From July 13-30, 2016, we return to the Berkshires for the annual blockbuster Bang on a Can Summer Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. Music happens all day every day, with dozens of special concerts for museum-goers and the general public, including recitals in the galleries at 1:30 and 4:30pm, larger events in the Hunter Center, and free concerts in the North Adams community.  This year’s festival includes our special guest artist John Luther Adams!

More info, tickets, and festival passes are available on the MASS MoCA website

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Performance schedule

Wednesday, July 13, 4:30pm  – Ken Thomson “40 Years Recital” – Featuring recently-composed music performed by Ken and colleagues, and classics by Steve Reich and Louis AndriessenDoug Perkins.

Thursday  July 14, 4:30pm – Mark Stewart and friends 

Friday, July 15, 1:30pm – Festival fellows and our African Drumming Master, Nani Agbeli, perform outdoors in the MASS MoCA courtyard

Friday, July 15, 4:30pm – David Cossin performs Alvin Lucier‘s atmospheric Still and Moving Lines in Silence in Families of Hyperbolas

Saturday, July 16, 11:30am – KIDS CAN TOO! performance for families

Saturday, July 16, 4:30pm – Music in the galleries – festival fellows perform Scott Wollschleger’s Meditation on Dust with piano soloist Karl Larson, Larry Polansky‘s v’ya’al for ensemble. Also we’ll feature Sooyeon Lyuh, who will be performing solo works for the Haegum, a 2 stringed Korean fiddle.

Monday July 18, 4:30pm – Gregg August and friends perform music by Ornette Coleman, a new piece by Gregg for double bass and cello, and more.

Tuesday July 19, 4:30pm – Bang on a Can celebrates our many years of partnering with CECArtslink and the talented musicians from Central Asia with our presentation of the “Bandistan Ensemble”. The performance will include musicians from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, and Uzbekistan performing traditional music as well as new collaboratively composed works on instruments such as the Kyl-kobyz, Komuz, Temir, Zhygach ooz, Tanbur, Rubab, and Dutar. 

Wednesday  July 20, 4:30pm – Cellist Nick Photinos, of the new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird, presents a recital with friends featuring the works of two young jazz giants, pianist Pascal LeBoeuf and bassist Matt Ulery. 

Thursday July 21, 4:30pm – The music of Bang on a Can co-founders and co-artistic directors Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe performed by festival fellows and faculty

Thursday July 23 – 10pm – Music at the Chalet – “Soundpainting” The Bang on a Can soundpainting orchestra, led by Todd Reynolds, plays a free show at MASS MoCA’s beer garden.

Friday July 22, 4:30pm – Todd Reynolds gathers faculty and fellows to present a variety of music for piano quintet, including music composed and arranged by Pascal LeBoeuf, Gregg August, and Ken Thomson – everything from brand new work to Latin to Prog Rock.

Friday July 22, 7pm – Found Sound Nation and Drury High School – Bang on Can’s Found Sound Nation and some seriously talented local teens have been composing and improvising all week and will bring their brand new music to the community! Free! At Kidsspace on the second floor of MASS MoCA.

Friday July 22, 10pm – Free concert in downtown North Adams: Gregg August with special guests Joe Gonzalez and Ben Lapidus lead a Latin Music Big Band consisting of festival fellows and guests. At the American Legion bar. Bring your dancing shoes!

Saturday, July 23, 4:30pm  Pianist Vicky Chow plays compositions by Bang on a Can founders Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe, plus a world premiere by composer Christopher Cerrone.

Saturday, July 23, 8pm – BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS: BRIAN ENO – MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS. The All-Stars bring Eno’s pioneering ambient work from the 1970s to life! The concert will also feature new entries in the All-Stars’ Field Recordings project, – new music interwoven around archival recordings – including works by Roomful of Teeth’s Caroline Shaw, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Gabriella Smith, René Lussier, and more.

Sunday, July 24, 4:30pm – Fellows and faculty perform John Cage’s monumentally ethereal Atlas Eclipticalis.

Monday, July 25, 4:30pm – WORLD PREMIERE COMPOSER CONCERT! Over 30 young performers from around the world debut festival work by this year’s exciting nine composition fellows: Albert Behar, D. Edward Davis, Natalie Dietterich, Brechtje van Dijk, Brian Mark, Anna Meadors, Kyle Tieman-Strauss, Kristina Wolfe, and James Young.

Tuesday, July 26, 4:30pm – Martin Bresnick‘s expressive and direct music has influenced a generation of composers, including many Bang on a Can regulars.  Come celebrate his 70th birthday with us.

Wednesday, July 27, 4:30pm – Born in Macau and now splitting her time between Paris and Poestenkill – composer Bun-Ching Lam spins an East / West fusion of the delicate and the virtuosic.

Wednesday, July 27, 7pm – CONCERT AT THE LAKE Our annual blow-out avant-variety show!! Bring a blanket! Free!

Thursday, July 28, 4:30pm – Ashley Bathgate performs ASH, an energetic piece for solo cello, written by the Sleeping Giant collective.

Thursday, July 28, 7:30pm – A special performance of Ten Thousand Birds, by the renowned new music master, John Luther Adams. In the Richard Nonas exhibit at MASS MoCA. Free!

July 28 & 29, 10pm  – AFTER HOURS AT THE CHALET Spontaneous music with the fellows in our summer beer garden, which careens wildly from bluegrass to jazz to salsa to avant-ballads. Thursday night includes 9 short duos and trios that are also world premieres!

Friday, July 29, 4:30pm – Music for percussion by John Luther Adams, including Always Very Soft, ….and bells remembered, and Qilyuan.

Saturday, July 30, 4–10pm – BANG ON A CAN MARATHON – 6-hour festival finale featuring music by our special guest composer, Eco-Revolutionary John Luther Adams – including In a Treeless Place, Only Snow and The Light Within – plus a rare performance of Steve Reich’s early classic Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ, Julia Wolfe‘s raucous Tell Me Everything, a world premiere by Bang on a Can All-Star and festival favorite, Ken Thomson. The Marathon will also include music by Louis Andriessen, George Crumb, Andrew Hamilton, David Lang, David T Little, Missy Mazzoli, Brian Petuch, Frederick Rzewski, Akiko Ushijima, and a performance by the Orchestra of Original Instruments!

For festival passes and performance tickets, please visit the:

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