TEN YEARS
OF BIG EARS
Listen.
2023 Festival Lineup
THURS MAR 30 // FRI MAR 31 // SAT APR 1 // SUN APR 2
AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER & SHAHZAD ISMAILY
LOVE IN EXILE
MARC RIBOT
LOS CUBANOS POSTIZOS & THE JAZZ-BINS
SAM GENDEL
CONCERT GROUP & DUO WITH SAM WILKES
MAEVE GILCHRIST
THE HARPWEAVER
WITH AIZURI QUARTET
WILLIAM PARKER
MAYAN SPACE STATION & IN ORDER TO SURVIVE
AURORA NEALAND’S
MONOCLE ENSEMBLE
DAVID BYRNE
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID BYRNE AND GUESTS
BÉLA FLECK
MY BLUEGRASS HEART
WITH MICHAEL CLEVELAND, SIERRA HULL, JUSTIN MOSES, MARK SCHATZ & BRYAN SUTTON
SHARA NOVA & KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: THE BLUE HOUR
A SONG CYCLE BY RACHEL GRIMES, ANGÉLICA NEGRÓN, SHARA NOVA, CAROLINE SHAW & SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER
ROBERT ASHLEY’S PERFECT LIVES
PERFORMED BY VARISPEED COLLECTIVE
TRIO IMAGINATION
ANDREW CYRILLE, REGGIE WORKMAN, AND DAVID VIRELLES
BILL FRISELL
TRIO WITH KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
& BILL FRISELL FOUR
MARY HALVORSON
AMARYLLIS & BELLADONNA
MAKAYA MCCRAVEN
IN THESE TIMES
TESSA LARK & KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: CYCLE OF LIFE
COMPOSED BY MICHAEL SCHACHTER
32 SOUNDS
AN IMMERSIVE FILM BY SAM GREEN WITH LIVE MUSIC BY JD SAMSON
THE MUSIC OF
CATHERINE LAMB
JACK QUARTET
STEVE REICH
STRING QUARTETS
MIVOS QUARTET
THE MUSIC OF
ELIANE RADIGUE
NATE WOOLEY
THE MUSIC OF
ANNEA LOCKWOOD
NATE WOOLEY & YARN/WIRE
BAGATELLES PT. 1
NOVA QUARTET & ASMODEUS
BAGATELLES PT. 2
MARY HALVORSON & TRIGGER
BAGATELLES PT. 3
BRIAN MARSELLA TRIO & JOHN MEDESKI TRIO
CHAMBER MUSIC
JACK QUARTET WITH YURA LEE, MICHAEL NICOLAS & SAE HASHIMOTO
JOHN ZORN WITH CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND DAVE LOMBARDO
COBRA
EISENBERG / HALVORSON / GREENE / MARSELLA / MEDESKI / NICOLAS / DUNN / HANES / HASHIMOTO / LOMBARDO / EDGCOMB / WOLLESEN
SUITE FOR PIANO
BRIAN MARSELLA / JORGE ROEDER / CHES SMITH
GNOSTIC TRIO
CAROL EMANUEL / BILL FRISELL / KENNY WOLLESEN
NOVE CANTICI
BILL FRISELL / JULIAN LAGE / GYAN RILEY
A CAPELLA VOCAL MUSIC
KIRSTEN SOLLEK / ELIZA BAGG / ELIZABETH BATES / SARAH BRAILEY / RACHEL CALLOWAY
About Big ears
Big Ears collaborates with artists, audiences, and communities to create joyful, meaningful, and transcendent cultural experiences that defy boundaries, fuel curiosity, ignite the spirit, and nourish the soul.
About UsWhat they’re Saying
Our PressContained within a walkable radius of historic downtown Knoxville…[Big Ears] creates its own atmospheric climate, along with a center of gravity.
Instead of sales metrics or star power, Big Ears contemplates the perceptual properties of music …
At the silo-destroying Big Ears Festival, music liberated from the confines of category and overt commercialism.
The Big Ears Festival, which unfolds each spring in Knoxville, Tennessee, might be the most open-minded music gathering in the country.
There’s no other festival quite like Big Ears.
One of the most quietly earth-shattering, subtly luminous festivals the world over.
It’s no exaggeration to describe the Big Ears Festival as one of the most unique and eclectic musical gatherings one may ever be fortunate enough to encounter.
Each year, we count on the enthusiasm and expertise of a corps of dedicated volunteers. Learn more about how to get involved!
Broadcast your love of music and support Big Ears at the same time! Our online store features a variety of designs from recent Festival years.
Big Ears is deeply connected to the city of Knoxville. Each year, just as we delight in sharing new listening experiences with audiences, introducing visitors to our town is a point of immense pride. Learn all about this great city and explore resources we’ve gathered to help you plan your next trip!
Your partnership makes it possible for us to sustain, year after year, the extraordinary—and all-too-rare—range of work that sets Big Ears apart from other festivals. We can only do what we do because of you.
Big Ears shares the joy and transformative power of extraordinary music and art with tens of thousands of people annually thanks in large part to corporate, foundation, and government investment.
