Bang on a Can Announces OneBeat Marathon #2 Live Online

Bang on a Can will present the second OneBeat Marathon - Live Online - on Sunday, May 2, 2021 from 12PM - 4PM EDT, curated by Found Sound Nation, its social practice and global collaboration wing. Over four hours the OneBeat Marathon will share the power of music and tap into the most urgent and essential sounds of our time. From the Kyrgyz three-stringed komuz played on the high steppe, to the tranceful marimba de chonta of Colombia's pacific shore, to the Algerian Amazigh highlands and to the trippy organic beats of Bombay's underground scene - OneBeat finds a unifying possibility of sound that ties us all together.

OneBeat, a cultural diplomacy program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by Found Sound Nation, is redefining intercultural music exchange and developing methodologies to promote civic engagement through music. Since 2011, OneBeat residency programs have convened more than 200 young pioneering musicians from 41 countries to dive into the musical unknown together and build a global network of artists committed to civic discourse.

This second OneBeat Marathon builds on the rousing success of the inaugural streamed concert last fall, and marks the first in a series of public online performances and events that celebrate the OneBeat 10th anniversary in 2021. On May 2nd, OneBeat Marathon II will feature live-streamed multimedia performances by OneBeat Alumni from 16 countries stretching over five continents, including the high energy grooves of Afrobeat / punk / dance powerhouse Underground System, the powerful voice of Algerian pop sensation Amel Zen, the otherworldly soundscapes of Beijing-based laptop noise improviser VAVABOND, the soulful, ethereal voice of South African singer-songwriter Bongeziwe Mabandla, and 16 other sets of music taking us on a global trek to Agadir, Antananarivo, Bombay, Bogota, São Paulo, Seoul, Taipei, Tipaza, and beyond.

Angélica Negrón, celebrated NYC-based composer and Found Sound Nation board member says, "OneBeat opens up new and countless possibilities for imagining the world as it could be and provides a creative playground and welcoming space for people to not only tell the stories in their own way, but more importantly to listen to others' stories and find connections that will impact the way they interact with the world. The OneBeat Marathon is a beautiful celebration of this work, awakening our curiosity, fostering community and enriching human connection."

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by Bang on a Can's Found Sound Nation.

The OneBeat Marathon will be free to stream and all Marathon performers are compensated. But an entire ecosystem of composers and performers need our attention, our love, and our financial support! Please consider purchasing a ticket! Doing so will help Bang on a Can to do more performances, pay more players, and share more music worldwide.

The full lineup of artists is below.

OneBeat Marathon, May 2, 2021 featuring:

Underground System, Eva Salina & Peter Stan, Jiha Park, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Amel Zen, Paulo Sartori, Abdallah Abokezry, Courtney Hartman & Mehdi Qamoum, Greg Chudzik, Sodiala feat Tsanta Randriamihajasoa, Wei Wei, Sandunes, Sayun Chang and Alice Hui-Sheng Chang, OMMA, Malabika Brahma, Piotr Kurek, Eryen Ortíz Garcés, Askat Uulu, Akinyemi, and Los Cumpleaños.

The OneBeat Marathon Includes:

Abdallah Abozekry is a leading young saz player hailing from Egypt. At just 20 years old, he had already founded his own ensemble, the Abdallah Abozekry Quartet, which performs his own compositions, a blend of traditional Egyptian and folk music with a jazz flair. In this set, Abdallah will showcase the incredible sound world of the saz with original compositions and improvisations.

Over the past year, Queens Village-born Akinyemi moved more times than you can count on one hand. His path took him across three boroughs in NYC to Colorado and then finally to Brooklyn, NY. The Nigerian-American independent artist rediscovered parts of himself throughout his journey, which is reflected in his debut record that is releasing this summer. Akinyemi has received praise from Vice, NPR, Complex, Ones To Watch, Lyrical Lemonade, Highsnobiety, Wonderland, Huffington Post & many more. His music has been featured on Spotify's Fresh Finds, Alternative Hip-Hop and Spilled Ink playlists as well as Apple Music's The New New York and Chill Rap playlists.

A lifelong musician, Amel Zen is an Algerian composer, lyricist and singer of ethno-pop, rock and Amazigh (Berber). Born into a Chenoui family in Tipaza, she started playing music at the age of 10 when she joined the Kaissaria de Cherchell (Association of Classical Arabic and Andalusian Music). She became well-known nationally through her participation in the search for new talents Alhane wa Chabab in 2007, and is now a leading voice of North African and Amazigh identity through her unique and modern approach to rock and progressive music. She is also dedicated to using her music to advance women's, children's, and human rights.

