
Unidentified photographer: John Cage presenting "Marcel Duchamp: An Event" during the Members' Preview of the retrospective Marcel Duchamp, Philadelphia Museum of Art, September 21, 1973
Cage: Beyond Silence Citywide Festival
Presented by Bowerbird in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art Taking place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and venues across the city, Cage: Beyond Silence has been organized by Artistic Director Dustin Hurt to unfold in three parts. The first, Move from Zero (October 26–November 4, 2012) provides an introduction to John Cage's music, focusing on seminal works from his early career, such as Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48), Music of Changes (1951), and 4'33"(1952), and explores a variety of other stylistic periods through his solo repertoire. Parts two and three—subtitled The Year Begins to be Ripe (November 30–December 9, 2012) and At Least We Have Begun (January 11–20, 2013) respectively—will juxtapose two of Cage's "magnum opuses," the mid-career polystylistic Song Books (Solos for Voice 3–92) (1970) and the late-career meditative series of compositions titled Number Pieces (1987–92). Several works will be given multiple performances, underlining the important role of the interpreter in realizing Cage's scores and emphasizing the ephemeral and changing nature of these indeterminate works.
Margaret Leng Tan performing John Cage music live at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 2012
