items, wire-wrapped trees, and caricature drawings, with local honey, handmade soaps, and plants also for sale.
The smell of smoked barbecue and funnel cake filled the air, wafting from a wide variety of food trucks featuring cuisine from all over the world – Jamaican, Greek, Chinese, and traditional American fair food was available for purchase. To top it all off, four stages were set up for live performances: two at either ends of Market Square, one at the intersection of Clinch Avenue and Gay Street, and one at Union Avenue.
I began my Saturday afternoon by stopping at the Union Avenue stage to enjoy a show by Flamenco Knoxville. The Spanish dance troupe was fit with flowing red skirts and intricately colorful scarves, captivating the crowd with their impressive footwork and ending with a roaring round of applause. Moving on to Artisan’s Row, I browsed several tents of handmade jewelry and knick-knacks and had the opportunity to chat with vendors about what goes into making their unique handmade crafts. Carole Presutti at Gem Works and Crafts described her process in creating wire-wrapped trees, stating:
“It can take between 6 and 8 hours to create a piece of art, and that’s not even accounting for the time it takes for the glue to dry… I have to be very careful while I wrap the wire. I have to place every gem carefully to not throw off the center of balance and then I have to make sure it stays in place while it dries. Sometimes that means holding it the entire time.”
This sentiment was shared across several vendors – it takes a lot to make things by hand. But is it worth it? As a viewer, I can say absolutely yes: the care and attention to detail was evident in every piece on display. When I asked what it’s like for the artist, Presutti shared,“It’s like therapy for me. It takes a really, really long time, but I love what I do.” Other artists shared the same view – the craft is hard and sometimes tedious, but the finished result is worth it.
After perusing through the artisan booths and food trucks themselves, Pellissippi State Community College’s Variations Choir began their performance on the South Market stage. The choir sang “Una Furtiva” by Donizetti, a sorrowful tragedy about unreciprocated love. Featured soloist Edward Gary moved onlookers with his operatic voice, which ended with a roaring cheer from the crowd. “I was speechless at the end, it felt nice to have so many onlookers cheering when I was finished,” Gary told me.
When asked how he gives such an emotionally moving performance, Gary added, “I put myself into the shoes of the protagonist, and tap my emotions into the song.”
Those emotions were felt strongly by the crowd, several of whom were crying before Gary even finished the song. Pellissippi State continued to promote their talent with a performance from their jazz band on the Clinch Avenue stage. A funky mix of drums, brass, and wind instruments had the crowd on the edge of their seats as they listened to the complex mixture of rhythms. I was able to talk at length with trombone player Nolan DeArmond, who shared the experience he gained while playing at the festival:
“I think it was a good experience. I definitely had to step outside my comfort zone… It’s nice to step into a world you’d not really been into before and just take small little graphs of knowledge and accumulate it into your concept of music in general, and everything matters. Even if I stepped into an orchestra or if I picked up a different instrument… No matter what, any kind of musical step you could take towards learning more is going to help.”
Continuing with the theme of beautiful performances was the Cattywampus Puppet Council’s puppet parade. Marching alongside the Knoxville Honkers and Bangers, they led a joy-filled celebration with several-foot-tall hand-made puppets bobbing in time with the music. This year’s show featured a giant Dolly Parton puppet with the marching band and performers dressed in bright pink to match, creating a cohesive yet extremely fun visual experience.
The festival on its second day was a much more laid back experience. All the vendors were still present, but only about half of the crowd showed up, so I took the opportunity to admire the different art installations located around Market Square. With remnants of the chalk walk still present underfoot, I explored Krutch Park to view its newest installation, called “Reverb.” Created by Rachel Hayes, this piece features multicolored textile banners hung over walkways and across the public waterpark. The sun shining through the fabric bathed the ground below it in a colorful light, creating a whimsical experience that transforms Krutch Park into a scene from a fairytale. It greatly added to the atmosphere of fun and joy that was present throughout the festival.
After exploring the newly-colorful Krutch park, I moved on to Clinch Avenue, where the Knoxville Academy of the Blade was having cutting practice. To train stance and form, martial artists set up water bottles on a post and sliced them with a variety of weapons. The crowd watched in awe as water bottle after water bottle fell to the sword, spraying their contents on the ground and whoever was standing too close.
The group also had several practice swords and armor on display for viewers to interact with. Each time I picked up a sword or piece of armor I was met with an in-depth explanation of the creation and use of the equipment, culminating in a demonstration where I got to stab an armored opponent in the chest. Riding the air of excitement from the crowd, the group then began competitive sparring in full gear. Each member of the group took turns fighting with different weapons; some had a sword and dagger, some a spear and shield, while others used a massive two-handed sword. The head coach John Farmer shared with me:
“[This martial art] is a mixture of strength, speed, and strategy. It’s not about [what] you do, but when you do it… It’s also about awareness of you and your opponent’s body, you have to anticipate what comes next… It’s intellectually and physically stimulating and gives a sense of community. You have to take each other’s safety seriously if you’re beating up your friends for fun.”
As a viewer, watching this mental process take place in both the opponents’ and the referees’ minds as the fights went on made me feel like a part of the show.
With live performances, food from all over the world, and handmade goods, there is something for anyone to enjoy at the Rossini Festival. I look forward to what Knoxville’s local artists have in store for Rossini for years to come.