Askat Zhetigen Uulu is a Bishkek-based Komuz player, poet and composer who writes for solo, vocal, and a range of orchestras and ensembles. He is one of Kyrgyzstan's most celebrated instrumentalists and believes that music can change the world. He wishes to be a part of that change.

Over the last 8 years, Bongeziwe Mabandla has steadily built a career that now sees him taking his place as the enigmatic spirit of African Soul. Mabandla's early musical influences had come from his childhood in the rural town of Tsolo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where he grew up singing in church, at school, and at home. A move to Johannesburg to study drama saw him continue exploring expressions of musical storytelling. Bongeziwe has released three albums, with his sophomore record, "Mangaliso," earning critical praise and winning the 2018 South African Music Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Courtney Hartman is an acclaimed guitarist, singer and writer from the foothills of Colorado. Acoustic Guitar Magazine recognizes her as a "distinctive guitar stylist... and a songwriter that delights and disturbs" while PopMatters hailed her most recent release as "a delicate light glistening softly in the darkness." Bill Frisell, Mike Campbell, and Buffy St. Marie are a few of the artists Courtney has created with, as she continues to collaborate across cultures and disciplines, always seeking to bring voice to the hushed and inexpressible.

A native of Buenaventura, Eryen Ortíz Garcés has earned international recognition as a marimba de chonta performer and interpreter of numerous folk styles from Colombia's Pacific Coast. Currently, Eryen serves as musical director and lead performer in the group Cantares del Pacífico. She is also a member of Jóvenes Unidos por Buenaventura, a social advocacy platform empowering young leaders from Buenaventura. Eryen has won numerous honors and awards, including the National Sonar Contest of Marimba and Cali's Queen of Marimba Festival.

In their collaboration, Eva Salina & Peter Stan pick up the threads of an interrupted legacy of empowered female voices in Balkan Romani (gypsy) music. Seeking to amplify voices of past generations of Romani women musicians, Eva & Peter employ tenderness, grace, and friendship in keeping these songs alive and evolving, while tending to living traditions and sharing with new generations. Eva & Peter have one album together, "SUDBINA: A Portrait of Vida Pavlović."

Bassist and composer Greg Chudzik performs works that investigate the control the performer has over their own work. As a bassist he can be seen regularly performing with Talea Ensemble, Ensemble Signal, Wet Ink Ensemble, the Founders, and the Briars of North America, among others. As a musician during the pandemic he's been mostly keeping to himself, and when he's not restoring an old pickup truck for fun, he can be found writing Max / MSP patches that let the computer have a co-equal part in the act of spontaneous composition.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Jiha Park plays the traditional Korean piri (a double reed bamboo flute), the yanggeum (a hammered dulcimer), as well as the saenghwang, an impressive mouth organ constructed from 24 bamboo pipes, vertically mounted in a metal windchest. Her music is characterized by elements of minimalism, ambient music and free jazz, with influences of traditional Korean music, based on different sound layers and an unconventional interplay of space and time. Jiha Park has released two albums so far: her self-produced debut album "Communion"(2018) and "Philos"(2019) on Tak:til/ Glitterbeat Records.

With an unmistakable, freewheeling style, Los Cumpleaños mix classic era Cumbia, Porro, Son Caribeño, Salsa Criolla and Bullerengue from Colombia with the energy of a downtown punk rock band washed in a sea of cutting-edge psychedelic new wave synths & wild style retro organ sounds. CIting influences as diverse as Colombian accordion legend Lisandro Meza, free jazz iconoclast Sun Ra, and genre-defying tastemakers like Flying Lotus and Tame Impala, they seamlessly combine heavy grooves and experimental sounds into an energetic, danceable, one-of-a-kind musical experience.

Malabika Brahma is a vocalist and composer based in India. Her music is a fusion of folk, blues, and Indian classical music, influenced by Vedic Hinduism and Baul mystic minstrel tradition. Malabika tours regularly, performing at religious Ashrams and Akharas and community Melas, as well as popular music festivals. She has recorded and collaborated with many renowned musicians, some via the internet, including UK-based saxophonist Tony Roberts. Describing her musical ethos, Malabika explains, "LOVE, LIVE, LET LIVE is the true essence of my philosophy."

Morocco-based singer and composer Mehdi Qamoum specializes in Afro-Moroccan gnawa music and traditional Moroccan music. He is currently researching other music styles through collaborative works with different artists from around the world.

