july 14 –15 gerald w. lynch theater at john jay college...

This performance is made possible in part by the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center.

Public support for Festival 2017 is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

July 14–15 Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College

Cloud River MountainComposers Michael Gordon, David Lang, Lao Luo, Julia Wolfe

Voice Gong Linna

Sheng Nie Yunlei

Bang on a Can All-StarsBass Robert BlackCello Ashley BathgatePiano Vicky ChowPercussion David CossinElectric Guitar Mark StewartClarinet and Bass Clarinet Ken Thomson

Lighting Design Aaron Copp

Sound Engineer Jody Elff

Lincoln Center Festival lead support is provided by American Express

Approximate running time: 1 hour and 10 minutes, with no intermission

07-14 Cloud River.qxp_Gp 3.qxt 7/6/17 9:30 AM

LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL 2017 CLOUD RIVER MOUNTAIN

A Note from theComposers

This project comes directly out of a chancemeeting in China between Bang on a Canco-founder Michael Gordon, Chinesevocalist Gong Linna, and her musical part-ner, composer Lao Luo. It took only a fewmoments of conversation to recognizehow committed each of them is to buildingbridges between cultures. Bang on a Canhas toured China several times, introduc-ing new audiences to experimental musicfrom the West, while Gong Linna is anartist equally at home in the disciplines ofboth Chinese traditional vocal techniqueand global contemporary music styles. Itfelt natural to try to build a bridge together.

The Bang on a Can composers—MichaelGordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe—started a wide-ranging conversation withGong Linna and Lao Luo, exchanging ideasof how to go about building this bridge. Tofind common ground for writing thismusic, we stepped deep into history,drawing our inspirations from ancientChinese mythology. Central to the programis the invention of the singer as a kind ofmodern shaman, who uses her powers to

command the elements and conjure upnew worlds. It seemed like a greatmetaphor for what we are trying to do. Wehope to provide a contemporary answer tothe question of what a new and authenticcollaboration of Chinese and American artmusic may be.

Cloud River Mountain honors the “soundworlds” of both China and the West, fus-ing texts sung in both Mandarin andEnglish with a wide range of contemporarymusical languages. The lyrics are inspiredby the tales, myths, and poems of gods,spirits, and the world of the shamans, pri-marily drawn from Qu Yuan, the famousChinese poet and minister who lived dur-ing the Warring States period and whosepoems were first published during the HanDynasty in the Chu Ci (Songs of the South)anthology.

Referring to the first line of lyrics in thisconcert—“What manner of things are thedarkness and light?”—our music may wellbe understood as our artistic answer tothis question.

—Michael Gordon, David Lang, Lao Luo, Julia Wolfe



Ming Ming An An (Darkness and Light) Music Lao LuoLyrics Qu Yuan from Heavenly Questions (in Chu Ci )

When Yi Shot Down the Sun Music Michael GordonLyrics Qu Yuan from Heavenly Questions (in Chu Ci )

The Lady in the Moon Music David LangLyrics David Lang inspired by Li Shangyin’s Chang E

Yun Zhong Jun (The Lord in the Clouds) Music Lao LuoLyrics Qu Yuan from Nine Songs (in Chu Ci )

Into the CloudsMusic Julia WolfeLyrics adapted from Yun Zhong Jun by Qu Yuan

Jiu Tian (Nine Fields of Heaven) Music Lao LuoLyrics Qu Yuan from Heavenly Questions (in Chu Ci )

Shui Shan (Water Mountain) Music Michael Gordon, David Lang, Lao Luo, Julia Wolfe

River Music Michael GordonLyrics adapted from He Bo by Qu Yuan

He Bo (River Earl) Music Lao LuoLyrics Qu Yuan from Nine Songs (in Chu Ci )

Tilted Music Julia WolfeLyrics Julia Wolfe inspired by the Chinese myth of GongGong

Girl with Mountain Music David LangLyrics David Lang inspired by Qu Yuan's Shang Gui

Shan Gui (Mountain Spirit) Music Lao LuoLyrics Qu Yuan from Nine Songs (in Chu Ci )

Program


Texts and Translations

Ming Ming An An (Darkness and Light)

What manner of things are the darknessand light?

Who passed down the story, the story of the beginning of things?What was it like before sky and earth had taken shape?In that murk where light and darkness were yet undivided,How do we know about the chaos of unsubstantial forms?

How did Yin and Yang come together, andhow could they originate and transform all things that are by their commingling?

