We’re excited to welcome mandolinist, singer, and composer Chris Thile to Big Ears on the heels of a brand-new record. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 2, out Nov. 7 on Nonesuch, will offer yet another facet of his endless musical curiosity. It’s Thile’s second solo Bach release, this time recorded with a “more personal” approach—taking thoughtful liberties that illuminate the music’s line and dance. From Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers to collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and beyond, Thile’s boundlessness and virtuosity make him a quintessential Big Ears artist.

The Crossing—Grammy-winning stalwarts of new choral music—return to Big Ears for the first time since 2017 with poor hymnal, a 14-part song cycle by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang. Built on texts from scripture and from voices like Gandhi and Obama, these meditative hymns invite empathy and action—a stirring example of The Crossing’s dual devotion to excellence and humanity.

There’s an incredible magic in the coming together of these two visionary guitarists. Spend a few minutes with this gorgeous live video—an intimate session filmed at 3Sirens in Nashville for the Luck Mansion series. Their interplay is all glow and detail: harmonics and open tunings, percussive tap and ringing melody, two distinct voices in a shared, spacious pulse. A quiet preview of what’s ahead at Big Ears 2026.

Two titans of experimental music unite: harpist Zeena Parkins and percussionist William Winant. Parkins, a cornerstone of New York’s downtown scene, has reimagined the harp through collaborations with Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Björk, and John Zorn. Winant’s adventurous percussion spans John Cage to Sonic Youth. Their duo album Modesty of the Magic Thing (Tzadik, 2025) turns inspiration from Beat artist Jay DeFeo’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom into 11 luminous dialogues for harp and microtonal bells—playful, haunted, and shimmering between sculpture and sound.

Jesse Harris, best known for penning hits for Norah Jones, Solomon Burke, and Lizz Wright, presents Cosmo, an instrumental project blending Brill Building craft, Tropicália color, and folk-soul warmth. At Big Ears 2026, Harris brings James Buckley on bass, Jeremy Gustin on drums, and Kenny Wollesen on percussion and synths for songs that drift from dreamy reverie to subtle groove: intricate, open-hearted, and full of light.

Pianist Adam Tendler transforms personal loss into luminous art with Inheritances, a collection of 16 commissioned works exploring memory, grief, and renewal. What began as an unexpected inheritance became a bold act of generosity—Tendler inviting composers from Laurie Anderson and Sarah Kirkland Snider to Devonté Hynes to create new pieces in dialogue with his own reflections. The result is a deeply human meditation on what we carry and what we release.

Tomas Fujiwara returns with a brand-new project for our big ears: Dream Up, a kenetic Percussion Quartet with Fujiwara, Patricia Brennan, Tim Keiper, and Kaoru Watanabe. If you caught Fujiwara’s past Knoxville appearances, you know the range—from Thumbscrew’s knotty drive (2019) to the 7 Poets Trio’s chamber-jazz focus (2024)—you’re in for a treat.

Virtuoso multi-reedist Ned Rothenberg has spent nearly five decades expanding the expressive possibilities of woodwinds. A classically trained player educated at Oberlin and Berklee, he emerged from New York’s late-’70s downtown scene alongside John Zorn and Shelley Hirsch, forging a personal language of extended techniques and fearless improvisation. His 2025 album Looms & Legends is a masterclass in color and control—music that dazzles the ear even as it stirs the soul.

Few artists reimagine the saxophone quite like Los Angeles improviser and producer Sam Gendel. At Big Ears 2026, in addition to performing with Pino Palladino & Blake Mills, we’re announcing two radiant collaborations. With percussionist Carlos Niño, he revisits the luminous interplay of their cult-favorite 2019 album Raindiance/You’re Suspended—a one-day session of spontaneous duets that became a collector’s item for its weightless beauty and cosmic calm. And with guitarist Nate Mercereau, he explores the celestial abstractions of digi-squires (2025), where harp-like loops, drones, and saxophone halos drift through digital light.