Big Ears, the international music and art festival, returns to Knoxville on Thursday for four days of diverse performances by renowned artists at venues throughout downtown.

Big Ears will present nearly 250 concerts, films, readings and conversations, art exhibitions, and workshops in 20 downtown venues.

Guests can sample jazz, blues, rap, Americana, classical, rock, techno, ambient, folk and other musical styles, including some that defy description. Some artists are new to the festival; others have been mainstays for years. Discovering new bands and new genres is central to the experience.

“Every festival builds on the past,” Big Ears founder and curator Ashley Capps said in a recent interview. “There are threads (from past festivals) running through this year’s festival.”

Over the four-day weekend, Big Ears will present nearly 250 concerts, films, readings and conversations, art exhibitions, and workshops in 20 downtown venues, including the Civic Auditorium, the historic theaters on Gay Street, the Mill & Mine and more. Three are new to the festival this year — Church Street United Methodist Church, and both the Sanctuary and the Chapel at First Presbyterian Church. (The full schedule can be found here.)

Big Ears 2025 has been sold out for more than two weeks. More than 34,000 guests from just about every state and a couple dozen countries are expected to attend.

Some programs are free to the public, however, so people without passes can share in the Big Ears experience. More than 30 free events and exhibitions are planned, and there are always pop-up concerts and surprise events.

This year, one of the venues could actually be considered a performer.

James McVinnie and Eliza McCarthy will perform the North American premier of composer (and Radiohead guitarist) Jonny Greenwood’s “133 Years of Reverb” at St. John’s Cathedral. The name of the composition changes with each performance based on the age of the venue — in this case, St. John’s was built in 1892, 133 years before the 2025 festival. 

The cathedral’s pipe organ will center the eight-hour performance, which will feature circular melodies using the gradual approach of Indian Carnartic music. The performance lasts eight hours — 2-10 p.m. on Saturday — but there is no expectation that anyone will commit to taking in the whole show.

“It’s intended as something people dip in and out of,” Capps said. “It’s not an endurance contest.”

The festival will also host the Philip Glass Ensemble’s 50th anniversary performance of composer Glass’ “Music in Twelve Parts.” The performance will be held over two days, Friday and Saturday, at the Tennessee Theatre.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey will perform his “Monochromatic Light (Afterlife),” which he wrote for the 50th anniversary of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday at St. John’s Cathedral. The piece pays homage to Morton Feldman, who wrote music commemorating the opening of the chapel 50 years ago and was a major influence on Sorey’s work

Experimental music is a cornerstone of the festival, and this year’s incarnation features the world premier of “The Mockingbird,” a collaboration between Knoxvillians RB Morris and William Wright. Tomorrow night at St. John’s Cathedral, Morris will read from his poetry collection of the same name, accompanied by a chamber orchestra and choir performing Wright’s experimental score.

Acclaimed DJ and record producer King Britt is returning with another program of “Blacktronica: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music,” this year including Antipop Consortium’s cerebral hip-hop, Free Form Funky Freqs’ jazz-funk fusion, Asha Puthli’s psychedelic soul, and a special collaboration with Sorey, Britt, Melz and Meshell Ndegeocello

Big Ears is always a showcase for jazz and blues musicians. On tap this year are guitarist Bill Frisell, Sun Ra Arkestra with indie rockers Yo La Tengo, Grammy-winning blues virtuoso Taj Mahal, and many more. 

Other notable artists who will perform include mandolinist Sam Bush, guitarist Nels Cline, bassist Les Claypool and banjo picker Bela Fleck

International performers include Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar, who will perform new and old music with a newly formed quintet. Returning this year is the Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha, a four-piece ensemble that wears traditional garb and Cossack hats onstage as members blend Ukrainian folk music with Indian, Arabic and African influences.

“It’s a lot,” Capps said of the lineup. “I hope people just dive into it and enjoy the experience.”

Film screenings have become a central part of the festival, and some of them can be as norm-busting as some of the performers. In Eno, about visionary musician Brian Eno and his creative process, director Gary Hustwit uses software to produce almost unlimited variations of the film.

“It’s one of the most unusual films ever made,” Capps said. “Each time you watch the film, it’s reconstituted in a different way.” 

Eno will be shown twice at Big Ears, so festival-goers can see two versions. Other offerings include Jimi Hendrix, the 1973 biopic of the legendary guitarist; Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, about musician Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams; and a secret film to be announced the day of the screening. All films will be shown at the Regal Riviera Cinema on Gay Street.

On-stage conversations among musicians, writers and others have been a point of emphasis, and Capps considers them to be vital components of the festival. Two dozen public conversations will be held throughout the weekend.

Legendary producer Joe Boyd will give a presentation about his recent book, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music, at the Regal Riviera.

“Joe’s had an amazing career,” Capps said. “He just wrote a 1,000-page book about world music. I’ve actually read every single page of it.” 

Jack Neely of the Knoxville History Project will talk about the city’s rich musical heritage, and Grammy-winning author and critic Ashley Kahn will hold a discussion with composers and musicians Wadada Leo Smith and Vijay Iyer.

Big Ears is big business in downtown Knoxville, filling hotels, restaurants, galleries and shops. The festival’s economic impact in 2024 was estimated to be $69.8 million, according to Austin’s AngelouEconomics. The equivalent of 567 full-time jobs are created by the festival, with over 150 volunteers participating to support the festival and its guests.

Capps said that over the years the festival and the city have developed a creative, symbiotic relationship. He never fails to credit downtown Knoxville, with its compact layout and numerous venues within walking distance, as a major contributor to the Big Ears experience.

“There is something about Knoxville that has allowed Big Ears to grow organically,” Capps said.