Appalachia celebration, music festival featuring Yo-Yo Ma coming to Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A music and storytelling festival is scheduled for Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park in May. The festival, featuring talent like Yo-Yo Ma, is a love letter to Appalachian culture.

Our Common Nature: An Appalachian Celebration with Yo-Yo Ma & Friends will come to Knoxville May 25-27.

“Through music, storytelling, dance, food, and more, this gathering will explore the rich, vibrant complexity of the region and the people who call it home, drawing on cultural practices old and new to nurture and strengthen our connections with one another and our relationships to the land and the natural world,” the event’s website reads.

May 25 will see Chris Thile, a MacArthur Fellow and Grammy-winning mandolinist, perform at the Bijou Theatre. For four years, Thile hosted Live from Here with Chis Thile, which was formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion. Tickets for this event will be available at a later date.

Friday, May 26, those interested can see the main event: Yo-Yo Ma & Friends at World’s Fair Park.

“More than a concert, Ma and guest musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and regional musicians will perform solos, duos, trios and more – joined by storytellers and dancers – all woven into a rich, multi-layered and utterly unique concert experience,” the website states.

Additionally, the event will include food and educational experiences. Tickets go on sale Feb. 3.

Performances will return to the Bijou in the form of Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson on May 27. Tickets for this event are also not yet on sale.

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