Big Ears 2016 Lineup Announcement: John Luther Adams, Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, and More

In Classical Music, Music Stories, Program Notes by Matthew Everettleave a COMMENT

The next edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The just announced lineup for the next fest, scheduled for the last weekend in March, includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends.

John Luther Adams, who has won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy for his large-scale orchestral works inspired by the grandeur of the Arctic, has already been announced as composer-in-residence for the festival. His major new piece, Become Ocean, will be performed by Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and conductor Steven Schick, and other works will be performed during the weekend.

Besides Adams, it’s a typically loaded lineup, headed by a handful of genuinely legendary performers: “dream music” pioneer Tony Conrad and krautock band Faust will perform their seminal 1972 collaboration Outside the Dream Syndicate, and Laurie Anderson and Philip Glass will perform a special piece that will be making its American debut. They’re joined by all-star rock acts (Yo La Tengo, Joe Henry), world-class jazz (Anthony Braxton, Marc Ribot, Kamasi Washington, Mary Halvorsen, Vijay Iyer), avant-garde folk (the Gloaming, Andrew Bird), contemporary composers (Nico Muhly, Ólafur Arnalds), and more than a dozen other artists who defy easy categorization.

Big Ears runs March 31-April 2—that’s Thursday through Saturday, a change from previous Friday-Sunday schedules—at the Tennessee and Bijou theaters, the Square Room, and the Standard. Tickets go on sale on Friday, Oct. 23, at noon at bigearsfestival.com.

The complete lineup: Knoxville Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Steven Schick and guest cellist Maya Beiser; the Gloaming; Yo La Tengo; Andy Stott; Tony Conrad; Wolf Eyes; Marc Ribot; Xylouris White; Zeena Parkins and Tony Buck; Olivia Chaney; Mamiffer; Andrew Bird; Anthony Braxton Tentet; Faust; Nicolas Jaar; Vijay Iyer; Wadada Leo Smith; eighth blackbird with Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Bryce Dessner; Lambchop; Shabazz Palaces; Bombino; Joe Henry; Phantom Orchard; Chris Abrahams; Molly Nilsson; Laurie Anderson and Philip Glass; Sunn O))); Nico Muhly; Ben Frost; Sam Amidon; Valgeir Sigurðsson; the Necks; Kiasmos (Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen); Angel Olsen; Lambchop; Anthony Braxton Trio; Kamasi Washington; Mary Halvorson; Hieroglyphic Being; Circuit des Yeux; Ikue Mori; and nief-norf.

Read our coverage of Big Ears 2015 here

Senior Editor Matthew Everett manages the Knoxville Mercury's arts & entertainment section, including the comprehensive calendar section—Knoxville’s go-to guide for everything worth doing in the area. You can reach Matthew at matthew@knoxmercury.com.

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