When Yi Shot Down the Sun

When Yi shot down the sunWhy did the Eagle shed its plumes?How does the heaven keep its motion?Who fixed the Zodiac?Why do the stars stay fast in the sky?Are North and SouthAs great as East and West?How many miles is the voyage of a soul?

Moon Goddess

your candleyour shadowyour screenyour marbleare you sorry now?your riveryour heavenyour moonyour starsare you sorry now?you stole the potionyou look out over the sea and skyyou broodall through the night


明明暗暗

明明暗暗，惟時何為？

陰陽三合，何本何化？



Yun Zhong Jun (The Lord in the Clouds)

We have bathed in orchid water and washed our hair with perfumesAnd dressed ourselves like flowers in embroidered clothing.The god has halted, swaying, above us,Shining with a persistent radiance.He is going to rest in the House of Life.His brightness is like that of the sun andmoon.In his dragon chariot, dresses in imperialsplendor,Now he flies off to wander round the sky.The god had just descended in brightmajesty,When off in a whirl he soared again, far into the clouds.He looks down on Ji-zhou, and the landsbeyond it;There is no place in the world that he doesnot pass over.Thinking of that lord makes me sighAnd afflicts my heart with a grievouslonging.

—Translation by David Hawkes

Into the Clouds

We bathed and washed our hairand dressed ourselvesLike flowersSwayingSun and moon round the skyIn a whirlInto the cloudsThere is no placeMakes me sigh

云中君

浴蘭湯兮沐芳，華採衣兮若英。

靈連蜷兮既留，爛昭昭兮未央。

蹇將憺兮壽宮，與日月兮齊光。

龍駕兮帝服，聊翱遊兮周章。

靈皇皇兮既降，猋遠舉兮雲中。

覽冀州兮有餘，橫四海兮焉窮。

思夫君兮太息，極勞心兮



Jiu Tian (Nine Fields of Heaven)

Whose compass measured out the nine-fold heavens? Whose work was this andhow did he accomplish it? Where werethe circling cords fastened, and wherewas the sky’s pole fixed? Where did theEight Pillars meet the sky, and why werethey too short for it in the south-east?

Where do the nine fields of heaven extendto and where do they join each other?The ins and outs of their edges must bevery many: who knows their number?


Shui Shan (Water Mountain) (instrumental)

River

By Nine Mouths of the riverI wander with youDragons draw my chariot.Climbing Kunlun mountainI look back to distant shoresMy heart leaps wildlyRiding a white turtleChasing spotted fishLet me play with you while river waters rush

九天

圜則九重，孰營度之？

惟茲何功，孰初作之？

斡維焉系，天極焉加？

八柱何當，東南何虧？

九天之際，安放安屬？

隅隈多有，誰知其數？



He Bo (River Earl)

I wander with you by the Nine Mouths ofthe riverWhen the storm wind rises and slashes up the waves.I ride a water chariot with a canopy oflotus;Two dragons draw it, between two water serpents.

I climb the Kunlun mountain and look over the four quarters,And my heart leaps up in me, beatingwildly.Though the day will soon end; I forget to go in my pleasure:Longingly I look back to that distant shore.Of fish-scale his place is, with a dragon-scale hall;Purple cowrie gate-towers; rooms of pearl.And what does the god do, down there in the water?

Riding a white turtle, he chases the spot-ted fishes.Let me play with you among the river’sislets,While the swollen waters come rushing on their way!Eastward your journey, with hands statelyfolded,Bearing your fair bride to the southern harbor.The waves come racing up to meet me,And shoals of fishes are my bridal train.


Tilted

the pillar's brokenthe cord snappedthe stars have shiftedthe heavens tiltedthe earth collapsedthe waters flooded

河伯

與女遊兮九河，衝風起兮橫波。

乘水車兮荷蓋，駕兩龍兮驂螭。

登崑崙兮四望，心飛揚兮浩蕩。

日將暮兮悵忘歸，惟極浦兮寤懷。

魚鱗屋兮龍堂，紫貝闕兮朱宮。

靈何為兮水中，乘白黿兮逐文魚。

與女遊兮河之渚，流澌紛兮將來下。

子交手兮東行，送美人兮南浦。

波滔滔兮來迎，魚鱗鱗兮媵予。


山鬼

若有人兮山之阿，被薜荔兮帶女羅。

既含睇兮又宜笑，子慕予兮善窈窕。

乘赤豹兮從文狸，辛夷車兮結桂旗。

被石蘭兮帶杜衡，折芳馨兮遺所思。

余處幽篁兮終不見天，路險難兮獨後來。

表獨立兮山之上，雲容容兮而在下。

杳冥冥兮羌晝晦，東風飄兮神靈雨。

留靈脩兮憺忘歸，歲既晏兮孰華予。

採三秀兮於山間，石磊磊兮葛蔓蔓。

怨公子兮悵忘歸，君思我兮不得閒。

山中人兮芳杜若，飲石泉兮蔭松柏。

君思我兮然疑作。

靁填填兮雨冥冥，猿啾啾兮又夜鳴。

風颯颯兮木蕭蕭，思公子兮徒離憂。


Girl with Mountain

Girl with mountainI am hidingOn the mountainAll aloneI see And I forgetThat I must leave

