On November 15, former OneBeat fellows will perform 18 sets of surprising, soulful music in solo, duo and trio acts. Opening from the mountainous Lake Baikal region of Siberia, mohin huur player Alexander Arkhincheev will give a stirring performance at 12 pm ET, followed by a kaleidoscopic array of musicians and spoken word artists in Accra, Beijing, Beirut, Berlin, Bogota, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, New York City, Sacramento, Seoul, Sulaymaniyah and more. Hear everything from electronic pop sets to microtonal accordion tunes to improvised experimental trios playing together across continents and timezones. The Marathon closes with a festive duo between longtime Bang on a Can All-Star Mark Stewart and Nigerian guitarist Biodun Kuti, a 2013 OneBeat fellow who went on to play alongside Mark in Paul Simon’s band. Other featured acts include composer, trumpeter and santur player Amir ElSaffar, Indonesian sinden vocalist Peni Candra Rini, South African future folk performer Dumama, superstar pan-Latin group LADAMA, poet, musician, writer and performer Dahlak Brathwaite.

This experimental trio of synth designer and producer Meng Qi (China), percussionist Jess Tsang (U.S.), and Amy Garapic (U.S.) met during our OneBeat 2019 program in the Southeast U.S., where Meng and Jess were fellows, and Amy was a facilitator. Drawn to similar experimental soundscapes and sound-making techniques, Meng and Jess performed several free improvisations throughout the residency and tour in small clubs, museum spaces, churches, and concert stages. This special trio brings the three experimental sound artists together for the first time, creating live improvised soundscapes in virtual dimensions.