Jig & Reel Experiences at Big Ears
Jig & Reel will be home to all things Appalachian during the festival weekend, with all performances and artist talks free and open to the public! Explore the delectable lineup of programming at Jig & Reel and get excited to stomp your feet, expand your mind, and join in the celebration of traditional mountain music!
THURSDAY: Join us for a late-night Old Time Session hosted by Anna & Elizabeth, which will continue until the early hours of the morning!
FRIDAY: Dedicated to both the preservation of traditional music and the creation of new, hard-driving fiddle tunes, The Local Honeys will share their sweet bluegrass sounds with us. Next up will be two special workshops led by percussive dance duo Kristin Andreassen and Becky Hill. Their Percussive Dance & Clogging Workshop will teach you basic clogging footwork, with a body percussion pattern and Appalachian ballad. Soon after, they’ll teach some easy square dances, sing a few songs, and share Appalachian flatfooting and clogging steps at their Old Time House Party. Rounding out the new additions is a performance from East Tennessee-based acoustic group Circus No.9, who will bring their delicious mix of bluegrass, jazz, and rock to Big Ears. Rounding out the evening will be a late-night Irish Session hosted by Sam Amidon & Cleek Schrey. Stay up late with us — It will be Friday night, after all!
SATURDAY: Don’t miss a very special Conversation with Ben Ratliff, Laurel Halo, and Eli Keszler, where the celebrated author and journalist will discuss the pair’s work and projects. Bruce Greene & Kore Loy McWhirter will treat us to an intimate live performance of their traditional songs, ballads, fiddle tunes, and banjo tunes from the southern Appalachians. Keep the Appalachian spirit going by joining in the Bluegrass Jam hosted by Stan Sharp!
SUNDAY: Make sure to attend Field Recordings: Art & Archivist, a conversation between Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Nathan Salsburg (curator of the Alan Lomax Archive), and West Virginia State Folklorist Emily Hillard. The trio will share intriguing pieces from their vast and venerable collections, and will discuss the role of old recordings and folkloric research in an expanding creative understanding about listening, environmental sounds as music, and music’s connection to place and culture.