Shan Gui (Mountain Spirit)

It seems there’s someone in a fold in the hills, wearing a fig-leaf cloak and a belt of dodder,She looks slyly at me with a hint of a smile, “Do you find me attractive, graceful, alluring?”Driving red leopards, striped wildcatsfollowing,

her magnolia-decked chariot with cassia banners,Dressed in fern and wild ginger, she gathers sweet herbs to give to her love. I find myself in a hidden grove where the sky is never seen, where paths are hazardous and steep and make me late to meet you.I stand alone on top of a hill with turbulent clouds below,Stillness, gloom, turning day into night, east wind bringing the goddess’s rain Held back by the beauty, I quietly forget to return, andI pick Three-Flowerings among the hill, andthe arrowroot among the heaped rocks.Wanting my fair lady I forget I must leave,while she thinks of me but has no leisure.

The girl in the mountains smells sweetly of pollia, and drinks from stony springs and rests beneath pinesShe thinks of me, but is doubting, aloof.Thunder roars, the sky darkens with rain, simians chatter and then call in the night,Winds moan, trees rustle and I think of mylady and stand there alone.

—Translation by Christopher Evans



About the Artists

Michael Gordon (Composer) mergesrhythmic invention with power in hismusic, embodying, in the words of theNew Yorker’s Alex Ross, “the fury of punkrock, the nervous brilliance of free jazz, andthe intransigence of classical modernism.”Over the past 30 years, he has produced adiverse body of work, ranging from large-scale pieces for ensembles and majororchestral commissions to works con-ceived specifically for the recording studio.Transcending categorization, this musicrepresents the collision of introspectionand directness. The 2016–17 seasonincludes premieres of his works by theBritt Festival Orchestra (Natural History),Young People’s Chorus of NYC (GreatTrees of New York City ), Dublin GuitarQuartet (Amplified ), Ballett Zürich (COR-PUS ), Crash Ensemble, The Crossing Choir(The Anonymous Man), and the RotterdamPhilharmonic (The Unchanging Sea). Otherseason highlights include The Trance ontour with Ictus Ensemble and Maud LePladec and dancers, Timber performed atthe Big Ears Festival, Dystopia danced byDoug Varone and Dancers, and Rushes per-formed at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.His work has been commissioned byLincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the BBCProms, Seattle Symphony, RotterdamPhilharmonic, Orchestra of the Age ofEnlightenment, Brooklyn Academy ofMusic, Britt Festival, and Sydney 2000Olympic Arts Festival, among others. Hisrecordings include Timber Remixed,Dystopia, Rushes, Timber, Weather, Lightis Calling, Decasia, (purgatorio) POP-OPERA, Van Gogh, Trance, and Big Noisefrom Nicaragua. He is co-founder and co-artistic director of New York’s legendarymusic collective Bang on a Can.

David Lang (Composer) is one of today’smost highly esteemed and performedAmerican composers. His 2002 work theso-called laws of nature was performed aspart of So Percussion: Trilogy at last year’sLincoln Center Festival. His simple song#3, written as part of his score for PaoloSorrentino’s film Youth, received manyhonors in 2016, including Academy Award,Golden Globe, and Critics Choice nomina-tions. His the little match girl passion—commissioned by Carnegie Hall and basedon a fable by Hans Christian Andersen andLang’s own rewriting of the libretto toBach’s St. Matthew Passion—won the2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and therecording was awarded a 2010 GrammyAward for Best Small EnsemblePerformance. Recent premieres includehis opera the loser, which opened theBrooklyn Academy of Music’s 2016 NextWave Festival, for which he served ascomposer, librettist, and stage director; thepublic domain for 1,000 singers at 2016’sMostly Mozart Festival; chamber operaanatomy theater at Los Angeles Opera andat the Prototype Festival in New York; andconcerto man made for So Percussion anda consortium of orchestras, including theBBC Symphony and the Los AngelesPhilharmonic. In addition to his work ascomposer, he is artist-in-residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and professor of composition at the Yale School of Music.He is co-founder and co-artistic director ofNew York’s legendary music collectiveBang on a Can.