Olga Maximova, aka OMMA, is an electronic music producer, educator and leading DJ on the Moscow club circuit, whose catchy musical confections highlight an innovative and playful approach to music technology. She maintains a successful touring career which has taken her across Europe and Asia, released music through several well-known European labels, including the Berlin-based label PowerHouse, and launched and produced her own party series - PLAVAY. She is also cofounder of Playtronica, a company and artist collective that turns everyday objects into musical instruments, producing interactive installations around the world.

Paulo Sartori is a Brazilian composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He has worked with a wide range of acclaimed Brazilian artists such as Alceu Valença, Lô Borges, and Orquestra Ouro Preto, whilst always maintaining an active participation in the independent music scene. Paulo is co-founder of Kriol, an ensemble that works at the fusion between Cape Verdean and Brazilian musical cultures, and of Todas las Puertas, project led in partnership with OneBeat 2017 fellow Johanna Amaya, aimed at multidisciplinary artistic collaboration and educational endeavours. Sartori also writes and produces original music for television, cinema, and circus.

Piotr Kurek is a Warsaw-based composer and performing artist, releasing many albums under various aliases including Mondoj, Hands In The Dark, Digitalis, Crónica, Sangloplasmo, Dunno, and notable collaborations with Sylvia Monnier as Suaves Figures, Hubert Zemler as Piętnastka and Francesco de Gallo as ABRADA. Piotr is also known for his rather peculiar DJ sets, and is one of the founders of Smutaż parties in Warsaw.

Hailing from Mumbai, India, Sandunes is a composer, producer, and beatsmith whose work has a global footprint. She has released three records on !K7 records, performed at London's Barbican Centre, debuted India's very first Boiler Room series, and has had her work performed at India's celebrated Magnetic Fields festival and in the U.S. She has also partnered with Red Bull TV for their global Searching For Sound series, cataloguing the rich sonic tapestry of Bombay, and guested as a speaker and lecturer at Ableton's Loop Summit for Music Makers. In 2017, she co-founded DASTA - a beatmaker's collective that focuses on DIY growth and empowerment through the arts in India.

Taiwanese percussionist Sayun Chang performs music that ranges from traditional and contemporary classical to many diverse disciplines of world music, including interdisciplinary performances. She also dedicates herself to music outreach and cultural education, especially in rural areas. This performance, featuring Sayun in collaboration with vocalist Alice Hui-Sheng Chang, will take place in an outdoor park in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan, and will introduce listeners to an indigenous melody used to commemorate the spirits of the dead.

Sodiala is a Malagasy family band founded in 1995 by Mamiliva Randriamihajasoa and features the incredible talents of OneBeat 2018 fellow Tsanta Randriamihajasoa. The Randriamihajasoa family performs, composes and arranges traditional Malagasy music and world music. Sodiala means "Solofo Dimbin'ny Ala" which translates as heir.

Domenica Fossati and Peter Matson, from the seminal afropop/ punk/dance group Underground System, will rework their massive stage show into a paired down hybrid live electronic performance, exclusively for the OneBeat Marathon. Underground System is one of the most revered genre splicing and party starting bands in NYC with a sound that is all their own.

Wei Wei, aka VAVABOND, is a laptop noise/improvisation musician and member of the psychedelic noise group "VagusNerve" and free improvised duo "Mind Fiber." VAVABOND processes meaningless and fragmented sounds in a nonlinear-time approach to create unique and other-worldly sound experiences.

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About Found Sound Nation: Found Sound Nation (FSN) is a collective of musicians and artists who leverage the unique power of creative sound-making to help build strong, just, and healthy communities. Over the years, FSN has designed project models rooted in a philosophy that values a collaborative process of music-making and an adaptability to the uniqueness of each local environment. These have included short and long-term workshops in schools, juvenile detention centers and hospitals, mobile "Street Studios" in public squares, universities, and at music festivals, and other sound-art projects that remix the stories and issues of a particular community. With an emphasis on collaborative creativity and technological innovation, FSN strives to give voice to underrepresented communities, unlock the creative potential of youth, and build bridges between communities separated by cultures, economic disparities, and geography.

Over the past nine years, FSN has designed and produced OneBeat, an State Department-initiated program that brings together musicians and change-makers from around the globe to collaborate in the creation of new music, and to develop strategies for using arts and music to make positive changes in society. OneBeat has had a number of international spin-off projects, including the launch of "OneBeat Abroad," with two to three week cultural exchange programs in Turkey, Russia, The Balkans and Colombia. Most recently, FSN produced Mosaic Interactive with support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, a project that brought musicians from Muslim majority-countries to collaborate with U.S. artists on a four-week tour through central Appalachia and culminated in the production of an original multimedia piece at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN. For more information, visit www.foundsoundnation.org.

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