John Cage: Making Music Out of Everything

Perhaps no other composer has so sharply divided listeners—as much for his philosophy as for his compositions—as John Cage (1912-1992), whose centennial will be celebrated at the upcoming Focus! festival at Juilliard, which runs from January 27 through February 3. Listeners unfamiliar with Cage’s prolific output will be startled by his playfulness, his upending of convention, cheerful embrace of chance operations, and vigorous belief in the possibilities inherent in everything we hear; Cage is the godfather of sounds some might characterize as “nonmusical.”