Lao Luo (Composer) was born in Germanyas Robert Zollitsch and first traveled toChina in 1993 to study the Chinese zither,the Qin, at the Shanghai Conservatory ofMusic. After dedicating more than 20 yearsto Chinese music, he is now recognized asone of the driving energies of China’s newart music. His musical language is deeplyrooted in Chinese culture, yet incorporates



worldwide influences into a unique colorfulsound. In his vocal music compositions, hebrings new life to ancient and classicalChinese poetry, including song cyclesusing Tang and Song Dynasty poetry andthe oratorio The Nine Songs, using materialfrom the Chu Ci, written by “China’sHomer,” Qu Yuan. His works have beenperformed by many Chinese orchestrasand ensembles, including the CentralChinese Orchestra and ShanghaiSymphony Orchestra. As part of his part-nership with the Hong Kong ChinaOrchestra, he composed ResoundingChimes, which utilizes a giant set of bellsexcavated from the tomb of Marques Yi ofZeng. His works have been performedaround the world.

Julia Wolfe (Composer) draws inspirationfrom folk, classical, and rock genres, bringinga modern sensibility to each while simultane-ously tearing down the walls between them.Her music is distinguished by a physicalityand power that push performers toextremes and demands attention from theaudience. She is a 2016 MacArthur Fellow.Her Pulitzer Prize–winning concert-lengthoratorio, Anthracite Fields for chorus andinstruments, draws on oral histories, inter-views, speeches, and more to honor thepeople who persevered and endured in thePennsylvania Anthracite Coal Region. TheNew York Philharmonic will premiere hernew evening-length commission for orches-tra and women’s chorus in fall 2018, contin-uing her interest in American labor historywith the subject of women in New York’sgarment industry at the turn of the century.She has collaborated with theater artist AnnaDeavere Smith, choreographer SusanMarshall, designers Jeff Sugg and JimFindlay, and director François Girard, amongothers. Her music has been heard at venuesincluding Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, LGArts Center (South Korea), SettembreMusica (Italy), Théâtre de la Ville (France),

Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center,and Carnegie Hall, and has been recorded on the Cantaloupe Music, Teldec,Point/Universal, Sony Classical, andArgo/Decca labels. In 2009 she joined theNYU Steinhardt School’s composition fac-ulty. She is co-founder and co-artistic directorof New York’s legendary music collectiveBang on a Can.

Gong Linna (Voice) performs music that,though steeped in Chinese tradition, defiesneat categorization into any musical genre.Her vocal style merges a vast number ofcontrasting traditional vocal techniquesfrom Chinese opera and folk song tradi-tions, resulting in music encompassingsophisticated art songs based on classicalChinese lyrics, experimental songs withvocal acrobatics, and a unique art-popstyle. Born in Guizhou, a largely ethnicminority province known for its flamboyantsinging culture, she first performed onstage at age five. Her early career includedseven years of vocal education at theChinese Conservatory of Music, a positionas soloist at the Central Chinese Orchestra,and numerous awards and prizes. Shedeveloped her style through regional fieldtrips and intense studies of Chinese traditional vocal techniques, becoming aninnovator of contemporary Chinese vocalmusic. She has been extensively perform-ing with her own chamber music ensembleand with many major Chinese orchestras,including the Hong Kong ChineseOrchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra,and Beijing Broadcast Orchestra. She isalso dedicated to creating a modern teach-ing system for Chinese vocal techniques,which will lead more Chinese singers tofind their own new yet tradition-basedvocal style.



Nie Yunlei (Sheng) grew up in a traditionalmusic environment in Northern China’sHenan province, where he learned to playthe suona (Chinese double reed instrument)and sheng (Chinese mouth organ) at an earlyage. Later he studied sheng at the BeijingOpera Conservatory and became a memberof the Beijing Opera Troupe, where he is cur-rently concertmaster. Through his experi-ence playing sheng in traditional weddingand funeral bands from Henan (music thatcan be described as “Balkan Brass fromChina”), he has synthesized his skills in therural and academic styles—strong in rhythmand improvisation on one hand, sophisti-cated and complex on the other. He beganworking with Gong Linna and Lao Luo in2004 and has participated in many of GongLinna’s performances and recordings. In2015 he became leader of “Gong Luo NewArt Ensemble.”

