In anticipation of the upcoming season, Tennessee’s distinguished Big Ears Festival is set to showcase “Knoxville Broadcast,” an expansive “spatial symphony” composed by the acclaimed Lisa Bielawa.
This site-specific musical event will bring together hundreds of musicians from the Knoxville area for three free public concerts at World’s Fair Park. The performances are scheduled for October 17 at 6 PM, and October 18 at 11 AM and 2 PM.
“Knoxville Broadcast” continues Bielawa’s renowned series of Broadcast performances, previously presented in cities like Berlin, San Francisco, and Louisville. Each installation uniquely reflects the history and community spirit of its specific location.
The upcoming concerts will debut Bielawa’s newly crafted score, which draws inspiration from Knoxville’s local landscape, cultural voices, and musical traditions. Integrating spoken and sung texts directly contributed by Knoxville residents, the composition creates a deeply collaborative and immersive experience.
More than 600 musicians drawn from the Knoxville community will participate, encompassing a broad range of ensembles, including the Appalachian Equality Chorus, Knoxville Community Band, Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, Halls Middle School Bands, L&N Stem Academy Concert Band and Orchestra, Drums Up Guns Down, as well as members from Nief-Norf, Hardin Valley Academy Guitar Ensemble, Roane State Community College Choir, and the University of Tennessee Gospel Choir.
Additionally, multi-generational groups such as the Sterchi String Band, Found Forte, and the Sunsphere Singers will perform and are extending invitations for public participation.
Lisa Bielawa expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating, “The abundance of musical cultures here makes Knoxville Broadcast unique among my large-scale urban celebrations. From Appalachian traditional music and folk guitar to found-object percussion and West African drumming, along with a vibrant tradition of school and community bands, orchestras, and choruses—it’s been an exciting adventure collaborating with this vibrant city!”
Bielawa’s compositions have been performed internationally, earning presentations at venues including the New York Philharmonic Biennial, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Rouen Opera, Rome’s MAXXI Museum, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Radio France. Her honors comprise a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Rome Prize, and recognition from the American Academy of Arts & Letters and OPERA America.
From 2019 to 2022, Bielawa served as the founding composer-in-residence and chief curator of the Philip Glass Institute at The New School’s College of the Performing Arts. Recently, she made her orchestral conducting debut with the Mannes String Orchestra.
For further information regarding the free performances, interested attendees are encouraged to visit the Big Ears Festival website.
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
