News

In 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City caught fire. 146 clothing workers died in the blaze – most of them immigrant women and children who perished in dangerous, inhuman working conditions. Their story is told in Fire in my mouth, a large-scale oratorio for orchestra and female voices by Julia Wolfe.

Produced by Bang on a Can and performed by the Belgian National Orchestra on Feb 27, Fire in my mouth’s themes of immigration, injustice, precarity and industrial neglect resonate strongly today. Gemma New Conductor / Vlaams Radiokoor Choir / Children’s and Youth Choirs of La Monnaie

Learn More

From everyone at Bang on a Can, we share the extremely sad news that our beloved longtime colleague Tim Thomas (Development Director 2004-2023) died suddenly on Saturday morning. We are all stunned. Tim was such a huge force of life. He shared so much of himself and had such incredible and seemingly endless love and enthusiasm for everything – for his family, for music, for our community, for our shared neighborhood in Brooklyn where he was an active advocate, for social justice, for the world of ideas. The list of his meaningful contributions and the number of people he touched is endless.

In our corner of his life, he was our ‘founding’ Development Director, the first person to sit in that chair full-time, and he was with us for 20 years. In addition to overseeing many galas, grants, and other projects, he provided leadership and mentoring for Found Sound Nation and was one of the essential minds behind our OneBeat project.

Tim was at the helm of Sō Percussion for the last 3 years, and we’ve continued to work together throughout. He was the principal songwriter in several very cool bands. He was an amazing dedicated father and husband. There are so many stories to share. We miss him immensely.

Tim’s life is a reminder that we are all interconnected, not only in this music and art scene, but in LIFE – a reminder of the need to support each other.

This gofundme has been set up to support Tim’s family.

Bang on a Can All-Stars bring their boundary-breaking sound to FSU on Jan 30 as part of their “Festival of New Music” featuring Julia Wolfe!

Program:
Julia Wolfe, Reeling
Julia Wolfe, Lick
Julia Wolfe, Believing
Meredith Monk, Spaceship (arr. Michael Gordon)
Michael Gordon, Gene takes a drink
David Lang, sunray
Philip Glass, Closing (arr. Michael Riesman)

See the full line up of events

Julia Wolfe’s new work unEarth receives its UK premiere, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, Finchley Children’s Music Group, and Danish soprano Else Torp.

Get tickets here

Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim reviews “What to wear” at BAM (produced by the Prototype Festival and Bang on a Can) for the New York Times.

Read the Review

And the production was also previewed by Elisabeth Vincentelli for the New York Times.

Read the Preview

Bang on a Can All-Stars play Ryuichi Sakamoto “1996” at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC on Sunday, Dec 14, 4-6pm ET. If you can’t be there in person, don’t stress – register for FREE and watch the livestream!

Watch the Livestream!

Monday, February 9, 2026, at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn.

Honoring Deborah Borda and Cory Toevs

more information

What to wear

January 15-18, 2026 at BAM Strong Harvey Theater (4 shows)
December 20, 2025 at MASS MoCA (work in progress showing)

• Music by Michael Gordon
• Direction by Richard Foreman
• Music Direction by Alan Pierson
• Creative Direction by Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson
• Featuring Bang on a Can All-Stars

For the first time in 20 years, What to wear — the comedic post-rock opera by composer Michael Gordon and the late downtown theater renegade icon Richard Foreman — returns to the stage in its New York Premiere. The production brings back to life Foreman’s original staging and production, with creative direction by Big Dance Theater co-founders Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar.

This bitingly funny post-rock opera offers a commentary on the superficial pressures of society, at a moment when our contemporary world of Instagram, fast fashion, and influencer culture render Foreman and Gordon’s critiques more cutting and relevant than ever. A collaboration between PROTOTYPE, BAM, and Beth Morrison Projects in association with Bang on a Can, featuring Bang on a Can All-Stars, this historic re-staging honors Foreman’s legacy and confirms Gordon as a singular voice in contemporary music.

Jan 15-18 at BAM

Dec 20, a work-in-process production at MASS MoCA

The Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is a 3-week musical utopia for innovative composers and performers in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts dedicated entirely to adventurous contemporary music.

Early bird (no fee) application deadline is December 16

Regular applications due January 14

More info and application 

The most THRILLING event of every LOUD Weekend is the NEWEST VOICES WORLD PREMIERE CONCERT, which in 2025 included eight brand new works by the Bang on a Can Summer Festival composition fellows (pictured above, see list below!)

These works are AMAZING – performed by the instrumental fellows, conducted by our faculty, the collaborations show the dynamism and inspiration that the Bang on a Can Summer Festival brings to the stage.

Check out the full concert video playlist

Jessie Leov, bubble
Aliayta Foon-Dancoes, Churn
Tymon Zgorzelski, W Nocy
Filippa Westerberg, We share the same sky

Todd Reynolds, conductor
Lindsay McIntyre and Vanessa Croome, soprano
Kyla-Rae Ashworth, flute and piccolo
Tucker Hall-Klingensmith, clarinet and bass clarinet
Ruben Høgh, piano
Aaron Edgcomb and Yun-Chen Chou, percussion
Chloe Lorraine Johnson and Michael Ferri, violin
Chris Gokelman, viola
Miriam Liske-Doorandish, cello

and

Stephen Ryan Jackson, WRITHE
Rebecca Galian Castello, Eejit Son
Che Buford, to break, to breath
Kyle Rivera, Magatama 

Nick Photinos, conductor
Lindsay McIntyre and Vanessa Croome, soprano
Andrea Ábel, flute
Olivia Phaneuf, soprano and alto saxophone
Joel Ferst, alto saxophone
Adam Buttimer, tuba
Mofan Amber Dai, horn
Džiugas Daugirda, Grace Goss, and Lorena Navarro,  percussion
Katherine Miller, piano
Saba Yousefi, violin
Max Winningham, double bass and electric bass