Bang on a Can All-Stars
and Trio Mediaeval
Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer

7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 19, 2009
Eisenhower Auditorium

Adult $29     University Park Student $10     18 and Younger $19

Philadelphia-born composer Julia Wolfe’s earliest musical epiphanies came from her love of American folk music, and as a young woman she studied and played the mountain dulcimer—a key component of the Appalachian musical tradition. Wolfe takes inspiration from the stories and music of Appalachia in her new composition Steel Hammer, which is based on the legend of John Henry and his attempt to use brawn to overcome the onslaught of the industrial age. New York City’s Bang on a Can All-Stars—equal parts rock band and amplified chamber group—expands its usual gathering of clarinets, cello, keyboard, electric guitar, bass, and drums with a chorus of dulcimers, wooden bones, banjo, steel hammers, and other instruments to lay down the musical bed for Steel Hammer. Trio Mediaeval, a Norwegian ensemble known for what a San Francisco Chronicle critic calls an “unerringly precise blend of voices,” sings a narrative that tells the timeless tale. The resulting fusion promises to be an exquisite example of art balladry.

This tour of Bang on a Can All-Stars and Trio Mediaeval in Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer is made possible by a grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program. Steel Hammer was commissioned by Bang on a Can with generous support from Maria and Robert A. Skirnick and Carnegie Hall. 

Artist Activity

Bang on a Can All-Stars clarinetist Evan Ziporyn conducts a master class from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, November 19, in Eisenhower Chapel on the University Park campus. The public is invited to observe.

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