PASS ALERT / ARTIST ADDITIONS / GRANTS FOR BIG EARS
Pass Alert
Passes of all kinds were selling briskly during the holidays, with the Premier single-day and Tier 1 price allotments for Saturday only selling out at the end of the year. 90% of Premier single-day passes have been sold. We’ll be shocked if they last the weekend! Don’t risk disappointment – now’s the time. Buy your pass today!
New Artist Additions
Jakob Bro
Danish guitarist Jakob Bro’s expansive, forward-thinking jazz is atmospheric and experimental while still being grounded in tradition. A former member of Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band and Tomasz Stanko’s Dark Eyes quintet, Bro’s playing is informed by smoky, harmonically rich modernist jazz ballads, but his use of loops and effects also sets him apart from many of his jazz-guitar playing peers. His music and various ensembles are depicted in the film Music for Black Pigeons (directed by Jørgen Leth and Andreas Koefoed), which will debut in the US as part of our Big Ears 2024 Film Program. Jakob Bro will perform with drummer Brian Blade and bassist Anders Christensen.
Zöe Keating
Cellist and composer Zoë Keating is a one-woman orchestra. She uses a cello and a foot-controlled laptop to loop layer upon layer of cello, creating intricate, haunting, and compelling music. Her self-produced albums have several times reached #1 on the iTunes classical charts and spent many months on the Billboard classical charts. Her recordings can be heard on NPR’s Morning Edition, On Being with Krista Tippett, CBS’s Elementary, HBO’s The White Lotus, and in countless documentaries and online videos.
Essential Tremors: Marc Ribot
We love Essential Tremors, the podcast and radio show that interviews musicians and other creative people about the music that shaped them. And like last year, on the last Wednesday of each month leading up to the 2024 Big Ears Festival, they’re featuring an artist that will be part of our weekend.
This week Matt and Lee spoke with guitarist Marc Ribot who possesses one of the most distinctive six-string sounds in American music, audible both in his work with collaborators like Tom Waits and John Zorn and in his own projects, such as his band Ceramic Dog. In this episode, he discusses pieces by Frantz Casseus, Ornette Coleman, and Chocolate Genius.
Last Call to Volunteer
Volunteer Ambassadors are essential in making the Big Ears Festival possible. Each year, more than 100 individuals donate nearly 1,000 hours assisting festivalgoers over the four-day event. Volunteering for Big Ears will put you at the center of the action for one of the most dynamic cultural events in the nation, and you’ll be part of a diverse, dynamic team integral to the success of the festival. For those who want to take their stewardship to the next level and make an even larger impact, Big Ears is offering expanded Senior Ambassador roles in addition to traditional Volunteer Ambassador opportunities. Apply today!
Big Ears Receives Grant Support
In recognition of its work in arts presenting and community outreach, Big Ears was recently awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Dr. William D. and Dr. Sally C. Johnson Family Foundation, the Hobson Wood Foundation, the Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation, and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music in support of Big Ears’ 2024 performances and community engagement programs.
“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to the Big Ears Festival, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”
Funding from these organizations is vital to the success and sustainability of the Big Ears mission, and we are deeply grateful for their assistance. Big Ears is an independent nonprofit organization whose revenue comes from ticket sales, private foundations, businesses, government agencies, and generous individual donors. To learn more about supporting Big Ears, visit our donor page or contact Casey Fox, Director of Development.
