Big Ears Festival - June 10, 2026

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet / Paste: Anna Tivel / Wayne White x Meow Wolf

A New Concert Film, Intimate Songs, and a Playground of Possibilities...

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Jeff Parker ETA IVtet

Happy Today Concert Film

If Jeff Parker's Big Ears performance left you wanting more, Happy Today offers another chance to spend time inside his singular musical world.

Happy Today is an album-length concert film documenting Parker's ETA IVtet at Los Angeles' Lodge Room. Captured by filmmaker Charlie Weinmann, the 44-minute performance follows Parker, Josh Johnson, Anna Butterss, and Jay Bellerose as they move through the patient, hypnotic improvisations that have made the group one of the most celebrated ensembles in contemporary music. The film was recorded during the performance that became the quartet's acclaimed new album of the same name.

Watch the Film

Paste Studio Session: Anna Tivel

Great storytellers sharpen our attention to the world around us.

For years, Anna Tivel has been crafting songs filled with vivid characters, quiet revelations, and hard-won tenderness. Recorded live during Big Ears 2026, this intimate Paste Studio session highlights the depth, empathy, and careful observation that define her songwriting.

Paste Magazine

Wayne White

Collaborates with

Meow Wolf

Wayne White's latest project may be his most ambitious playground yet.

The artist, designer, puppeteer, and longtime Big Ears favorite is collaborating with

Meow Wolf Los Angeles on an immersive installation that draws inspiration from children's television, puppetry, and his decades-long career in visual storytelling.

In a recent interview, White discusses joy, creativity, Southern influences, and building spaces that invite curiosity rather than explanation. As he puts it, he wants visitors to experience "the giddy anticipation of even more joy." Enjoy the full interview below.

Closer to home, White's exhibition Wayne White: Revenge of the Knoxville Girl remains on view at the Knoxville Museum of Art through July 12.

Meow Wolf Interview

Knoxville Museum of Art

William Tyler and Yasmin Williams. Photo by Taryn Ferro.

Keeping the Door Open

Every year, Big Ears brings artists from around the world to Knoxville.

One of the great pleasures of that work is sharing those experiences as widely as possible.

Each year, free concerts, conversations, and public programs create new points of entry into the festival, while scholarships help students and emerging artists join the experience. In 2026, those efforts included more than forty free programs and thirty-three scholarship recipients. These efforts reflect a belief that curiosity should be met with opportunity.

As our fiscal year draws to a close, we're reflecting on the people whose generosity helps make that possible, and we're deeply grateful for their support.

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