Bang on a Can

aleba gartner associates 648 broadway • suite 607 • new york, ny 10012 tel: 212/206-1450 • fax: 646/536-2730 • e-mail: aleba@aol.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Aleba, 212/206-1450

"Merkin Hall was a mob scene on Thursday night. At five minutes to 8, the line of ticket buyers snaked out the door... It was an evening that was packed in every sense: with people, with ideas, with music." - Anne Midgette in The New York Times after last year's PCF concert

Bang on a Can presents its 7th annual
"PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONING FUND" CONCERT
Thursday, February 22, 2006, 8:00 pm
Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street, NYC
Tickets: $20 (call 212-501-3330)

Bang on a Can All-Stars perform 3 world premieres commissioned by the people!
New works by ANNIE GOSFIELD, YOAV GAL, and JOHN HOLLENBECK

plus a NY premiere by ORNETTE COLEMAN written for the All-Stars

John Schaefer hosts the evening for future radio broadcast on WNYC-FM "New Sounds Live"

Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00 pm at Merkin Concert Hall, Bang on a Can presents its 7th Annual People's Commissioning Fund Concert. The Bang on a Can All-Stars - BoaC's resident ensemble - will perform three world premieres written especially for them and commissioned through the People's Commissioning Fund (PCF), BoaC's radical grassroots membership program. The All-Stars were named Musical America's Ensemble of the Year for 2005 and are celebrated around the world for their unparalleled performances of today's most innovative music.

The program features the quirky, driving music of ANNIE GOSFIELD (Overvoltage Rumble); the spare, intense work of Israeli-American composer YOAV GAL (Dr. King); and the ecstatic, witty music of composer/drummer JOHN HOLLENBECK (Rainbow Jimmies). On the second half, the All-Stars perform the NY premiere of jazz legend ORNETTE COLEMAN's Haven't Been Where I Left, which Ornette wrote specifically for the group, as well as an explosive work by Brazilian jazz marvel HERMETO PASCOAL.

The People's Commissioning Fund was established in 1998 and has become one of Bang on a Can's most rewarding programs. In the words of BoaC co-founder and composer David Lang: "Knowing firsthand how hard it is for new composers to get commissioned and be heard, we designed a program that would draw our listeners deeper into the creative process, allowing them to become individual givers directly in touch with the act of commissioning, regardless of wealth. We call this program the People's Commissioning Fund because it is you and me that are the commissioners of new music, not a large Foundation, not a Government Agency, not a major Corporation..."

Each year through the People's Commissioning Fund, Bang on a Can pools together the contributions of hundreds of people to commission works from adventurous composers. Donations range from $5 to $5,000. More than 500 people have now joined together to commission music by 23 composers. In the face of steadily decreasing government funding, Bang on a Can has put the power to change musical culture in the hands of its audience.

Past People's Commissions have been awarded to Eve Beglarian, Jeffrey Brooks, Sussan Deyhim, James Fei, Cynthia Hopkins, Carla Kihlstedt, John King, Annea Lockwood, Keeril Makan, Ingram Marshall, Miya Masaoka, Marc Mellits, Thurston Moore, Virgil Moorefield, Dan Plonsey, Edward Ruchalski, Matthew Shipp, J.G. Thirlwell, Toby Twining, and Pamela Z.

"More composers should have the privilege of writing for this group, and thanks to the People's Commissioning Fund, they probably will." - NEWSDAY

BANG ON A CAN'S PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONING FUND PROGRAM AT MERKIN HALL 2/22/06:

Yoav Gal - Dr. King*
Annie Gosfield - Overvoltage Rumble*
John Hollenbeck - Rainbow Jimmies*
Ornette Coleman - Haven't Been Where I Left [New York Premiere; 2005 commission]
Edward Ruchalski - Another Infinity
Hermeto Pascoal - Arapua (arr. Evan Ziporyn)

* New York Premieres

YOAV GAL focuses on the marriage of music and image as a central theme in his growing list of works. His creations, sometimes described as "Living-Room Operas" or "Indie Opera," involve a wide range of media such as video, animation, theater and the Internet. Gal is a recipient of grants from the American Music Center, Harvestworks, Franklin Furnace, and BCAT/Brooklyn - Rotunda Gallery.

ANNIE GOSFIELD has created a body of work that includes large-scale compositions, chamber pieces, electronic music, video projects, and music for dance. Her work often explores the inherent beauty of non-musical sounds, and is inspired by diverse sources such as machines, destroyed pianos, warped 78 records, and detuned radios. She uses traditional notation, improvisation, and extended techniques to create a sound world that eliminates the boundaries between music and noise, while emphasizing the unique qualities of each performer. Annie lives in New York City and divides her time between performing on piano and sampler with her own group and composing for many ensembles and soloists.

JOHN HOLLENBECK's versatility as a percussionist and composer is revealed in a body of work that challenges countless boundaries. Performances with Fred Hersh, Kenny Wheeler and Bob Brookmeyer have showcased Hollenbeck's melodic and sensitive small-group jazz drumming. His unique approach to big band work is evident as a member of Bob Brookmeyer's New Art Orchestra, the BMI Orchestra, Jim McNeely's Tentet and as a frequent guest with the Village Vanguard Orchestra. Hollenbeck's latest recording, A Blessing, is nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award.

THE BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS

Robert Black, bass • David Cossin, percussion • Lisa Moore, piano/keyboards Mark Stewart, electric guitar • Wendy Sutter, cello • Evan Ziporyn, clarinets

"One of the most visceral performing groups around." — The Independent (London) Named Musical America's Ensemble of the Year for 2005, the Bang on a Can All-Stars have gained an international reputation for extreme virtuosity and an utterly unique sound, powered by their unusual combination of clarinets, electric guitar, cello, bass, keyboards, and percussion. Freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music, the six-member ensemble plays music from uncharted territories, shattering the definition of what concert music is today.

more about BANG ON A CAN

Composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe started Bang on a Can in the eighties in New York City as a way to present concerts of music they loved; the enterprise has since grown into one of the most vital, enduring, and beloved forces in America's new music scene. Dedicated to the work of composers across a wide spectrum, Bang on a Can has carved a home for musical inventors, misfits and pioneers. The multi-faceted festival is now comprised of a resident ensemble The Bang on a Can All-Stars, who tour to major festivals and concert venues around the world; The People's Commissioning Fund, a commissioning program that creates unprecedented opportunities for emerging composers; an annual mammoth Marathon; touring productions such as the staged oratorio Lost Objects directed by François Girard with Concerto Köln, and its OBIE-award winning opera The Carbon Copy Building based on the work of comic book artist Ben Katchor; Cantaloupe Music, the record label formed by the founders of Bang on a Can in 2001 to record music from between the cracks (domestic distribution by harmonia mundi USA); the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA; and more....

For further information, photos, CDs, and to arrange interviews, please contact Aleba Gartner Associates at 212/206-1450

or visit www.bangonacan.org