Ashley Bathgate (Cello) has beendescribed as an “eloquent new music inter-preter” (New York Times) and “a gloriouscellist” (Washington Post) who combines “bittersweet lyricism along withferocious chops” (New Yorkmagazine). Thedesire to create a dynamic energyexchange with her audience and build uponthe ensuing chemistry is a pillar of her phi-losophy as a performer. Her dynamismdrives her to venture into previouslyuncharted areas of groundbreaking soundsand techniques, smashing the mold of acello’s traditionally perceived voice. In 2014she premiered a new Cello Concerto byAustralian composer Kate Moore with theASKO|Schönberg ensemble at the Gaudea-mus Festival in Utrecht. She recorded analbum of Moore’s solo cello works, releasedin 2016 on Cantaloupe Music. In 2015 shegave the world premiere of What MovesYou, a collaborative performance projectwith jookin dance sensation Lil Buck at Spo-leto Festival USA. She commissioned thecomposer collective Sleeping Giant to write

a six-movement suite for solo cello entitledASH, which premiered in January in NewYork.

Robert Black (Bass) tours the world creat-ing unheard-of music for solo double bass,and collaborates with adventurous com-posers, musicians, dancers, artists, actors,and technophiles. He has commissioned,collaborated, or performed with musiciansfrom John Cage to DJ Spooky, Elliott Carterto Meredith Monk, Cecil Taylor to youngemerging composers, as well as Brazilianpainter Ige D’Aquino, Japanese choreogra-pher Yoshiko Chuma, American actorKathryn Walker, English sound artist/DJMira Calix, and Swiss-American filmmakerRudy Burckhardt. In 2015 he commis-sioned Philip Glass to compose a seven-movement solo Partita that includesrecited poetry by seven of downtown NewYork’s most illustrious musician/poets. Hiscurrent project Possessed is a series ofsolo improvisatory outdoor performancesin Utah’s rugged canyon/desert landscape,released on DVD and CD by CantaloupeRecords this year. He has also recorded forNew World Records (Modern AmericanBass), Mode Records (The Complete BassMusic of Christian Wolff and The BassMusic of Giacinto Scelsi ), and O.O. Discs(State of the Bass), along with Bang on aCan All-Stars on Cantaloupe Records. Heteaches at The Hartt School at theUniversity of Hartford, Festival Eleazar deCarvalho (Brazil), and Manhattan School ofMusic’s Contemporary PerformanceProgram. He recently received the degreeof Comendador—Mérito Cultural eArtistico from the Fundação Educacional,Cultural, e Artistica Elezar de Carvalho inrecognition of 25 years of distinguishedcontributions to the cultural and artistic lifeof Brazil.



Vicky Chow (Piano) has been described as“brilliant” (New York Times), “a monsterpianist” (Time Out New York), and a “newstar of new music” (Los Angeles Times).She is pianist for the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Grand Band, New Music Detroit, andX88 and has collaborated with groupsincluding the International ContemporaryEnsemble. Her recordings of Steve Reich’sPiano Counterpoint (Nonesuch) and TristanPerich’s Surface Image (New AmsterdamRecords) were included in “top albums ofthe year” lists in Rolling Stone and onRhapsody. Her solo album AORTA (NewAmsterdam Records) features new worksby Rome Prize winners Andy Akiho andChris Cerrone, and Molly Joyce, DanielWohl, Jacob Cooper, and Jakub Ciupinski.An EP of Sonatra, a new solo piano workby Michael Gordon, has been released onCantaloupe Music. Interviews and articlesfeaturing her have appeared in HuffingtonPost, Gramophone, New York Times,Vancouver Sun, and more. Her perfor-mances of works by Morton Feldman andJohn Cage were featured on BBC3’s docu-mentary series The Sound and the Fury,based on Alex Ross’s book The Rest IsNoise. Upcoming commissions includeworks by composers Fjóla Evans, DavidBrynjar Franzson, Gabriella Smith, VincentHo, and Nicole Lizée.

David Cossin (Percussion) was born andraised in Queens and studied classicalpercussion at the Manhattan School ofMusic. His interest in classical percussion,drum set, non-western hand drumming,composition, and improvisation has led to performances across a broad spectrum ofmusical and artistic forms to incorporatenew media with percussion. He hasrecorded and performed with Steve Reichand Musicians, Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma,Meredith Monk, Tan Dun, Cecil Taylor,Talujon Percussion Quartet, and the trioReal Quiet. Theater projects include

collaborations with Blue Man Group,Mabou Mines, and director Peter Sellars.He was featured percussion soloist in TanDun’s Grammy- and Oscar-winning scorefor Ang Lee’s film Crouching Tiger, HiddenDragon. He performed with Sting on theSymphonicity tour and has performed assoloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,Orchestra Radio France, Saint PaulChamber Orchestra, Sao Paulo StateSymphony, Sydney Symphony, GothenburgSymphony, Hong Kong Symphony, andSingapore Symphony. He is also acomposer and has invented several newinstruments that expand the limits oftraditional percussion. He is the curator forthe Sound Res Festival, an experimentalmusic festival in southern Italy, and teachespercussion at Queens College in New York.

