Cage: Beyond Silence

A citywide festival celebrating the music of John Cage in his centenary year, presented by Bowerbird in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

On this page: About Programs Press Credits Support

About

Cage: Beyond Silence was a major festival celebrating the music of John Cage. Taking place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and venues across the city, events unfolded in three parts. The first, Move from Zero (October 26 – November 4, 2012), provided 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 explored a variety of other stylistic periods through his solo repertoire. Parts two and three, subtitled The Year Begins to be Ripe (November 30 – December 12, 2012) and At Least We Have Begun (January 11 – 20, 2013), juxtaposed 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 (1987–1992). Several works were 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.

In 2012, the year of the Cage Centenary, and 20 years after his death, we were still grasping to understand the enormity of Cage’s contributions. His infamous “silent piece,” 4′33″, composed near the start of his career, still dominates discussion, at times overshadowing the subsequent forty years of artistic output. Cage’s radical introduction of everyday sounds—previously considered non-musical—into the musical landscape, his evolving ideas about the role of the composer in society, and his use of chance operations to mute his “likes” and “dislikes” demonstrate his importance as a music philosopher. Cage’s tireless artistic exploration and innovation—which also grew to include visual arts and writing—produced one of history’s most unique and nuanced musical voices. Beyond Silence invited audiences to engage with Cage’s work, welcoming its complexity, unpredictability and unexpected beauty.

The festival was endorsed by the John Cage Trust and presented in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s major exhibition Dancing around the Bride: Cage, Cunningham, Johns, Rauschenberg, and Duchamp (October 30, 2012 – January 21, 2013).

Hurricane Sandy forced the postponement of two concerts in the festival’s first week. Margaret Leng Tan’s Sonatas and Interludes was rescheduled for December 16 at the Art Museum.

Programs

Part 1. Move from Zero: Early Works and Solos

October 26 – November 4, 2012

Fri, Oct 26, 2012 · 5pmCage: Music for FilmMargaret Leng Tan, piano, at Art After 5Philadelphia Museum of ArtSun, Oct 28, 2012 · 8pmPOSTPONED: Margaret Leng Tan performs John Cage’s Sonatas & InterludesMargaret Leng Tan, prepared pianoCurtis Field Concert HallTue, Oct 30, 2012 · 8pmCANCELED: Dan Blacksberg and Jay Campbell perform John Cage solo worksDan Blacksberg, trombone, and Jay Campbell, celloPhiladelphia Art Alliance at the University of the ArtsThu, Nov 1, 2012 · 8pmCage’s Music of ChangesJoseph Kubera, pianoTrinity Center for Urban LifeSat, Nov 3, 2012 · 12pmCage: Silence and BeyondMini-symposium on 4′33″ and beyondPhiladelphia Museum of ArtSat, Nov 3, 2012 · 8pmJohn Cage’s Organ2 / ASLSPParker Kitterman, organChrist ChurchSun, Nov 4, 2012 · 4pmNetwork for New Music performs Cage’s SolosNetwork for New MusicPhiladelphia Museum of Art

Part 2. The Year Begins to be Ripe: Song Books

November 30 – December 16, 2012

Fri, Nov 30, 2012 · 8pmJohn Cage’s Song BooksJoan La Barbara and Ne(x)tworksChrist ChurchSat, Dec 1, 2012 · 12pmJoan La Barbara and Ne(x)tworks perform Cage’s Song Books in MiniaturesJoan La Barbara and Ne(x)tworksPhiladelphia Museum of ArtSun, Dec 2, 2012 · 12pmBehind Song BooksTalks, workshops and hands-on activitiesPhiladelphia Museum of ArtFri, Dec 7, 2012 · 8pmThe BSC performs John Cage’s Song BooksThe BSCPhiladelphia Episcopal CathedralSat, Dec 8, 2012 · 12pmThe BSC performs John Cage’s Song Books in MiniaturesThe BSCPhiladelphia Museum of ArtSun, Dec 9, 2012 · 8pmCage: Variations I – IIIVarious artistsThe RotundaSun, Dec 16, 2012 · 2pmMargaret Leng Tan performs Cage’s Sonatas and InterludesMargaret Leng Tan, prepared pianoPhiladelphia Museum of Art

Part 3. At Least We Have Begun: Number Pieces

January 11 – 20, 2013

Fri, Jan 11, 2013 · 5pmSongs & Harmonies with RelacheRelâche and guestsPhiladelphia Museum of ArtFri, Jan 11, 2013 · 9pmJohn Cage: Film Without SubjectOne¹¹ and 103, a film by John CageThe RotundaSat, Jan 12, 2013 · 11amBoot Camp for Cage’s Number Pieces with Michael PisaroWith Michael PisaroPhiladelphia Museum of ArtSat, Jan 12, 2013 · 1pmCage’s Number Pieces with Christian Wolff, Keith Rowe, and Michael PisaroChristian Wolff, Keith Rowe and Michael PisaroPhiladelphia Museum of ArtSat, Jan 12, 2013 · 8pmJACK Quartet performs CageJACK Quartet with James HirschfeldCrane ArtsSun, Jan 13, 2013 · 8pmMeetings: Pauline Oliveros, Christian Wolff, Keith Rowe, and Michael PisaroPauline Oliveros, Christian Wolff, Keith Rowe and Michael PisaroInternational HouseWed, Jan 16, 2013 · 2pmExtended Lullabies: Either / OR performs CageEither/ORPhiladelphia Museum of ArtFri, Jan 18, 2013 · 8pmJohn Cage’s Percussion WorksCurtis 20/21 and Curtis Percussion StudioCurtis Institute of MusicSat, Jan 19, 2013 · 8pmRob Haskins and Laurel Karlik Sheehan perform Cage’s Two2Rob Haskins and Laurel Karlik Sheehan, pianosCurtis Institute of MusicSun, Jan 20, 2013 · 2pmCage’s ThirteenPRISM Quartet and Curtis 20/21Philadelphia Museum of Art

Press

• Looking back on Cage: Beyond Silence (January 22, 2013)
• Cage’s Song Books in WHYY’s holiday guide (November 30, 2012)
• A listener’s guide to our Cage festival (November 27, 2012)
• Shaun Brady on Cage: Beyond Silence (November 27, 2012)
• Cage: Beyond Silence in WHYY’s November guide (November 2, 2012)
• Margaret Leng Tan plays Sonatas and Interludes (October 28, 2012)
• Cage: Beyond Silence opens, in WHYY’s weekly guide (October 26, 2012)
• Cage: Beyond Silence, previewed in The Inquirer (October 21, 2012)
• The Cage centenary at the Art Museum, on WHYY (September 18, 2012)
• A Pew grant for our Cage festival (April 4, 2012)
• Our Cage festival with the Art Museum, announced (March 29, 2012)

Credits

Cage: Beyond Silence was presented by Bowerbird in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and its exhibition Dancing around the Bride, and endorsed by the John Cage Trust.

Support

Cage: Beyond Silence was made possible by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Music Project. Additional support was generously provided by The Presser Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and other generous individuals.