KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Big Ears Festival have come together to create a new event in Knoxville celebrating Appalachian culture through music, storytelling, dance, food and more.

Our Common Nature: An Appalachian Celebration with Yo-Yo Ma & Friends will take place Friday, May 26 at World’s Fair Park in Knoxville. The concert will mark the culmination of a weeklong gathering inspired by the community, culture and nature of southern Appalachia.

Yo-Yo Ma will be joined by special musical guests including Rhiannon Giddens, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. The event at World’s Fair Park will also showcase storytellers, poets, puppets, dancers, regional food, arts and crafts.

Thile is a Grammy Award-winning mandolinist and a founding member of the bands; Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. He’ll perform a solo concert at the Bijou Theatre on Thursday, May 25.

Rhiannon Giddens, a two-time winner and eight-time Grammy nominee as a soloist and collaborator, will host her own concert with Justin Robinson at the Bijou Theatre on Saturday, May 27.

Passes to attend Yo-Yo Ma & Friends at the World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, TN will be available to the general public beginning Friday, February 3 at 9:00 a.m. ET. Passes for Chris Thile and Rhiannon Giddens at the historic Bijou Theatre will go on sale at a later date.

Visit ourcommonnature.org for ticket information and to subscribe to email updates on the event.