Mark Stewart (Electric Guitar) hasrecorded, toured, and been musical direc-tor with Paul Simon since 1998. A foundingmember of the Bang on a Can All-Stars andthe comic duo Polygraph Lounge with key-board and theremin wizard RobSchwimmer, he has also worked withSteve Reich, Sting, Anthony Braxton, BobDylan, Charles Wourinen, Cecil Taylor,Meredith Monk, Stevie Wonder, PhillipGlass, Hugh Masekela, Iva Bittova, BruceSpringsteen, Ornette Coleman, EdieBrickell, Don Byron, Joan Baez, PaulMcCartney, Jimmy Cliff, the EverlyBrothers, Fred Frith, Alison Krauss, DavidKrakauer, Bobby McFerrin, David Byrne,James Taylor, The Roches, Aaron Neville,and Marc Ribot. He has worked with com-poser Elliot Goldenthal on music for thefilms A Midsummer Night’s Dream, TheTempest, Across the Universe, Titus, TheButcher Boy, The Good Thief, In Dreams,and Heat, often playing instruments of hisown design and construction. He hasdesigned instruments for Theater for aNew Audience productions of AMidsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear,



and invented the WhirlyCopter, a bicycle-powered Pythagorean choir of singingtubes, and the Big Boing, a 24-foot sonicbanquet table mbira that seats 30 childrenplaying 490 found objects. He is on the fac-ulty of the Manhattan School of Music anda visiting lecturer at MIT. He lives in NewYork and makes his living playing and writ-ing popular music, semi-popular music, andunpopular music.

Ken Thomson (Clarinet and Bass Clarinet) isa Brooklyn-based clarinetist, saxophonist, andcomposer. In addition to the All-Stars, Ken isan anchoring force with Bang on a Can, asmusic director and saxophonist with AsphaltOrchestra, and as a faculty member of Bangon a Can’s Summer Music Festival at MASSMoCA. With his quintet Slow/Fast, he hastoured and released two discs, including Set-tle (NCM East Records, 2014). His 2013 CD,Thaw (Cantaloupe Music), of his composi-tions performed by the JACK Quartet, wascalled the #1 Classical CD of 2013 by Rhapsody.com and listed on NPR’s “Top 10Songs Public Radio Can’t Stop Playing.” Heco-leads the chamber/punk/jazz band Gut-bucket, with whom he has toured extensivelyin the U.S. and internationally for over 16years. He is also active as a freelance clar-inetist in New York, performing withEnsemble Signal, International ContemporaryEnsemble, and more. As a composer, he hasbeen commissioned by the American Com-posers Orchestra, Bang on a Can, DougPerkins, and others, and has received awardsfrom ASCAP and NewMusic USA. He is aConn-Selmer/Selmer Paris and D’AddarioWoodwinds artist. His most recent CD, Rest-less (Cantaloupe Music), focuses on twomajor works for cello and piano.

Aaron Copp (Lighting Design) was mostrecently at Lincoln Center Festival in 2013for Sinéad O’Connor’s The GospelSessions. Other recent projects include the

world premiere of Rules of the Game, cre-ated by Jonah Bokaer, Daniel Arsham, andPharrell Williams; Natalie Merchant’srecent U.S. tour; Mike Birbiglia’s ThankGod for Jokes and My Girlfriend’sBoyfriend; a concert DVD by Yo-Yo Ma andthe Silk Road Ensemble at Tanglewood;Where We Live by So Percussion at BAM;and the Goat Rodeo Sessions U.S. tourwith Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Thile. He hasdesigned for the Old Globe, KennedyCenter, Dallas Theater Center, and othertheaters across the country. He hasworked extensively in the dance world, in2008 receiving his second Bessie Awardfor Jonah Bokaer’s The Invention of MinusOne. He also had a long association withMerce Cunningham, designing such piecesas Ground Level Overlay, Windows, andBiped, for which he also won a BessieAward.

