From a press release:
Lineup announced for Big Ears 2015 in Knoxville
Though Mountain Oasis is on pause, AC Entertainment is still proud to bring you quality and one-of-a-kind music experiences! Blending the finest in contemporary classical music with groundbreaking indie rock bands, leading jazz greats, visionary folk artists, and the indefinable avant-garde, the internationally acclaimed Big Ears Festival has revealed its initial lineup for the 2015 festival, taking place March 27-29 in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee at the historic Tennessee and Bijou Theatres, the intimate Square Room, Knoxville’s revered Museum of Art and more.
Previously announced artists-in-residence Kronos Quartet will perform several concerts throughout the festival weekend, including collaborations with several guest artists. One such collaboration will see the iconic Laurie Anderson performing her Kronos collaboration “Landfall,” inspired by Anderson’s experience of Hurricane Sandy and praised by The New York Times as “awash in elegiac string sounds and postmillennial gloom.” 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.
Acclaimed German composer Max Richter will collaborate with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in a performance of his highly acclaimed “Vivialdi: The Four Seasons: Recomposed,” while also presenting a concert of his Chamber Music. Emblematic composer Harold Budd, known for his beautiful ambient music and his work with Brian Eno and the Cocteau Twins, will present a rare live concert, alongside bassist Keith Lowe, celebrating the breadth of his monumental work, “a source of appreciation for the sounds and sights around us” writes NPR.
Rounding out the festival will be an exciting cast of contemporary artists featuring tUnE-yArDs, Jamie xx, Perfume Genius, Ben Frost, Grouper and more, including Michael Gira’s seminal New York rock outfit Swans, virtuosic guitarist Steve Gunn, evocative psychedelic rocker Amen Dunes, and the hypnotic rock of SQÜRL, comprised of Jim Jarmusch, Carter Logan, and Shane Stoneback.
In addition, leading contemporary jazz trio The Bad Plus, along with revered guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, will appear at the festival. This year, Big Ears will also celebrate its Appalachian roots with performances by folk artist Sam Amidon and Rhiannon Giddens, founding member of Grammy-winning old-time revivalists Caroline Chocolate Drops.
Weekend passes will go on sale here this Friday, November 14 at 12pm ET at the special rate of $153.50 plus fees while supplies last.
All this and more information can be found at www.BigEarsFestival.com, by “liking” Big Ears Festival on Facebook, by following @BigEarsFestival on Twitter, and by joining our newsletter.
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