Marble City Opera

05/23/2026

Join us for our second Opera in the Park
A FREE concert for the community 🎶

Marble City Opera at Marble Hall in Lakeshore Park
June 6 at 7pm

05/22/2026

🌟Artist Feature🌟

Brandon Coffer as Music Director/Pianist for Josephine by Tom Cipullo. Get to know more about Brandon in his bio below and reserve your tickets today at MarbleCityOpera.com/tickets 🎟

Josephine 🎵
by Tom Cipullo
May 30, 2026
Historic Grove Theatre



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Brandon Coffer is a highly sought-after collaborative pianist based in East Tennessee. He graduated from Carson Newman University with a degree in Piano Performance. Following his graduation, Brandon served as a staff accompanist at the university from 2013 to 2016. During this time, he had the opportunity to work with a diverse range of musicians and performers. Brandon holds the position of Music Director and Organist at Central United Methodist.

Brandon works with local theater companies. He has collaborated with Encore, a theater guild in Morristown, TN, Lenoir City Theater Guild in Lenoir City, TN, and continues to work closely with the Newport Theater Guild based in Newport, TN.

One of the notable highlights of Brandon's career is his role as the resident pianist and music director for Marble City Opera (2013-current). In January 2023, he made his official operatic conducting debut with MCO during their production of "The Christmas Spider" by Clint Borzoni & John de los Santos. Building on this success, Brandon is set to take on the role of conductor once again in MCO's upcoming production of "Doctor and The Devils" by Jason Overall.

With his exceptional talent, vast experience, and unwavering dedication to music, Brandon continues to be a prominent figure in the East Tennessee music scene. His ability to collaborate seamlessly with a diverse range of musicians and his passion for bringing music to life make him a highly sought-after collaborative pianist and conductor.

05/21/2026

You don’t want to miss the incredible Manna K Jones as Josephine Baker in our upcoming production of Josephine by Tom Cipullo. One night only - reserve your tickets today for this fabulous production!

📸 by Steer Pike

Josephine
By Tom Cipullo
May 30 at 7:30pm
Historic Grove Theater

05/19/2026

🌟Artist Feature🌟

Manna K Jones as Josephine Baker in one-woman opera, Josephine by Tom Cipullo. Get to know more about Manna in her bio below and reserve your tickets today at MarbleCityOpera.com/tickets 🎟

Josephine 🎵
by Tom Cipullo
May 30, 2026
Historic Grove Theatre



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Manna K Jones, American Soprano, is known for her dramatic brilliance across opera and Classical music as well as Musical Theater. Hailed by the Boston Observer as an “elegant and supple-voiced” Herodias in Heartbeat Opera’s Salome, she has appeared internationally as Fiordiligi in Cosí fan tutte and made her Broadway debut in Rocktopia, a Classical Revolution. Manna is featured in the Naxos documentary film, Global Wagner – From Bayreuth to the World for her work as Brünhilde in Götterdämmerung. This season, she will reprise the role of Josephine Baker in the one-woman opera about the icon’s fascinating life.

Her many career highlights include riveting title-role performances of Cio-cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Carnegie Hall and Suor Angelica with the California Opera Association. Manna’s American opera roles include portrayals of prominent Black historical women figures such as Elizabeth Eckford of The Little Rock Nine by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Tania León, and Essie Robeson in the world premier of Adolphus Hailstork's Robeson: The Opera with at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. When Manna sang for Marilyn Horne, the legendary mezzo-soprano pronounced her voice, “An incredible instrument."

05/18/2026

Check out this great interview between Executive Artistic Director, Kathryn Frady and East TN Now Radio Host Frank Murphy about Marble City Opera and our upcoming productions!

Frank Murphy interviews Kathryn Frady, Executive Artistic Director of Marble City Opera, Knoxville's chamber opera company, with the goal of bringing American chamber opera and innovative performances of traditional operas to new audiences. Learn more about Kathryn and her upcoming schedule at https...

05/08/2026

Meet the Cast of Tragedy of Carmen

Kathryn Frady as Carmen
Edward Brennan as Don Jose
Geoffrey Peterson as Escamillo
Jacquie Reynolds as Micaela

Tragedy of Carmen by Bizet adapted by Peter Brooks
June 18 & 20. 2026 at 7:30pm
Historic Grove Theater
🎟www.marblecityopera.com/tickets🎟

05/07/2026

Meet the Team for Josephine by Tom Cipullo

Manna K. Jones as Josephine Baker
Brandon Coffer, Music Director/Pianist
Kathryn Frady, Stage Director

Josephine by Tom Cipullo
May 30, 2026 at 7:30pm
Historic Grove Theater
🎟www.marblecityopera.com/tickets🎟

05/06/2026

Become a Sponsor for Opera in the Park and help us bring FREE Opera to the community
https://givebutter.com/marblecityopera