Cait Stoddard September 12th, 2023 - 1:37 PM
UPDATE: 2/22/2024 – Big Ears Festival has announced that artist André 3000 has been added to this years lineup. The musician will be bringing his incredible New Blue Sun Live to Knoxville.
Update 10/10/23: According to brooklynvegan.com, the festival Big Ears have added more artists to their 2024 lineup that will feature performances by Jon Batiste, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Kristin Hersh, Slauson Malone 1, Ka Bird, Jana Horn, Francesco Turrisi, Leyla McCalla, Laraaji & Suphala, Min Xiao-Fen and more.
Lounge Lizards co founder Evan Lurie will present a rare performance of his 1990 chamber music classic, Selling Water by the Side of the River, with his quintet featuring sounds of the bandoneon.
Kristin Hersh will be celebrating the 30 anniversary of her solo album Hips & Makers. The artist will be joined by cellist Jane Scarpantoni, who played on the album.
Marc Ribot will be celebrating his 70 birthday at the festival and the programming includes a recently announced trio performance with John Medeski and Joe Russo. Russo will also present his new Selcouth Quartet featuring Stuart Bogie, Jonathan Goldberger and Jon Shaw.
On the heels of its triumphant tenth year celebration, the Big Ears Festival returns on March 21 – 24 of next year and the event will be transforming Knoxville’s historic downtown into an exhilarating kaleidoscopic feast of music and imagination
Performing at the festival will be Secret Chiefs 3, John Paul Jones, Laurie Anderson, Herbie Hancock, Fred Frith, Unwound, Adrianne Lenker, Molly Tuttle, Digable Planets, Samora Pinderhughes, Fatoumata Diawara, Son Rompe Pera and others.
2023 Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens will be in residence performing several different programs, 2016 Pulitzer recipient Henry Threadgill will be celebrated by four of his bands and a 70 birthday celebration for guitarist Marc Ribot will feature his Ceramic Dog along with surprises.
The 2024 Big Ears adventure expands further as electronica pioneer King Britt curates a 14 artist and four day Blacktronika program with legendary artists and young visionaries joining a roster of hip hop influencers and innovators like Armand Hammer, MAVI, Roc Marciano and more.
The jazz of luminaries like Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran, Dave Holland, Trio Mediævalsinging Hildegard von Bingen, JG Thirlwell, Elliot Sharp, Sally Gates, Kassa Overall, Jlin, and Ash Fure contribute to the dynamic schedule of nearly 200 performances throughout downtown Knoxville.
“Big Ears is conceived as an adventure,” says Founder and Artistic Director Ashley Capps. “It’s an opportunity to hear the world’s most exciting musical creators as well as to open up to new ideas and experiences. It spurs the imagination and nourishes the soul. That’s the real magic of Big Ears.”
The full line up of artists and programs can be found at bigearsfestival.org with new additions and details found each week in the festival’s newsletter. Big Ears passes go on sale on September 14 at 9 a.m. ET by visiting bigearsfestival.org/passes.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
