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A Fitting Tribute

to Sonny Rollins

More than sixty years after Sonny Rollins transformed his music on the pedestrian walkway of New York City's Williamsburg Bridge, a growing movement is calling for the span to bear his name.

In a recent guest essay for The New York Times, saxophonist, clarinetist, shakuhachi player, and longtime Big Ears favorite Ned Rothenberg makes the case that there could be no more fitting tribute. Between 1959 and 1961, Rollins famously stepped away from public performance and spent countless hours practicing alone on the bridge, a period of artistic searching that would reshape his music and inspire the landmark album

The Bridge.

Writing in the wake of Rollins' passing, Rothenberg argues that the bridge has become more than a piece of city infrastructure. For generations of artists, it stands as a symbol of discipline, self-invention, and the search for one's own voice. More than six decades later, he suggests, New York has an opportunity to honor both the artist and the enduring lesson of his example.

Lara Downes

Brings DECLARATION

to Lincoln Center

For nearly two years, Lara Downes has traveled the country with a simple set of questions.
What does it mean to be American today?
What do we hope for the future?
What stories do we tell about ourselves?

Those conversations became DECLARATION: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope, a one-night-only multimedia performance coming to Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall on July 1. Drawing on voices gathered from communities across the United States, the project weaves music and storytelling into a thoughtful reflection on the country as it is and the country it might yet become.

Downes is joined by Christian McBride, Aoife O'Donovan, and mandolin virtuoso Wyatt Ellis, whose friendship and creative connection with Downes grew through the
Big Ears community.

Part concert, part communal reflection, DECLARATION invites audiences to consider where we've been, where we're headed, and what hopes we choose to carry forward together.

Miles Davis in We Jazz

The Summer 2026 issue of We Jazz Magazine takes its title from one of Miles Davis's most celebrated recordings: Milestones.

It's a fitting centerpiece for an issue that examines Davis from multiple angles, including a feature inspired by this year's Big Ears panel discussion with Ashley Kahn, Steven Bernstein, Vincent Wilburn Jr., Nate Smith, and Marquis Hill. Their conversation reflected something essential about Miles's legacy: not simply the music he made, but the questions he continues to inspire.

A Note from

Ashley Capps

As our fiscal year comes to a close, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the extraordinary community that makes Big Ears possible.

Just a few months ago, thousands of people gathered in Knoxville for four days of music, conversation, discovery, and connection. Together, we experienced unforgettable performances, unexpected collaborations, thought-provoking discussions, films, exhibitions, and countless moments that reminded us why art matters.

At a time when so much of our culture seems designed to divide our attention, narrow our perspectives, and pull us apart, Big Ears remains committed to creating spaces for curiosity, exploration, and shared experience. That mission feels more important than ever.

The festival you experienced this spring was made possible in large part through the generosity of donors who believe in what Big Ears represents. Their support allows us to take creative risks, commission new work, present adventurous artists, offer free programming throughout the city, expand access through scholarships, and continue building a festival unlike any other.

As we look ahead to Big Ears 2027, we are already at work shaping another remarkable gathering. The ideas are ambitious. The conversations are underway. And, as always, we are guided by a belief in the power of music and art to bring people together in meaningful ways.

If you have supported Big Ears before, thank you. We hope you'll consider renewing your commitment. If you have never made a gift, we invite you to join a community that believes these experiences are worth sustaining.

Every contribution helps make Big Ears possible.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Ashley Capps

Artistic & Executive Director