Michael Gordon’s
House Music
Ashley Bathgate, Cello

Live | September 23, 2020 | 8pm EDT

“In true Gordon style, the music tends violently percussive and extreme, relentless in its industrial repetitions, but with stark exceptions: a section of glassy harmonics, another of keening, drooping melancholy gestures. By the end, Ms. Bathgate was practically sawing at a string while twisting the cello’s peg and painfully contorting its pitch, the classical equivalent of smashing a guitar against the stage.”
– The New York Times

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On Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 8pm ET, Bang on a Can presents a special one-hour live, online event featuring cellist Ashley Bathgate performing Michael Gordon’s House Music. Gordon composed House Music for Ashley, and it was written to be performed only in intimate spaces, such as a living room, for a small audience. Gordon explains his intentions behind the music: “House Music remembers the time when radio, stadium concerts and CDs did not yet exist. Music was something to enjoy in a homey atmosphere.”

House Music is an hour-long concert of virtuosic cello songs, premiered by Bathgate in The Tiny Cello House on the IJ waterfront in Amsterdam as part of the 2018 Cello Biennale Amsterdam. For this special live-stream event, she will broadcast directly from her home to yours, speaking informally, recreating the experience of being together in a living room. Tickets for this event will be limited to maintain the intimacy of a house concert and are available for purchase here.

An excerpt from the premiere of House Music:

This performance is a continuation of Bang on a Can’s online offerings during the pandemic shutdown. On our three six-hour live online Marathons so far this year (May 3, June 14, and August 16), Bang on a Can has presented over 75 performances including 23 new commissions and dozens of composers and performers. The Marathons feature interviews with the composers in between each performance, offering insights into their music, work, and life during this time.

Don’t miss the next big shows this year, October 18, November 15 (a special 1beat celebration), and December 13, as we plan to keep streaming shows online at least until performances for live audiences can fully resume.

People

Supporters

Bang on a Can is grateful for the support of these crucial 2020 Funders:



Bang on a Can’s 2020 programs are made possible with generous lead support from: Amphion Foundation, ASCAP and ASCAP Foundation, Atlantic Records, Daniel Baldini, Stephen A. Block, Bishop Fund, Jeffrey Calman, Charina Endowment Fund, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Exploring the Arts, Howard Gilman Foundation, Jaffe Family Foundation,, Alan Kifferstein & Joan Finkelstein, Michael Kushner, Leslie Lassiter, Herb Leventer, MAP Fund, Raulee Marcus, MASS MoCA, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Jeremy Mindich & Amy Smith, Elizabeth Murrell & Gary Haney, National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA, New York Community Trust, New York State Council on the Arts (with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature), Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Scopia Capital Management, Matthew Sirovich & Meredith Elson, Maria & Robert A. Skirnick, Jane & Dick Stewart, Sandra Tait and Hal Foster, Trust for Mutual Understanding, U.S Department of State, Williamson Foundation for Music, Adam Wolfensohn & Jennifer Small, and Wolfensohn Family Foundation.

Bang on a Can’s Board of Directors: Michael Kushner, president; Sandra Tait, vice-president; Alan Kifferstein, Treasurer; Robert A. Skirnick, secretary. Betto Arcos, Daniel Baldini, Jeffrey Bishop, Stephen Block, Jeffrey Calman, Michael Gordon, Lynette Jaffe, David Lang, Leslie Lassiter, George Lewis, Raulee Marcus, Elizabeth Murrell, Jane Stewart, Julia Wolfe, Adam Wolfensohn

Bang on a Can Staff:

Artistic Directors: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe
Executive Director: Kenny Savelson
Development Director: Tim Thomas
Project Manager: Philippa Thompson
Production Manager: Sruly Lazaros
1Beat Co-Directors: Chris Marianetti, Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park
1Beat Managers: Kyla-Rose Smith and Ezra Tenenbaum
Accounts Manager: Brian Petuch
Online Store Manager: Adam Cuthbert
Archive Content Manager: Matt Evans
Assistant Store Manager: Cassie Wieland
Publicity: Jensen Artists