Fifteen years ago, when composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe, all in their late twenties, were first out of grad school, they thought about the musical pieces they’d enjoy hearing.
“We made a list of our favorite pieces we thought we’d never hear live – monumental pieces, but pieces not in standard repertoires,” says Wolfe. The list included works by contemporary composers such as Steven Reich, Phillip Glass and Meredith Monk.
So the three decided to put on a marathon, at a SoHo gallery featuring such music. That’s how the Bang On A Can collective was born, and it hasn’t stopped since.
The collective is anchored by the Bang On a Can All-stars, a 10-year-old six-piece touring group which mixes “a rock band and string quartet,” says Wolfe.
Bang On A Can will celebrate its 15th Anniversary this weekend at Symphony Space with a performance from the All-Stars, who will be joined by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and composer Steve Reich, who will present their own works.
Tomorrow afternoon, the party moves on with the “Supercharged Bang On a Can Marathon,” which starts at 1 p.m., opening with the NY premiere of ShadowBang, a Bali-Jazz fusion shadow-puppet musical theatrical work by Evan Ziporyn.
The marathon goes on until 11 p.m. with performances by jazz clarinetist Don Byron, heavy-metal-jazz artist Gutbucket, techno star Aphex Twin, the Polygraph Lounge, DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid and others acts.
The variety reflects the founders sensibilities.
“We were influenced by the minimalist composers, but we’re children of rock also,” says Wolfe. “We’re influenced by rock, experimental rock and folk, and a number of people who are connected to the BOAC are influenced by music from other cultures.”
Wolfe says the music “doesn’t fit neatly into a category,” rather it’s a mix of experimental pop and experimental classical.
Wolfe, Lang and Gordon, who used to do all the work themselves from cleaning the floors, to booking the music and selling beer, have grown BOAC into a multi-faceted organization which includes record label Cantaloupe Music, the BOAC Summer Institute of Music in Massachusetts.
The marathon itself is a relaxed atmosphere. Guests can wander in and out all day, picking and choosing the pieces they want to hear.
The festival continues on the Web (www.bangonacan.org) through July6, with round-the-clock Webcasts of live and archival performances.
“The first year seems really far away now,” says Wolfe. “But it always serves the same purpose for all of us – it lets us realize our dreams.”
Bang on a Can Fifteenth Anniversary Festival, today and tomorrow at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway; (212) 864-5400; Tickets are $25 per day for each event.