Bang on a Can

Bio:

.. visit Bang on a Can's website for more information:
http://www.bangonacan.org

What is Bang on a Can?

Formed in 1987 by composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe, Bang on a Can is dedicated to commissioning, performing, creating, presenting and recording contemporary music. With an ear for the new, the unknown and the unconventional, Bang on a Can strives to expose exciting and innovative music as broadly and accessibly as possible to new audiences worldwide.


We Are : The Bang on a Can Marathon:

"Imagine Lollapalooza advised by the ghost of John Cage," – Vanity Fair

The Marathon is at the heart of the genre-defying ethos of Bang on a Can. 20 years ago, three young composers - Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe and David Lang – decided to do something about the stale categories that divided the New York music world. Their first marathon, held in a downtown art gallery, placed giants of the late 20th Century (Cage, Babbitt, Reich) next to relative unknowns (Aaron Kernis, Jeffrey Brooks, John Zorn, the founders themselves) and pivotal figures who too few had heard (Pauline Oliveros, Frederic Rzewski, Louis Andriessen).

Over 20 years, the marathon has grown to be an amazing 24 hour event held at the World Financial Center with Free Admission! Clear your calendar, book your flight, and pack your sleeping bags - just be there on June 2 and 3, 2007. For breaking news on who's coming to play, visit bangonacan.org.


We Are : The Bang on a Can All-Stars:

"A fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble." - NEW YORK TIMES
for more info visit bangonacan.org/all_stars


We Are : The Bang on a Can Summer Festival:
The Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at Mass MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is dedicated entirely to adventurous contemporary music. We will write it. We will perform it. We will think about it and we will talk about it. Our faculty includes amazing performers and composers – this year our guest artist is Don Byron.


We Are : The Peoples’ Commissioning Fund:
A radical partnership between audiences and composers. We bundle together hundreds of individual donations of all sizes, then commission three or more composers to write new pieces for the Bang on a Can All-Stars. All members of the Fund are then invited to join us in the intimate setting of an open rehearsal to get a sneak preview of the premiere of these works and enjoy a glass of wine with the artists.


We Are : Cantaloupe Music:
In 2001, Bang on a Can founded Cantaloupe Music, a record label devoted to ground-breaking new music. Six years and 42 releases later, we’re still going strong. Check out the entire catalog at bangonacan.org/store

Member Since:

July 11, 2006

Members:

Artistic Directors :
(L to R) Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Michael Gordon:



Bang on a Can All-Stars:

Evan Ziporyn - clarinets:



Robert Black - double bass::


David Cossin - percussion:



Mark Stewart - guitars:

Influences:

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Sounds Like:

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Record Label:

Unknown Indie