Jody Elff (Sound Engineer) is an audioengineer, sound artist, musician, andcomposer who has worked in manyunusual musical and sonic environments.He was most recently at Lincoln CenterFestival in 2013 as the sound designer forThe Blind Experience. He has workedwith Laurie Anderson, Yo-Yo Ma, PaulWinter, Hall and Oates, Paul Simon, andothers. He has also mixed many televisedconcert events, including NBC’s PeterPan LIVE and Pope Francis’s recent visitto the National September 11 MemorialMuseum. His work with sonic environ-ments has led him to develop a series ofsound art works presented at museumsand galleries internationally. He was com-missioned to create a sound art installa-tion, Strata, which is permanently on dis-play in Lyon, France. He also foundedLittle Dog Live, providing high-quality live-streamed broadcasts of concert events atLittleDogLive.com.



About Bang on a Can

Founded in 1987 by composers MichaelGordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe, Bangon a Can has been creating an internationalcommunity dedicated to innovative musicwherever it is found, and has grown from aone-day New York–based marathon con-cert to a multifaceted performing arts orga-nization with a broad range of year-roundinternational activities. Current projectsinclude the annual Bang on a CanMarathon; The People’s CommissioningFund, a membership program to commis-sion emerging composers; the Bang on aCan All-Stars, who tour to major festivalsand concert venues around the world everyyear; recording projects; the Bang on a CanSummer Music Festival, a professionaldevelopment program for young com-posers and performers led by today’s pio-neers of experimental music; AsphaltOrchestra, Bang on a Can’s extreme streetband that offers mobile performances re-contextualizing unusual music; FoundSound Nation, a new technology-basedmusical outreach program now partneringwith the U.S. State Department to createOneBeat, a revolutionary, post-political res-idency program that uses music to bridgethe gulf between young American musi-cians and young musicians from develop-ing countries; and cross-disciplinary collab-orations and projects with DJs, visualartists, choreographers, filmmakers, andmore. Each program has evolved toanswer specific challenges faced bytoday’s musicians, composers, and audi-ences in order to make innovative musicwidely accessible and wildly received.Bang on a Can’s inventive and aggressiveapproach to programming and presentationhas created a large and vibrant internationalaudience of all ages who are rediscoveringthe value of contemporary music.

Artistic Directors Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia WolfeExecutive Director Kenny SavelsonDevelopment Director Tim ThomasProject Manager Philippa ThompsonProduction Manager Sruly LazarosFound Sound Nation Co-Directors Chris Marianetti, Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon ParkAccounts Manager Brian PetuchSales and Licensing Manager Adam CuthbertArchive Content Manager Matt EvansIntern Aaron GarciaPublicity Jensen ArtistsChristina Jensen

Board of DirectorsPresident Daniel BaldiniJeffrey Bishop, Michael Gordon,Lynette Jaffe, Alan Kifferstein, Michael Kushner, David Lang, Raulee Marcus, Elizabeth Murrell,Robert A. Skirnick, Jane Stewart,Sandra Tait, Julia Wolfe, Adam Wolfensohn

Bang on a Can AcknowledgmentsCloud River Mountain was commissionedwith generous support from Maria andRobert A. Skirnick and Arts Brookfield.

Gong Linna Dress Design Kathrin von Rechenberg (Beijing)Gong Linna Make-up and StylistZhang LiBang on a Can All-Stars Stylist Zane Pihlström

Bang on a Can’s 2017 programs are madepossible with generous lead support fromAmphion Foundation, ASCAP and ASCAPFoundation, Atlantic Records, DanielBaldini, Robert D. Bielecki Foundation,Bishop Fund, Stephen A. Block, Alice M.Ditson Fund of Columbia University, City of



New York Department of Cultural Affairs,Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Danish Arts Foundation, Gladys Krieble DelmasFoundation, Exploring the Arts, RandyEzratty & Jo Ann Corkran, Howard GilmanFoundation, Jaffe Family Foundation, AlanKifferstein & Joan Finkelstein, MichaelKushner, Herb Leventer, MAP Fund,Raulee Marcus, MASS MoCA, Mid AtlanticArts Foundation, Jeremy Mindich & AmySmith, Elizabeth Murrell & Gary Haney,National Endowment for the Arts, NewYork State Council on the Arts (with thesupport of Governor Andrew Cuomo andthe New York State Legislature), Fan Foxand Leslie R. Samuels Foundation,Matthew Sirovich & Meredith Elson, Maria& Robert A. Skirnick, Jane & Dick Stewart,Sandra Tait and Hal Foster, David Tochen &Mary Beth Schiffman, Trust for MutualUnderstanding, U.S. Department of State,Williamson Foundation for Music, AdamWolfensohn & Jennifer Small, andWolfensohn Family Foundation.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York and the Gerald W. Lynch TheaterJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice of TheCity University of New York, an interna-tional leader in educating for justice, offersa rich liberal arts and professional studiescurriculum to upwards of 15,000 under-graduate and graduate students from morethan 135 nations. In teaching, scholarshipand research, the College approaches jus-tice as an applied art and science in serviceto society and as an ongoing conversationabout fundamental human desires for fair-ness, equality and the rule of law. For moreinformation, visit jjay.cuny.edu.

