Big Ears Festival

Bryson Seabold, Matthew Motley, Paul Parris, and Melony Dodson relive Big Ears 2026. Surprises, aha moments, favorite performances, thoughts on the new venues, and overall impressions. This was a festival to remember!

Melony Dodson talks with MacArthur Fellow and multi Grammy Award-winning musician, Chris Thile, in Krutch Park in downtown Knoxville.

Melony Dodson talks with Adam Sliwinski, a member of the Grammy Award-winning percussion quartet, So Percussion. They are returning to the Big Ears Festival in 2026, performing a total of three sets.

Melony Dodson talks with singer songwriter, Trisha Gene Brady, who will perform new songs inspired by the Fifty Years in Cades Cove Collection, located in the UT Libraries' digital archives. The debut performance is Wednesday, March 25th at 7pm at the Knoxville Museum of Art. This event is free and open to the public and is in partnership with the Big Ears Festival, as well as the UT Libraries series: Boundless: Artists in the Archives

Melony Dodson talks with Donald Nally, conductor of the multi Grammy-Award winning choral ensemble, The Crossing. They will perform David Lang's Poor Hymnal at the 2026 Big Ears Festival.

Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar and Trombonist Andy Clausen of pioneering quartet The Westerlies discuss their new album celebrating the music of Bill Frisell and their upcoming Big Ears debut.

Matthew Motley, Paul Parris, Melony Dodson, and WUTK's Bryson Seabold talk about their top picks for Big Ears 2026. Hear strategies for how to maximize your experience at Big Ears without exhausting yourself, where to grab some quick bites, favorite venues, and "pearls of wisdom" from some Knoxville natives. If you're wondering where to begin with your festival planning, this podcast is the perfect starting point.

Matthew Motley speaks with composer Lisa Bielawa and Big Ears Community Outreach Coordinator Cecilia Stair about the process of bringing Bielawa's Knoxville Broadcast to life

Melony Dodson, Matthew Motley, Carter Moore and Todd Steed break down the highlights, the joys, the surprises and the possible philosophical ramifications of Big Ears 2025. Highlights? Regrets? It's all here.

Melony Dodson talks with Edgar Meyer, Tessa Lark, and Joshua Roman about their performance at the Big Ears Festival 2025. They will perform an early string trio by Edgar Meyer, music of Bach, and a brand new trio by Meyer, which was commissioned, in part, by the Big Ears Organization.