Lost Objects is a musical exploration of the meaning of memory and a powerful monument to the loss of people, things, rituals, and ideas—in short, it is an exploration of conservation in all but word only. With music by genre-defying composers Michael Gordon, David Lang (1991 Fellow, 2017 Resident), and Julia Wolfe (2025 Resident), co-founders of Bang on a Can, and texts by polyphonic writer Deborah Artman, the piece is written for baroque orchestra, rock ensemble (electric guitar, electric bass, keyboard, and drums), solo voices, and choir.

This collaborative Italian premiere performance features a constellation of performers from New York and Rome in a compelling alchemy of text and sound. The Bang on a Can Lost Objects Ensemble and Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble from New York, join forces with Parco della Musica Contemporanea Ensemble (PMCE) directed by Tonino Battista and the Coro Polifonico “Ottorino Respighi” from Latina directed by Pompeo Vernile.  

Lost Objects

Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe

Libretto by Deborah Artman  

Performed by:

Parco della Musica Contemporanea Ensemble (PMCE)
Tonino Battista, music director

Coro Polifonico “Ottorino Respighi” di Latina  
Pompeo Vernile, choir director

Ekmeles:

Charlotte Mundy, soprano
Timothy Keeler, countertenor
Jeffrey Gavett, director & countertenor

Bang on a Can Lost Objects Ensemble:

Tristan Kasten-Krause, electric bass  
Karl Larson, keyboard
Riley Palmer, percussion
Brendan Randall-Myers, electric guitar

Bang on a Can is dedicated to making music new, creating an international community dedicated to innovative music, wherever it is found. With adventurous programs, it commissions new composers, performs, presents, and records new work, develops new audiences, and educates the musicians of the future. Bang on a Can has grown from a one-day New York-based Marathon concert (on Mother’s Day in 1987 in a SoHo art gallery) to a multi-faceted performing arts organization with a broad range of year-round international activities. Projects include the annual LONG PLAY (Brooklyn) and LOUD Weekend (MASS MoCA) festivals; the Bang on a Can All-Stars, who tour to major festivals and concert venues around the world every year; and the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA – a professional development program for young composers and performers led by today’s pioneers of experimental music. Each new Bang on a Can program has evolved to answer specific challenges faced by today’s musicians, composers, and audiences, in order to make innovative music more widely accessible. Bang on a Can is building a world in which powerful new musical ideas flow freely across all genres and borders.  

This concert is part of "Galileo Week,” the Academy’s annual celebration of the collaboration between art, science, and the humanities. This year’s theme is "Conservation and the Brain: A collaboration on remembering through things", featuring two public lectures at the American Academy, on April 14th by Daphna Shohamy and on April 15th by Janani Balasubramaniam, and on April 16th at Parco della Musica, a performance by Bang on a Can of their oratorio "Lost Objects", music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe.