| BIG EARS FESTIVAL REVEALS INITIAL 2015 LINEUP LAURIE ANDERSON, TERRY RILEY, TUNE-YARDS, MAX RICHTER, SWANS, BEN FROST, THE BAD PLUS, BILL FRISELL, JAMIE XX, AND MANY MORE JOIN ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE KRONOS QUARTET WEEKEND PASSES ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 AT 12 PM ET November 11, 2014 – Knoxville, TN – 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 reveals 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, the Knoxville 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 alumBryce 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. Another exciting 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. Lineup additions, details on all Big Ears interactive projects and activities, and more will be revealed leading into the festival. Weekend passes will go on sale this Friday, November 14 at 12pm ET at the special rate of$153.50 plus fees while supplies last. After that, tickets will be priced at $178.50 plus feesbefore moving to the final allotment at $199.50 plus fees. Single day passes will be made available if supplies last at a future date to be announced in early 2015. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit music and arts education programs through Knoxville’s own Joy of Music School and Community School of the Arts. In addition to the donation, Big Ears will host exclusive opportunities for students to interact with festival artists and attend special workshops, aligning with their mission of providing a musical education and mentorship to the disadvantaged that would not exist otherwise. Initial Lineup: Kronos Quartet: 2015 Artists-in-Residence Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet “Landfall” Terry Riley & Gyan Riley tUnE-yArDs Max Richter Chamber Ensemble Max Richter: “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Recomposed” with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Swans Ben Frost Bryce Dessner The Bad Plus Bill Frisell Jamie xx Perfume Genius Rhiannon Giddens Tanya Tagaq Clark “Häxan” re-scored by Demdike Stare Grouper SQÜRL Sam Amidon A Winged Victory for the Sullen Nosaj Thing Harold Budd & Keith Lowe Steve Gunn Nels Cline Amen Dunes Jozef Van Wissem Hildur Guðnadóttir Holly Herndon Additional information: Hailed by composer Philip Glass as a “tremendous experience” and Rolling Stone as “the most ambitious avant-garde festival to emerge in America in more than a decade,” Big Ears Festivalbrings together musicians and artists who span generations and transcend genres for dozens of concerts along with installations, exhibitions, film screenings, interactive workshops, informative talks, surprise collaborations, and unexpected connections. Big Ears debuted in 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee with a line up that included Philip Glass & Wendy Sutter, Antony & the Johnsons, Jon Hassell, the Necks, Fennesz, and Pauline Oliveros. In 2010, the Festival featured Artist-in-Residence Terry Riley and guest curator Bryce Dessner of the National, with Joanna Newsom, The xx, Nico Muhly, My Brightest Diamond, the Calder String Quartet, Bang on a Can, Tim Hecker, and the Dirty Projectors, among others. In 2014, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steve Reich, proclaimed “our greatest living composer” by The New York Times, served as the artist-in-residence. The brilliant Ensemble Signal performed his 1976 masterpiece, Music for 18 Musicians, along with his new Radio Rewrite, inspired by two songs from rock band Radiohead. Radiohead’s guitarist Jonny Greenwood performed Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, and the masterful So Percussionpresented his 1971 classic Drumming during the weekend as well. Other highlights in the Big Ears 2014 lineup included rock icon John Cale, co-founder with the late Lou Reed of the renowned Velvet Underground, New York legends Television, guitarist Marc Ribot and many more. Big Ears is created and produced by AC Entertainment, recognized as one of the foremost independent promoters in the United States. Founded in 1991 by Ashley Capps, the company books, markets and presents over 1,000 events per year. In addition to Big Ears, AC Entertainment is the force behind internationally renowned events including Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival® and Forecastle Festival. For more information on AC Entertainment, visit acentertainment.com. |
