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| Bang on a Can Summer Festival | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bang on a Can Summer Festival |
| Location | New York City; later locations include Massachusetts venues |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founders | Michael Gordon (composer), David Lang, Julia Wolfe |
| Genre | Contemporary classical music; experimental music; new music |
| Website | Bang on a Can |
Bang on a Can Summer Festival is an annual intensive program founded by Michael Gordon (composer), David Lang, and Julia Wolfe that brings together composers, performers, and producers to develop and present experimental and contemporary music. The festival grew from the Bang on a Can collective and connects with institutions such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Miller Theatre, and regional presenters including Tanglewood Music Center and Mass MoCA. Over its history it has commissioned works from composers linked to The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, Columbia University (New York) and has hosted participants who later affiliated with ensembles like The Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic.
The festival originated in the late 1980s amid activity at venues such as The Kitchen, Merkin Concert Hall, and the World Financial Center with early seasons featuring players associated with Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Elliott Carter, and George Crumb. Founders Michael Gordon (composer), David Lang, and Julia Wolfe launched the program to incubate cross-genre collaborations involving participants from Princeton University (New Jersey), Harvard University, Yale University, and New England Conservatory of Music. Over decades the festival has shifted formats to include residencies at institutions such as Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, collaborations with BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and co-productions with festivals including NY Phil Biennial and Miller Theatre New Music. Its timeline intersects with major contemporary events like the Bang on a Can Marathon and the premieres of large-scale works tied to ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound and Eighth Blackbird.
Programming emphasizes new commissions, site-specific projects, and premieres tied to commissioners such as Carnegie Hall Corporation, Nonesuch Records, Deutsche Grammophon, Cleveland Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The festival has premiered pieces by composers associated with Bang on a Can All-Stars, Gulbenkian Foundation, and foundations like the MAP Fund and Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Repertoire spans connections to works by Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Lukas Foss, Henryk Górecki, and living composers nurtured through the festival including alumni now published by Boosey & Hawkes and Schott Music. Collaborative commissions have involved choreographers from institutions like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and filmmakers linked to Sundance Film Festival.
Participants and guest artists have included members of The Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Third Coast Percussion, International Contemporary Ensemble, Turtle Island Quartet, and soloists associated with The New York Times-profiled performers. Fellows have gone on to appointments at Juilliard, Curtis Institute of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Festival rosters have featured collaborations with composers and performers connected to Meredith Monk, David Bowie-affiliated arrangers, and crossovers with artists from Bob Dylan’s circle, St. Vincent, and indie labels like 4AD.
Educational components work with conservatories and community organizations including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Columbia University (New York), Brown University, and public programs presented with Public Theater and local public schools. Outreach initiatives have partnered with arts education funders such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York to support tuition scholarships, masterclasses, and composer workshops. The festival’s fellowship model mirrors residency programs like Tanglewood Music Center and summer programs at Aspen Music Festival and School.
Performances occur in diverse settings from concert halls associated with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to industrial spaces at Mass MoCA and outdoor presentations tied to events like Celebrate Brooklyn! and SummerStage. The festival has curated site-based works in collaboration with museums such as Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Whitney Museum of American Art, and galleries in Chelsea, Manhattan. Touring partnerships have brought festival productions to international stages including festivals like Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Festival d'Automne à Paris, and Southbank Centre presentations.
Recordings connected to the festival appear on labels such as Cantaloupe Music, Nonesuch Records, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, and ECM Records. Media coverage has been extensive in outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian (London), The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and classical journals like Gramophone (magazine) and BBC Music Magazine. Documentaries and radio features have aired on NPR, BBC Radio 3, and arts platforms such as PBS and Medici.tv.
Critics and scholars in publications like The New York Times, The Guardian (London), The New Yorker, and Tempo (journal) credit the festival with shaping trends in contemporary composition and performance practice, influencing ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound and pedagogical approaches at Juilliard. Its alumni network includes composers and performers who later received awards like the Pulitzer Prize for Music, MacArthur Fellowship, and Grammy Awards. The festival is cited in academic literature alongside institutions such as Tanglewood Music Center and movements like the postminimalist turn led by Steve Reich and Philip Glass for its role in cross-genre innovation.
Category:Music festivals in New York City Category:Contemporary classical music festivals