Penny4Arts
Penny4Arts gives every child in Knox and surrounding counties an opportunity to attend arts and culture events/activities at the maximum cost of ONE PENNY (or FREE) when accompanied by a paying adult. See below for more details, or call us at 865-523-7543 for help. New events are added throughout the year, so please check back!
Many thanks to the employees of Messer Construction for their support of this program!
Click here to view year-round events
Knoxville Children’s Theatre: The Miracle Worker
Jun 7-21 (Sat at 5 PM and Thu at 7 PM)
747 World’s Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37917
Trapped in a secret, silent world, unable to communicate, Helen is violent, spoiled, and treated by her family as almost sub-human. Only Annie realizes that there is a mind and spirit waiting to be rescued from the dark, tortured silence. With scenes of intense physical and emotional drama, Annie’s success with Helen finally comes with the utterance of a single, glorious word: “water.”
The entire show run is June 6-22, with Penny4Arts tickets available on Thursdays at 7PM and Saturdays at 5 PM. With one adult purchase, up to three students will be admitted for a penny. Please purchase the adult ticket online and use the coupon code penny4miracle for Penny4Arts tickets at https://knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com/tc-events/the-miracle-worker-2/. We stop giving out seats/admissions when show is sold out or at 5 PM the day before the show.
Advanced reservations required: YES
Contact: 865-208-3677, info@knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com
Nief-Norf: SYNNERGY Faculty Solo Show: Kevin Zetina
Sat Jun 14, 11 AM – 12 PM
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, 1741 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37916
Nief-Norf presents Kevin Zetina, performing percussion works by Adams, BIG|BRAVE, Çudars, Meshuggah, Scott, Sevish, & Zetina! Kevin Zetina is a dynamic percussionist, composer, and arranger devoted to contemporary music, from landmark 20th-century works to brand-new commissions and pop arrangements for classical ensembles. He is Lecturer of Percussion at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, directs the UT Chamber Percussion Ensemble, and performs with the Nief-Norf ensemble, where he also teaches each summer. His recent compositions include Coalescence (Yale Percussion Group), Fleeting Lines (Ensemble Knox), and Polyrhythms Through Pop Music (Liquidrum), and he is a Pearl/Adams Concert Artist with degrees from Eastman and Yale.
Advanced reservations required: YES
For more information, please contact: Alex Dally, adally@niefnorf.org, (865) 773-4399
https://www.niefnorf.org/synnergy
Nief-Norf: SYNNERGY 2025 Formalist Quartet Showcase
Sat Jun 14, 2 PM
Addison’s Bookstore
Nief-Norf presents the Formalist Quartet, our 2025 faculty ensemble-in-residence! The Formalist Quartet is a Los Angeles-based string quartet dedicated to the performance of adventurous repertoire, focusing on contemporary pieces and world premieres as well as exploring a diverse spectrum of early music and the standard repertoire.
Advanced reservations required: YES
For more information, please contact: Alex Dally – adally@niefnorf.org
https://www.niefnorf.org/synnergy
SYNNERGY Faculty Solo Show: Vicky Chow
Sat Jun 14, 5-6 PM
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall at the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center 1741 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37916
Nief-Norf presents Vicky Chow, performing Philip Glass’s Piano Etudes Book 1! Hong Kong/Canadian pianist Vicky Chow, praised as “brilliant” by The New York Times and “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” by Pitchfork, is a member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars and an acclaimed soloist and collaborator with artists including Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, and the Kronos Quartet. She has performed in over 40 countries at major venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, and Teatro Colón, and has released more than 25 solo and chamber albums, including JUNO-nominated Super Villain Etudes and Tristan Perich: Surface Image, named a top 10 avant album by Rolling Stone. A graduate of Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music, she teaches at Bang on a Can Summer Institute and Nief-Norf Summer Festival and is a Yamaha Artist based in Brooklyn.
Advanced reservations required: YES
For more information, please contact: adally@niefnorf.org
https://www.niefnorf.org/synnergy
Nief-Norf: Nief-Norf 2025 International Call for Scores Showcase
Sat Jun 14, 8 PM
Old City Performing Arts Center
Nief-Norf presents a showcase concert of our 2025 International Call for Scores winners, featuring works by Mike Boyd, Ya-Lan Chan, Inga Chinilina, Peter Kramer, and June Young (Will) Kim!
Advanced reservations required: YES
For more information, please contact: Alex Dally – adally@niefnorf.org
https://www.niefnorf.org/synnergy
The following guidelines apply to every Penny4Arts event:
+ Open to Knox and surrounding County residents (with a few exceptions);
+ All children ages 5-15 must be accompanied by a paying adult (age 18 and older) in a ratio not to exceed three children per one adult.
+ Proof of Knox and surrounding County residency may be required;
+ At least one in a group of up to four students ages 16-18 must purchase a regular adult admission/ticket (if applicable) for the group to be able to participate in Penny4Arts.