It's that time of year again. The time when Big Ears Festival fans worldwide eagerly await to find out what and who their ears will be able to feast upon over a span of four days in late March. It's the Big Ears Festival full lineup reveal. Although festival organizers have been releasing the names of artists here and there since June of 2018, the entire lineup was not released until November 13th. Judging by years past, however, there are sure to be a few more artists' names released along the way.
Founder of the festival, Ashley Capps, says there are no "headline" artists, per se, but there are several performances that stand out, because of their collaborative nature. For the first time, dance will be incorporated into the festival in a big way. The Nashville ballet will present "Lucy Negro Redux," with choreography by Paul Vasterling and original music by Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turisi. A multimedia performance entitled "Triptych (Eyes Of One On Another)" features the photography of Robert Mapplethorpe and music by Bryce Dessner, performed by Roomful of Teeth. Rachel Grimes will present (for only the second time) her new folk opera "The Way Forth" which follows the voices of generations of Kentucky women from 1775 to the present day. Legendary composers Harold Budd and Alvin Lucier will have their works presented by several different ensembles. Vocalists and revolutionary composers, Meredith Monk and Joan La Barbara will also be featured.
There, of course, is an extensive jazz lineup with artists such as Bill Frisell, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn. The experimental record label ECM will be featured in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Rumor has it that the founder of the label, Manfred Eicher, may even be in attendance at the festival.
Big Ears 2019 is March 21-24th and will take place in the same downtown venues as last year's festival (Tennessee Theatre, Bijou Theatre, The Standard, The Mill & Mine, St. John's Cathedral, The Square Room, Knoxville Museum of Art, and Church Street United Methodist Church). It's guaranteed to be another weekend of jaw-dropping, life-changing performances.
www.bigearsfestival.org