Bang on a Can

Bang on a Can All-Stars are recognized worldwide for their ultra-dynamic live performances and recordings of today’s most
innovative music. Freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world, and experimental music, this six-member amplified ensemble has consistently forged a distinct category-defying identity, taking music into uncharted territories. Performing each year throughout the US and internationally, the All-Stars have shattered the definition of what concert music is today. Together, the All-Stars have worked in unprecedented close collaboration with some of the most important and inspiring musicians of our time, including Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Meredith Monk, George Lewis, Louis Andriessen, Terry Riley, and dozens more. Current and recent project highlights include their own new arrangements of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s landmark album 1996; David Lang’s before and after nature, premiered with the LA Master Chorale; Julia Wolfe’s Flower Power for Bang on a Can All-Stars and orchestra, premiered with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; a new live arrangement of Philip Glass’ iconic album Glassworks, celebrating the legendary composer’s 90th birthday year (2027); Can Dance, a multimedia concert of collaborations between composers, filmmakers, and choreographers; performances of the band’s much beloved arrangement of Brian Eno’s classic Music for Airports; Road Trip, an immersive and visually stunning concert collaboratively composed by Bang’s founders Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe; In C, a dance collaboration with Sasha Waltz & Guests based on Terry Riley’s minimalist classic; plus the touring performances and recordings of Wolfe’s Pulitzer-Prize winning Anthracite Fields and groundbreaking Steel Hammer. With a massive repertoire of works written specifically for the group’s distinctive instrumentation and style of performance, the All-Stars have become a genre in their own right. The All-Stars record on Cantaloupe Music and have released past recordings on Sony, Universal, and Nonesuch.

Bang on a Can celebrates 40 years of boundary-busting music in 2027! Founded in 1987 by composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe, Bang on a Can has been creating an international community dedicated to innovative music, wherever it is found, and has grown from a one-day New York-based marathon concert to a multifaceted performing arts organization with a broad range of year-round international activities. In addition to its festivals LONG PLAY (Brooklyn) and LOUD Weekend at MASS MoCA, current projects include the Bang on a Can All-Stars, who tour to major festivals and concert venues around the world every year; recording projects; the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA, a professional development program for young composers and performers led by today’s pioneers of experimental music; Asphalt Orchestra, Bang on a Can’s extreme street band that offers mobile performances re-contextualizing unusual music; staged premiere productions for symphony orchestra ; and cross-disciplinary collaborations and projects with DJs, visual artists, choreographers, filmmakers, and more. Each new program has evolved to answer specific challenges faced by today’s musicians, composers, and audiences, in order to make innovative music widely accessible and wildly received. Bang on a Can’s inventive and aggressive approach to programming and presentation has created a large and vibrant international audience made up of people of all ages who are rediscovering the value of contemporary music. Bang on a Can has also launched CANLAND (canland.org), an extensive public digital archive including recordings, videos, posters, program books, and more.

Bang on a Can Board of Directors
Daniel Baldini, Jeffrey Bishop,
Michael Gordon, Lynette Jaffe,
Mary Margaret Jones, Alan Kifferstein,
Michael Kushner, David Lang, Leslie Lassiter, Raulee Marcus, Elizabeth Murrell,
Robert A. Skirnick, Jane Stewart,
Julia Wolfe, and Adam Wolfensohn

Bang on a Can Staff
Michael Gordon, Artistic Director
David Lang, Artistic Director
Julia Wolfe, Artistic Director
Kenny Savelson, Executive Director
Philippa Thompson, Program Manager and Summer Festival Manager
Sruly Lazaros, Producer
Becky Fradkin, Director of Development and Community Partnerships
Emily Motherwell, Communications and Marketing
Jess Tsang, Company Manager
Brian Petuch, Accounts Manager

Bang on a Can’s programs are made possible with generous lead support from: Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Alan Baker and Serena Lourie, Amphion Foundation, Art Music Denmark, ASCAP and ASCAP Foundation, Atlantic Records, Daniel Baldini, Nathaniel Beck, Jeffrey Bishop, Stephen Block, William Bragin, Janel Callon, Chicago Community Foundation, Columbus Foundation, Paula Cooper, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Anthony Creamer, Liz Diller, Peter Faber, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Carol Golden, Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Stanley Greenberg, Jaffe Family Foundation, Jane Lombard, Japan Foundation, Joe Holt Charitable Trust, Mary Margaret Jones, The Kettering Family Foundation, Alan Kifferstein & Joan Finkelstein, Mia Leo and Dick Kuczkowski, Michael Kushner, Dave Lake, Leslie Lassiter, Herb Leventer, George Lewis, Felix Lockman, Liz and Greg Lutz, Bruce Malmer, Raulee Marcus, MASS MoCA, Susan McClary, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Jeremy Mindich & Amy Smith, Music Information Centre Lithuania, Elizabeth Murrell & Gary Haney, The National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Tourism Foundation, Charles Read, Susan Reardon, Robert Black Foundation, Joe Sterling, Justus & Elizabeth Schlichting, Henry Schwartz, Abby Sher, Matthew Sirovich & Meredith Elson, Maria & Robert A. Skirnick, Joseph Sterling, Jane Stewart, David Suisman, Sandra Tait and Hal Foster, in Honor of Richard E. Thurston, David Tochen & Mary Beth Schiffman, Williamson Foundation for Music, and Wolfensohn Family Foundation.