A beloved San Francisco icon, Michael Tilson Thomas redefined the San Francisco Symphony during his extraordinary 25-year tenure as Music Director. In a one-of-a-kind event, MTT’s longtime friends and artistic collaborators—join the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus in a concert celebrating his life and legacy. The program features music by composers closely associated with MTT, including Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copland, alongside world premieres by Mason Bates and MTT himself.

EPSG:4326

A Concert for MTT

Davies Symphony Hall

Pianist Onutė Gražinytė and cellist Edward King are returning to the Paliesius Manor! The performers will present them with a special and very expensive program dedicated to the 90th anniversary of one of the most famous contemporary composers Arvo Pärt. The program is composed on the principle of mirror reflection and is named after one of the works: “Spiegel im Spiegel” (Lithuanian: “Mirror in a Mirror”).

Dedication to Arvo Pärt. