The 2015 Big Ears Festival takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee, this weekend with performances from several Nonesuch Records artists: Kronos Quartet, the festival's artists-in-residence for 2015, Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens, Sam Amidon, and Tyondai Braxton. Big Ears will be held this Friday through Sunday, March 27–29, in venues throughout downtown Knoxville, at the historic Tennessee and Bijou Theatres, the unique event space The Standard, the intimate Square Room, the Knoxville Museum of Art, and more.
Kronos Quartet will perform several concerts throughout the festival weekend, including collaborations with several guest artists. One such collaboration will see the Laurie Anderson performing her Kronos collaboration Landfall, inspired by her experience of Hurricane Sandy. Other Kronos collaborators will include Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, The National guitarist / composer and Big Ears alum Bryce Dessner, and 2014 Polaris Music Prize recipient Tanya Tagaq. Composer Terry Riley, whose work has been championed by Kronos for decades, will also perform at the festival in celebration of his 80th birthday year.
This year, Big Ears will also celebrate its Appalachian roots with performances by Rhiannon Giddens, who kicks a US tour featuring music from her recently released solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, and Sam Amidon, whose new album reimagined folk songs, Lily-O, was released last fall. Jazz guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, who performs on Amidon's new album, will also appear at the festival.
Tyondai Braxton sets up shop at The Standard this weekend, performing his piece HIVE at the venue each day of the festival and giving a late-night DJ set in the space as well. He also takes part in a panel on technology's place in creativity at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Braxton makes his Nonesuch debut with the release of HIVE1, which evovlved from the piece he performs at Big Ears, on May 12.
Another component of the 2015 festival will be the opportunity for music to interface with film, visual art and more. Big Ears will also offer special discussion sessions with the artists and a variety of special events and secret shows.
See below for a schedule of Nonesuch artists events at this weekend's Big Ears Festival. For additional details and all the latest information, visit bigearsfestival.com.
NONESUCH ARTIST AT BIG EARS FESTIVAL
Friday, March 27
| 9 PM |
Kronos Quartet: The Music of Terry Riley feat. The Cusp of Magic with Wu Man |
Tennessee Theatre |
| 9 PM |
Tyondai Braxton: HIVE |
The Standard |
Saturday, March 28
| 1:30 PM |
Kronos Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens & Sam Amidon: Folk Songs |
Tennessee Theatre |
| 7 PM |
Kronos Quartet & Laurie Anderson: Landfall |
Tennessee Theatre |
| 8:15 PM |
Tyondai Braxton: HIVE |
The Standard |
| 10:45 PM |
Sam Amidon |
Bijou Theatre |
Sunday, March 29
| 12 PM |
Tyondai Braxton: Panel: Technology's Place in Creativity |
Knoxville Museum of Art |
| 1:30 PM |
Tyondai Braxton: HIVE |
The Standard |
| 2 PM |
Rhiannon Giddens |
Bijou Theatre |
| 3 PM |
Kronos Quartet: Tundra Songs with Tanya Tagaq |
The Standard |
| 3:45 PM |
Kronos Quartet: 40 Canons with Bryce Dessner |
The Standard |
| 10 PM |
Kronos Quartet: Views from Here to the Heavens (for Scott Fraser) with Nels Cline |
The Standard |
