Hong Kong/Canadian/American pianist Vicky Chow has been described as “brilliant” (New York Times) and “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” (Pitchfork). Since joining the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 2009, she has collaborated and worked with artists including Tania León, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, George Lewis, John Zorn, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Alarm Will Sound, International Contemporary Ensemble, Wild Up, Tyshawn Sorey,  John Zorn, and Kronos Quartet among others.

Islands evoke myriad vivid impressions and captivate our imaginations. As places of stunning beauty, mystery, and isolation, “where the contours of the land itself form a kind of sinewy poetry,” countless associations come with the very mention of the word. Islands conjure a range of emotions and flights of fancy, from images of wild, exotic natural wonders, to metaphorical and spiritual connections. In this program, Nic Gerpe will present a range of colorful and evocative pieces which explore the many aspects and connotations of islands, from the imaginary landscapes of Almeida Prado’s Ilhas to Thomas Osborne’s poetic and virtuosic And The Waves Sing Because They Are Moving. The program will include captivating works by Donnacha Dennehy, Salina Fisher and Christopher Cerrone, and will feature world premieres of “30 for 30” Piano Spheres commissions by Robert Pollock, José-Luis Hurtado and Paul Moravec.

The Piano Spheres “30 for 30” anniversary commissioning celebration continues with premieres of new works by Brandon Rolle, Michael Frazier, and Zanaida Robles, matched with three monumental pieces from the middle of the 20th century: Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7, Alberto Ginastera’s Sonata No. 1, and Grażyna Bacewicz’s Piano Sonata No. 2.

There has been nothing quite like the music of Morton Feldman, before or since. A singular composer of works embodying a seemingly glacial stillness over long expanses of time, his writing for piano is particularly beautiful. Piano Spheres celebrates the centennial of one of the 20th century’s greatest composers with a marathon program stretching over two days in two venues. Major works to be performed include Crippled Symmetry, For Bunita Marcus, Patterns in a Chromatic Field, and much more. Among the featured highlights will be Piano and String Quartet, which was premiered 40 years ago in Los Angeles. Featuring all of the artists of Piano Spheres with special guests.

There has been nothing quite like the music of Morton Feldman, before or since. A singular composer of works embodying a seemingly glacial stillness over long expanses of time, his writing for piano is particularly beautiful. Piano Spheres celebrates the centennial of one of the 20th century’s greatest composers with a marathon program stretching over two days in two venues. Major works to be performed include Crippled Symmetry, For Bunita Marcus, Patterns in a Chromatic Field, and much more. Among the featured highlights will be Piano and String Quartet, which was premiered 40 years ago in Los Angeles. Featuring all of the artists of Piano Spheres with special guests.

House on Fire, a trio consisting of Andrew Anderson, Wells Leng, and Richard An, was formed around their common interest in new music and is centered around their shared focus as pianists. When performing or commissioning repertoire for three pianists, we frequently encounter the matter of homogeneity: How do you write for three people who ostensibly do the same thing? The pieces on this program each contend with the "three pianist" conundrum in different ways. Some put the performers on keyboards of distinct timbres to encourage a multiplicity of sounds. Others play into the "sameness" and employ the implicit uniformity of the keyboard to create a selfsame texture.

In “The Rilke Project,” pianist Vicki Ray recites poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke which has deeply influenced her work over the years. The poems will be paired with new and recent repertoire for piano, piano and voice, piano and percussion and piano and electronics. World premieres by David Rhodes, Steuart Liebig and Joseph Pereira will be performed as well as repertoire by Peter Eötvös, Charles Ives, Katherine Balch and others. The evening features special guests Elissa Johnston and Joseph Pereira.

Reprising his theme from last season’s timely and impactful program, Andrés Jaramillo continues a musical meditation into the spirit of the immigrant experience. Where last year’s concert focused on the emotional, or interior life of the individual, this program centers on the celebration of the multicultural experience. Jaramillo specializes in the music of living composers in Latin America, and in particular his native Colombia. “A Journey of Immigrants, Part II” will feature Héctor Pinzón-Arroyo’s “Concierto para Piano, Saxo, Percusion, y Cuerdas” in a tour de force piano reduction, plus more new works.

Dada and experimental puppetry come together with the complete piano four-hands works of Erik Satie interspersed with new compositions by seven American composers. A musical concert and trip into the absurd make up this unique performance that will journey from the profoundly poetic to the comically bizarre. Master puppeteer David Gordezky and his compatriots are side by side with the artists of Piano Spheres, featuring premieres of "30 for 30" Piano Spheres commissions by TJ Cole, Mikhail Johnson, Jihyun Kim, Veronika Krausas, Celka Ojakangas, Nate Schram, and Dale Trumbore.

Dada and experimental puppetry come together with the complete piano four-hands works of Erik Satie interspersed with new compositions by seven American composers. A musical concert and trip into the absurd make up this unique performance that will journey from the profoundly poetic to the comically bizarre. Master puppeteer David Gordezky and his compatriots are side by side with the artists of Piano Spheres, featuring premieres of "30 for 30" Piano Spheres commissions by TJ Cole, Mikhail Johnson, Jihyun Kim, Veronika Krausas, Celka Ojakangas, Nate Schram, and Dale Trumbore.