photo by Jiyang Chen

Welcome Arlen Hlusko!

All of us at Bang on a Can are thrilled to announce Canadian cellist Arlen Hlusko as the newest member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars. She's been performing with the All-Stars throughout the 2019-20 season and now joins the group as the permanent cellist. Her spectacular playing and commitment to community engagement wowed us all.

Arlen's first official performance as an All-Star will be Saturday, August 1, 2020 at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA as part of Bang on a Can & Friends, two nights of live-in person music on 7/31 and 8/1. She’ll perform a solo work - Michael Gordon’s Light is Calling - as well as Louis Andriessen's Workers Union and Thurston Moore's Stroking Piece #1 with the All-Stars. More about Bang on a Can & Friends, including program info, performer bios, and COVID-19 safety information: friends2020.bangonacan.org

Arlen will also be one of the featured performers on the next online Bang on a Can Marathon on Sunday, August 16, 2020 streaming live 3pm-9pm ET.  She will premiere a new piece - one of eleven commissions especially for the day - by composer and singer Annika Socolofsky, who makes magical music exploring the seams between folk traditions and new music performance.  

More on Arlen from her bio:

Arlen Hlusko is a dynamic, versatile young artist who has performed extensively as soloist and chamber musician across North America, Asia, and Europe. A Grammy-award winner for her collaboration with The Crossing, graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and of Ensemble Connect (the resident ensemble of Carnegie Hall), She has recently been featured performer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, among others. Arlen has also been on the roster of preeminent summer festivals including Music from Angel Fire, Tippet Rise, Spoleto USA, and Bay Chamber Concerts. As a teacher, she has served on faculty of Curtis Summerfest, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra Teaching Artists, and given masterclasses in the USA, Canada, and Germany. Committed to using her music to serve her community, Arlen founded her own interactive chamber music concert series, Philadelphia Performances for Autism, and is involved with several communities in Philadelphia & NYC, including Carnegie Hall’s “Musical Connections” at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. For more information, please visit: www.arlenhlusko.com.