Bang on a Can 2020 Marathons – see them all again!
Marathons 2020: May 3, June 14, Aug 16, Oct 18
24 Hours of Music!
90+ Performances, 130+ Performers and Composers!
Bang on a Can means a lot of things to us. It means live performance in front of enthusiastic audiences, which none of us can really have right now. It means music-curious people rubbing elbows with each other, in packed concert halls, talking to each other about the role that music plays in their lives, which we can’t have now either. But it also means supporting a community of artists, commissioning new work from composers, providing live paid performance opportunities to amazing musicians, and introducing listeners worldwide to music that can change their lives. Those are things we can do now! And they are things we need now. We are all waiting for the world to heal, but until it does, we all have to do what we can.
Since May we have presented four 6-hour Marathon concerts live online – 24 hours of uncompromisingly adventurous, searching music, including 31 brand new works commissioned and premiered from musicians’ homes around the country and across the world, played by some of the most amazing performers on the planet. In all, Bang on a Can signed more than 150 paychecks to working composers and performers to create and play the music on these marathons and in this new virtual world we’ve been able to curate and commission more widely than ever. The breadth of composition, creativity, and performance has been astounding. And we are just getting started.
To date we’ve aired each live performance once. Having recently looked through the 90+ performances and interviews, we are inspired to share all of the music and conversations in an end-of-year celebration – a testimonial and toast to the amazing creativity and perseverance of our global music community during 2020. To our audiences and friends worldwide – you’ve always been there for us, part of a family of listeners, supporters, donors, ambassadors and advocates; we hope you enjoy this music and please consider making a contribution so we can do more.