Connections of art, literature, and music come alive for UT class through Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival.
For the second year in a row, a musically adventurous class of UT students had the unparalleled experience of attending the Big Ears Music Festival, which draws performers and fans from across the globe to Knoxville each spring. This year’s Big Ears featured headline acts like David Byrne of the Talking Heads, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, and avant-garde electronic artist Laurie Anderson, plus dozens of envelope-pushing musicians from multiple genres.
In preparation for attending the festival, students in English 475, an interdisciplinary course taught by Distinguished Professor of English Urmila Seshagiri, immerse themselves in the Big Ears music, art, and poetry world.
“The students read a rich variety of historical and literary source materials,” said Seshagiri. “We watch documentaries not only about chapters in the history of jazz and individual artists but also the global journey of the banjo, for example, and the concept of sound.”
Students also get to hear from festival insiders who visit the class, including Big Ears founder Ashley Capps and director Bryan Crow.
“Prior to the festival, students research artists for in-class group presentations,” said Seshagiri. “These presentations require the students to learn a lot of history and biography—they become conversant with debates about genre and with the relationship of global politics to the creation of art.”
Engaging with Regional Artists
A highlight of the course is a collaboration with UT Libraries and the Boundless: Artists in the Archives program, which commissions new music from an artist each year based on the holdings in Special Collections. This year, the class spent a day with Knoxville-based singer-songwriter Trisha Gene Brady, who had written three new songs inspired by the Cades Cove Collection.
“We saw the original materials that she drew her inspiration from: 19th-century letters, picture postcards from the 1960s, surveyor’s maps, and family photos,” said Seshagiri. “Then Trisha Gene visited the class to speak about her career as a musician.”
Students’ Ears Grow in Curiosity and Connections
Students prepare preliminary schedules for their concert attendance at Big Ears and keep a journal throughout the festival. Afterward, they write a formal research paper on a performer or group of their choosing. They also write reflections on what the festival means for their UT education and how it impacts other aspects of their lives.
First-year economics major Isaac Grant had not heard of the festival before coming to UT and learning about the class. He jumped at the opportunity to broaden his knowledge of music and cultural connections.
“I really enjoy diving into the history of different artists, attempting to understand the influence behind their work,” said Grant. “A classmate and I did a presentation on the artist John Zorn and dove deep into his Jewish history. The project’s depth and breadth allowed us to learn more about him than we ever would have just listening to his music.”
Senior Maggie Lamons, a double major in political science and English, also researched Zorn and appreciated learning about the boundary-pushing approach of Big Ears artists.
“The idea that absorbing the world fully, with real childlike wonder, is where everything else begins,” said Lamons. “The Big Ears course has been teaching me to listen with that kind of openness. Nothing is beneath your attention.”
Likewise, she enjoyed discovering connections between the unique styles of the festival artists and more mainstream pop culture.
“Big Ears hosts talent you have likely heard before, just unknowingly,” she said. “A banjo player picking at the Tennessee Theater may seem completely new, but you have actually heard them featured on your favorite Beyoncé album. A snippet of Laurie Anderson’s ‘O Superman’ may give you flashbacks to narration from over 168,000 eerie TikTok videos, but then you realize she intended for far more to be heard beyond the lines, ‘Well you don’t know me, but I know you.’”
Hasletts Support the Shared Cultural Experience
The class was able to attend Big Ears thanks to support by Big Ears fans Patti and John Haslett, who also support the festival’s Emerging and Professional Artist Scholarships.
“The Hasletts’ vision allows UT students to experience Big Ears,” said Seshagiri. “Their understanding of how art, music, and all forms of creative expression shape our world has led them to support English 475.”
The Hasletts visited the class prior to the festival, sharing insights along with Grammy-winning jazz journalist Ashley Kahn.
“We’ve been attending Big Ears for approximately 10 years and wanted to introduce it to a younger audience base,” said John Haslett. “I love the class concept.”
Seshagiri, in turn, is inspired by the couple’s dedication to supporting artists and musicians, as well as teachers and students.
“The Hasletts know that art takes discipline and commitment,” said Seshagiri. “They know that the study of the arts and humanities are essential for education.”
by Randall Brown