BROADCAST
KNOXVILLE BROADCAST
WORLD’S FAIR PARK
Friday, October 17 at 6:00 pm
Saturday, October 18 at 11:00 am & 2:00 pm
Join us for Knoxville Broadcast, a large-scale site-specific “spatial symphony” created by the award-winning composer Lisa Bielawa that will unite hundreds of musicians from across Knoxville in three free public performances at World’s Fair Park.
Knoxville Broadcast continues Bielawa’s celebrated series of Broadcast performances in Berlin, San Francisco, and Louisville—each rooted in the history and community of its location. The San Francisco Chronicle called Crissy Broadcast, “…one of the most moving performances of the year…where all the boundaries we take for granted in musical life…are casually obliterated.”
Free and open to all, Knoxville Broadcast will transform the entire park into a living stage during each 45 minute performance. Musicians will begin together in the Tennessee Amphitheater before gradually dispersing throughout the park, guided by long-distance musical cues. Audiences are free to wander, hearing the piece shift and transform from different vantage points. By dissolving the boundaries of a traditional concert, the work invites listeners of all ages into a shared, fluid, and deeply communal encounter with music.
For Knoxville, Bielawa has composed a new score inspired by the city’s landscape, voices, and musical traditions. More than 600 local musicians of all ages and backgrounds will take part, including the Appalachian Equality Chorus, Knoxville Community Band, Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, Halls Middle School Bands, L&N Stem Academy Concert Band and Orchestra, Drums Up Guns Down, members of Nief-Norf, Hardin Valley Academy Guitar Ensemble, Roane State Choral Society, and the University of Tennessee Gospel Choir, and students from the UT College of Music. Three all-ages “pickup” groups—Sterchi String Band (old-time), Found Forte (youth percussion), and the Sunsphere Singers (intergenerational choir)—are also open to the public.
JOIN A PICK-UP ENSEMBLE
Big Ears invites local musicians of all ages and backgrounds to apply to join a large-scale community ensemble for a powerful public performance. Be part of a transformative, site-specific musical experience that celebrates Knoxville’s vibrant soundscape. No amplification. No tickets. Just community, creativity, and the joy of making music together.
SUNSPHERE SINGERS
People of all ages and skill levels are invited to join the Sunsphere Singers, an intergenerational community choir formed for Knoxville Broadcast and led by Knoxville Broadcast composer, Lisa Bielawa. No experience or prior training necessary! Musicians will have several options for learning music, including notated parts and rote (by ear). An online learning tool will be provided to assist participants with learning music.
FOUND FORTE
Students of all ages and all musical backgrounds are invited to participate in Found Forte, a “found percussion” ensemble created for Knoxville Broadcast and led by percussionist and educator Nate Barrett. “Found” percussion instruments are everyday objects that have been reimagined and repurposed to make music! Instruments will be provided! Parents, guardians, and siblings are welcome to participate alongside students!
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Lisa Bielawa is an award-winning composer, producer, and vocalist. A Guggenheim Fellow and Rome Prize winner, Bielawa has received honors from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, OPERA America, and American Antiquarian Society, and was nominated for a Los Angeles Area Emmy for her unprecedented, made-for-TV-and-online opera Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch’s Accuser.
Bielawa’s music has been premiered and presented worldwide by the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Rouen Opera, MAXXI Museum in Rome, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Radio France, Yerevan Concert Hall, Venice Architectural Biennale, American Music Week in Salzburg, INFANT Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, and more.
From 2019–2022, Bielawa was the founding Composer-in-Residence and Chief Curator of the Philip Glass Institute (PGI) at The New School’s College of the Performing Arts. In addition to performing as the vocalist in the Philip Glass Ensemble, Bielawa appears frequently in her own works and in music by composers such as John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, and Michael Gordon. She recently made her orchestral conducting debut leading the Mannes String Orchestra in a special PGI presentation featuring her music, works by Jon Gibson and David T. Little, and Glass’s Symphony No. 3.
Composer Lisa Bielawa // Tempelhof Broadcast (Photo by Daniel Clark)
The Town Criers Community Choir // Louisville Broadcast
Waterfront Park Big Four Bridge // Louisville Broadcast
Musicians on the grounds of Crissy Field – San Francisco // Crissy Broadcast (Photo by James Block)
KNOXVILLE BROADCAST IS MADE POSSIBLE
WITH SUPPORT FROM OUR PARTNERS
KNOXVILLE BROADCAST FAQ
WHAT IS KNOXVILLE BROADCAST?
A large-scale, site-specific “spatial symphony” composed by Lisa Bielawa and performed by more than 500 regional musicians throughout World’s Fair Park.
DO I NEED A TICKET?
No—it’s free and open to the public.
WHEN AND WHERE DO THE PERFORMANCES TAKE PLACE?
World’s Fair Park, Tennessee Amphitheater
Friday, October 17 at 6:00 pm
Saturday, October 18 at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO VIEW THE PERFORMANCE?
The music begins at the Tennessee Amphitheater and unfolds around the pond and across the park. Audiences are encouraged to wander and experience the performance from different angles.
HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
Each performance is approximately 45 minutes.
WHERE SHOULD I PARK?
Free and paid options are available near World’s Fair Park and close by in downtown Knoxville. In addition to metered street parking, we encourage everyone to explore available options via our partners at Downtown Knoxville Alliance: https://www.
WHO IS PERFORMING?
Over 500 musicians from 15 Knoxville-area ensembles and community groups.
IS THERE AN ADA VIEWING AREA?
The entire park is ADA-accessible via paved paths.
IS FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABLE?
There are many restaurants in the area where you can dine on Friday evening. On Saturday, three food trucks will be on-site with a variety of options.
WHERE ARE RESTROOMS LOCATED?
Public restrooms are available within World’s Fair Park just off of World’s Fair Park Drive across from the Amphitheater (North side of the park).
CAN I TAKE PHOTOS?
Yes! Photography is encouraged. You can tag #KnoxvilleBroadcast, @bigearsfestival, and @lisabielawa when sharing via social media.
ARE PETS ALLOWED?
Leashed pets are permitted but discouraged due to crowds and sound levels.
IF I NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, WHERE SHOULD I GO?
Locate a Big Ears ambassador or park security officer.
WHAT IF IT RAINS?
Weather updates and schedule changes will be announced on Big Ears’ social media channels.
Still have questions? Contact Us
All the boundaries we take for granted in musical life are casually obliterated in composer Lisa Bielawa’s magical and heartbreakingly beautiful exercise in public art.
– San Francisco Chronicle