Since its first season in 2009, the Big Ears Festival has continued to find ways to grow and evolve, intriguing new music attendees year after year, and creating a performance gravity that has subsequently grown Knoxville’s art and music scene. In a continuation of that evolution, the Big Ears Festival is announcing that arts programmer and administrator Aaron Greenwald will be joining the Festival as Managing Director. Greenwald will collaborate closely with festival founder, artistic and executive director Ashley Capps, to chart the next stages of the evolution and growth of the festival over the coming years.
Holding both a BA and an MFA in Theater Arts from Columbia University, Greenwald was recently the executive director of Duke Performances, the professional performing arts presenter at Duke University. During his tenure there, he charted its growth from a regional presenter into a world-class producer of events involved in commissioning, producing, and showcasing more than 100 presentations per season.
Among the highlights of his dozen years at Duke was the celebration for the Thelonious Monk’s centenary, the Merce Cunningham Company in their final-ever North Carolina performances, and a partnership between American Ballet Theatre and Duke. Also during that time, Greenwald commissioned, produced, and premiered work by Pam Tanowitz, Steve Reich, Jason Moran, and Meredith Monk, amongst many others.
“We are delighted to have Aaron join the staff at Big Ears,” said Ashley Capps. “I’ve been aware of his exceptional work and stellar reputation at Duke Performances for years. I’m thrilled to have him as a collaborator as we build on Big Ears’ tremendous success and envision a festival that has bigger impact and strives to do more good.”
With his relocation to Knoxville, Greenwald will be immediately jumping into the scramble that is the final two months leading up to Big Ears 2020.
“Ashley Capps has built one of the most important music festivals in the country,”says Greenwald, “…an event lauded by music fans and musicians alike. As it moves into its second decade, Big Ears is poised to become a world-class platform for forward-thinking art of all variety — it’ll be my job to make certain the festival grows effectively while deepening its engagement with artists, audiences, and the city. In the pursuit of this aim, the festival benefits hugely from its spot in Knoxville, a place renowned for its hospitality, enthusiasm, and vision.”
[Aaron Greenwald photo by Alex Boerner]
