Journalist Piotr Orlov (of Dada Strain) speaks with Brian Carpenter of Ghost Train Orchestra and collaborator Joan Wasser (a.k.a. Joan As Police Woman) about interpreting the works of Moondog—the blind composer, poet, and New York street icon whose rhythmic inventions, unforgettable melodies, and striking persona (not to mention an iconic Viking costume) made him an underground legend of 20th-century music. Hear this exciting project at Big Ears 2026.
Composer, vocalist, and project-maker Lisa Bielawa joins renowned classical and new music journalist Steve Smith to discuss her extraordinary Broadcast works, with a spotlight on Knoxville Broadcast, a large-scale site-specific “spatial symphony” commissioned by Big Ears Festival. The project gathers Appalachian musicians, choirs, orchestras, and community ensembles who gradually expand outward in waves of sound, transforming the landscape into an immersive sonic experience. Bielawa also reflects on the origins of Broadcast, community participation, and her wide-ranging career.
Two time GRAMMY winner, vocalist and MacArthur Fellow Cécile McLorin Salvant joins critic Natalie Weiner to unpack what it means to be called a jazz singer. Salvant reflects on her musical upbringing in both classical and jazz traditions, contrasting the discipline of one with the freedom of the other. She also shares her excitement about moving beyond "jazz," previewing her brand new Nonesuch Records album Oh, Snap , on which she layers dance grooves into daring audio collages. The conversation touches on her interpretation of the John Henry legend, and her blossoming practice in the visual arts, partly inspired by her mother and grandmother. It’s a revelatory portrait of an artist who remains rooted in song, while constantly expanding her palette as a multimedia post-genre artist. Here’s their conversation.
Big Ears Festival founder Ashley Capps joins NPR Music critic Ann Powers (a longtime friend of the festival and fellow Tennessee resident) to discuss the recent unveiling of the 2026 festival lineup. From legends like David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn and Pat Metheny to trailblazers like Flying Lotus, Marc Ribot, Wild Up, and Hania Rani, along with a smorgasbord of today’s most compelling artists across genres. Their conversation reveals a behind-the-scenes look at curatorial vision and execution, nurturing community, and encouraging musical discovery.
Hear a panel discussion from Big Ears 2025 titled 1965: Sound, Fire & Revolution, where guitarist Nels Cline, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer Chad Taylor, join critic and author Nate Chinen to reflect on a landmark year in music and culture. 1965 gave us works like A Love Supreme, Complete Communion, and Fire Music—that reshaped jazz and echoed broader upheaval. Sixty years later, these artists revisit that seismic moment, revealing how its sounds and struggles still resonate powerfully in our present.
Hear a deep and searching live conversation from Big Ears 2025 between NPR Music critic and author Ann Powers and three remarkable artists whose practices reach far beyond the boundaries of genre — vocalist, double bassist and composer ganavya, multi-instrumentalist and scene-connector Carlos Niño, and British poet, saxophonist and troubadour Alabaster DePlume.
In this wide-ranging interview, they explore themes of interdependence, the evolving meaning of “community,” and the porous line between art and everyday life. They challenge the language we use to describe music and the commodification of creative labor, while offering alternative frameworks grounded in love, joy, ancestry, and intuition.
At our 2025 festival, NPR critic and author Ann Powers sat down with legendary producer and music historian Joe Boyd for a wide-ranging conversation about his life in music. Boyd reflects on his recently published opus The Roots of Rhythm Remain, and a life at the intersection of sound and history in this intimate and revealing podcast episode.
On this episode, we listen in on a rare exchange between Charles Lloyd — the legendary saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and NEA Jazz Master — and Don Was — President of Blue Note Records — recorded live at the Blue Note Lounge in Jackson Terminal during Big Ears 2025.
Three sharp-eared critics who attended Big Ears 2025—Bill Pearis (BrooklynVegan), Jennie Punter (Musicworks Magazine), and Natalie Weiner (Don't Rock the Inbox)—gather to reflect on the vast sonic and interdisciplinary arts landscape they encountered. From singular encounters to shared moments of awe, they explore the music, the food and the spirit of Knoxville.
This talk reveals how Big Ears offers not one experience, but countless parallel journeys that may touch, or never overlap at all. We also pay tribute to the late Michael Hurley.
Music featured in this episode:
Terry Riley - “In C”
Eiko Ishibashi - “Evil Does Not Exist”
Hu Vibrational - “Calling to the Water Goddess”
Tindersticks - “Don’t Walk, Run”
Immersion - “State of Motion”
Immanuel Wilkins - “MOSHPIT”
Susan Alcorn - “Pedernal”
Fieldwork - “Bend”
Ambrose Akinmusire - “To: Taymoor”
Michael Hurley - “Hog of the Forsaken”
Get ready for Big Ears 2025 with this special roundtable featuring Nate Chinen, Ann Powers, Marcus J. Moore, and Ashley Kahn. Our panel of top critics shares favorite moments, past surprises, must-see picks, and even culinary highlights.
Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned veteran, this lively, insightful conversation is the perfect aperitif to kick off your festival week with the spirit and euphoria Big Ears always delivers.
Critic and author Nate Chinen speaks with banjo trailblazer Béla Fleck about Big Ears' place in the music scene, his early days in New Grass Revival, taking the leap into new projects, the "ancient tones" of bluegrass and even Charlie Parker. Fleck also picks some of his must-see artists on the Big Ears 2025 lineup. You just might be surprised!
Journalist and music critic Larry Blumenfeld (Wall Street Journal, Chamber Music Magazine) sits down with legendary trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith and genre-defying composer Tyshawn Sorey. The discussion delves into the deep connections between sound and silence, the evolution of “creative music,” and the social and political impact of their work.
Smith reflects on his early influences, his revolutionary compositional language, and the powerful legacy of Ten Freedom Summers, while Sorey shares insights into his Pulitzer-winning compositions and his exploration of spontaneous creation. Together, they discuss their unique approaches to composition, performance, and collaboration.
Music critic and author Ann Powers (NPR Music) sits down with singer-songwriter Cassandra Jenkins, who appears at Big Ears 2025, for an intimate conversation on storytelling through sound, the interplay of nature and technology in music, and the creative process behind My Light, My Destroyer.
A deep dive into sonic intimacy, collaboration, and the art of drawing from life — Jenkins even shares the story behind "Aurora, IL," a song written while isolating in a hotel room with COVID, grappling with the heartbreak of missing her performance at Big Ears.
For the second episode of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, we convened a group of three writers (Vanessa Ague, Grayson Currin, Peter Margasak) and one broadcaster (J. Greg Bryant) to discuss some creative triumphs of 2024 and what they're looking forward to in 2025, both at Big Ears and beyond.
For the first episode of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, critic Nate Chinen speaks with Big Ears co-founder Ashley Capps to talk about the history of the festival and Ashley's own history as a listener, radio host, and presenter.
We'll also hear from three musicians who are intimately familiar with the vibe of Big Ears: banjoist Béla Fleck, guitarist Bill Frisell, and electronics artist Yuka Honda.
Big Ears: Conversations About Music is a podcast that brings together cutting-edge musicians, journalists, and community leaders in discussions about the creative process, collaboration, and the transformative power of music.
Big Ears: Conversations About Music will offer one-on-one talks between artists, roundtables and interactions with fans offering a behind-the-scenes look at the stories and connections that make Big Ears one of the world’s most unique festival experiences.
