Knoxville, TN festival Big Ears will hold its 2025 edition on March 27-30. They’ve just announced the lineup, which is pretty terrific and includes ANOHNI and the Johnsons, Waxahatchee, Yo La Tengo & Sun Ra Arkestra (playing together and separately), Jessica Pratt, Lankum, Explosions in the Sky, Tindersticks, Alabaster DePlume, Cassandra Jenkins, Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn, Beak>, Helado Negro, Julia Holter, Meshell Ndegeocello, Béla Fleck, Bill Frisell, Tortoise, Mabe Fratti, ML Buch, Rufus Wainwright, Arooj Aftab, Carlos Niño & Friends, Joan as Police Woman, Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz, Marissa Nadler, Still House Plants, Michael Hurley, múm, Rachika Nayar, Taj Mahal, Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith, and more.
There are also a few special events, including the North American premiere of Jonny Greenwood’s 133 Years of Reverb performed by James McVinnie & Eliza McCarthy; Michael Rother: The Music of NEU! & Harmonia; King Britt’s Blacktronika series; Across the Horizon: Ambient & Americana Soundscapes curated by Bob Holmes & SUSS; and the Philip Glass Ensemble performing “Music in Twelve Parts” for its 50th anniversary.
Festival passes go on sale Thursday, September 12 at 9 AM Eastern, with a presale for previous festival attendees starting Wednesday, September 11, at 9 AM Eastern.
There are still more artists to be added to the lineup, but check out the 2025 Big Ears lineup as it stands, below.
BIG EARS 2025 LINEUP
Adam Rudolph’s Sunrise Quartet
Adam Rudolph’s Hu Vibrational
Adam Rudolph & Tyshawn Sorey
[Ahmed]
Alabaster DePlume
Alan Sparhawk
Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves
Amaro Freitas Trio
Ambrose Akinmusire: Honey from a Winter’s Stone
Ambrose Akinmusure (Solo)
ANOHNI and the Johnsons
Anoushka Shankar
Antipop Consortium
Arooj Aftab
Asha Puthli
Astrid Sonne
Axiom 5
Barry Altschul’s 3 Dom Factor
Beak>
Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, Antonio Sánchez Trio
Bia Ferreira
Bill Frisell: In My Dreams
Brìghde Chaimbeul
Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Carlos Niño & Friends
Cassandra Jenkins
Chanel Beads
Chuck Johnson
Claire Chase
Clarice Jensen
clipping.
Cowboy Sadness
DakhaBrakha
Dan Weiss Even Odds Trio
David Grubbs
Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn
Dedicated Men of Zion
EMEL
esperanza spalding
eucademix (Yuka Honda)
Explosions In The Sky
Fay Victor: Herbie Nichols SUNG
Fieldwork (Vijay Iyer / Steve Lehman / Tyshawn Sorey)
Flore Laurentienne
Free Form Funky Freqs (Jamaaladeen Tacuma / Vernon Reid / Calvin Weston)
Helado Negro
Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly MESTIZX
Immanuel Wilkins’ Blues Blood
Jeff Parker ETA IVtet
Jenny Scheinman: All Species Parade
Jessica Pratt
Joan as Police Woman
Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet with Julian Lage, Santi Debriano, and Will Calhoun
Joel Harrison’s Free Country
Joseph Keckler
Josh Johnson
Joy Guidry: AMEN
Jules Reidy
Julia Holter
June McDoom
Kahil El’Zabar Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
Kalia Vandever
Kelly Moran
Knoxville Opera Gospel Choir
Kokayi
Kris Davis Trio featuring Robert Hurst & Jonathan Blake
Lankum
Lara Somogyi
Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz
Luke Stewart Silt Trio
Mabe Fratti
Macie Stewart
Magic Tuber Stringband
Maria Chavez + Victoria Shen + Mariam Rezaei
Marisa Anderson
Marissa Nadler
Mark Guiliana
Maruja
Mary Lattimore
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water – The Gospel of James Baldwin
Michael Hurley
Mike Reed’s Separatist Party featuring Ben LaMar Gay, Bitchin Bajas & Marvin Tate
ML Buch
Modney
múm
Nanocluster (Immersion | SUSS)
Nels Cline: Concentrik Quartet
The Nels Cline Singers
Peni Candra Rini
Phantom Orchard
Phil Cook
R.B. Morris & William Wright: The Mockingbird
Rachika Nayar
Rich Ruth
Rufus Wainwright
Sam Bush Band
Shelley Hirsch
SML
Squanderers
Steve Coleman and Five Elements
Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton
Steven Schick
Steve Roach
Still House Plants
Sun Ra Arkestra
Sun Ra Arkestra & Yo La Tengo
Sunny War
Susan Alcorn
Sylvie Courvoisier Chimaera
Taj Mahal
Tara Clerkin Trio
Tarta Relena
Tessa Lark, Joshua Roman & Edgar Meyer
Tigran Hamasyan: The Bird of a Thousand Voices
Tilt
Tindersticks
Tortoise
Tyshawn Sorey, King Britt & Friends featuring Melz & Meshell Ndegeocello
Tyshawn Sorey Trio
Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith
Water Damage
Waxahatchee
William Basinski
Yaya Bey
Yo La Tengo
Zakir Hussain and Masters of Percussion
Zeena Parkins
Special Programming (Alphabetical)
Across the Horizon: Ambient & Americana Soundscapes
Curated by Bob Holmes & SUSS
Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music
Curated by King Britt
Jonny Greenwood’s 133 Years of Reverb (North American Premiere)
Performed by James McVinnie & Eliza McCarthy
Kate Soper’s Ipsa Dixit
Performed by Wet Ink Ensemble
Michael Rother: The Music of NEU! & Harmonia
Philip Glass Music in Twelve Parts (50th Anniversary)
Performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble
Tyshawn Sorey: Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)
Wadada Leo Smith: CREATE
RedKoral Quartet • Wadada Leo Smith Quartet • Orange Wave Electric • Revolutionary Love & More