’CAN’ OPENER

Bang on a Can
founders and composers Julia Wolfe, David Lang and Michael Gordon
(pictured) will unveil the world premiere of their staged multimedia
musical experience, "The New Yorkers," at the BAM Howard
Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place in Fort
Greene) on Oct. 22 at 7:30 pm.



The production (which also plays Oct. 24-25 at 7:30 pm) explores
and challenges the notion of what it means to live and create
art in New York City. As the rock-inflected string quartet Ethel,
the Michael Gordon Band, vocalist Theo Bleckman and the Bang
on a Can All-Stars perform the trio’s compositions, moving video
projections and multiple screens will display Ben Katchor’s cartoons,
Bill Morrison’s decayed film footage and video by William Wegman.



Together Gordon, Lang and Wolfe are the artistic directors of
Bang on a Can, an organization they founded in 1987 as a daylong
music festival. It is now a touring and recording ensemble (the
Bang on a Can All-Stars), a commissioning body, a record label
and an educational institution for young composers based at Mass
MoCA. For more information, visit www.bangonacan.org.



(A 6 pm BAMdialogue with the trio precedes the Oct. 22 performance,
at BAM Rose Cinemas.) Tickets for the performance are $20 and
$45; $8 for the BAMdialogue. For more information, call (718)
636-4100 or visit the Web site at www.bam.org.