Since opening its doors in 1988, the GeraldW. Lynch Theater has been an invaluablecultural resource for John Jay College and

the larger New York City community. TheTheater is dedicated to the creation andpresentation of performing arts program-ming of all disciplines with a special focuson how the artistic imagination can shedlight on the many perceptions of justice inour society. The Theater is also a memberof CUNY Stages, a consortium of 16 per-forming arts centers located on CUNYcampuses across New York City.

The Theater has hosted events in theLincoln Center Festival since its first sea-son in 1996, as well as New York CityOpera, Great Performers at Lincoln Center,Gotham Chamber Opera, MetropolitanOpera Guild, and Alvin Ailey AmericanDance Theater/Ailey II. The Theater hasalso been the site of many television andfilm specials including A&E’s Live byRequest, Comedy Central Presents andPremium Blend, Robert Klein in Concertand VH1’s Soundtrack Live. For more infor-mation, and to view a schedule of events,please visit GeraldWLynchTheater.com.

President Jeremy TravisSenior Vice President, Office of Financeand Administration Steve TitanExecutive Director Jeffrey Brown

GERALD W. LYNCH THEATERGeneral Manager Joshua RedfearnAssistant General Manager Rubina ShafiAssistant Technical Supervisor Ian DelDucaAssistant Technical SupervisorRosemarie CruzHouse Electrician Stuart BurgessHouse Audio Engineer William GradyHouse Carpenter David NelsonStagehand Jeffrey MarseyOffice Manager Nardia DrummondHouse Manager Larissa DicosmoCustodian Alyshia Burke



Lincoln Center Festival, now in its 22ndseason, has received worldwide attentionfor presenting some of the broadest andmost original performing arts programs inLincoln Center’s history. The festival haspresented 1,465 performances of opera,music, dance, theater, and interdisciplinaryforms by internationally acclaimed artistsfrom more than 50 countries. To date, thefestival has commissioned 44 new worksand offered 145 world, U.S., and New Yorkpremieres. It places particular emphasis onshowcasing contemporary artistic view-points and multidisciplinary works thatchallenge the boundaries of traditional per-formance. For more information, visitLincolnCenterFestival.org.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts(LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenterof artistic programming, national leader inarts and education and community engage-ment, and manager of the Lincoln Centercampus. A presenter of more than 3,000free and ticketed events, performances,tours, and educational activities annually,LCPA offers 16 series, festivals, and pro-grams, including American Songbook, AveryFisher Career Grants and Artist program,David Rubenstein Atrium programming,Great Performers, Lincoln Center at theMovies, Lincoln Center Emerging ArtistAwards, Lincoln Center Festival, LincolnCenter Out of Doors, Lincoln Center VeraList Art Project, Midsummer Night Swing,Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival,the Emmy Award–winning Live From Lincoln

Center, which airs nationally on PBS, andLincoln Center Education, which is celebrat-ing 40 years enriching the lives of students,educators, and lifelong learners. As managerof the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA pro-vides support and services for the LincolnCenter complex and the 11 resident organi-zations: The Chamber Music Society ofLincoln Center, Film Society of LincolnCenter, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The JuilliardSchool, Lincoln Center Theater, TheMetropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet,New York Philharmonic, New York PublicLibrary for the Performing Arts, School ofAmerican Ballet, and Lincoln Center for thePerforming Arts. Lincoln Center has becomea leading force in using new media and tech-nology to reach and inspire a wider andglobal audience. Reaching audiences wherethey are—physically and digitally—hasbecome a cornerstone of making the per-forming arts more accessible to New Yorkersand beyond. The re-imagination of DavidGeffen Hall will play an important part inthese efforts. For more information, visitLincolnCenter.org.

Acknowledgments The music of Michael Gordon, David Lang,and Julia Wolfe is published by Red PoppyMusic (ASCAP) and is distributed world-wide by G. Schirmer, Inc.

Lighting, Sound EquipmentProduction Resource GroupScenery Build RoseBrand Scenery Supervisor Webster Crittenden


july 14 –15 gerald w. lynch theater at john jay college...

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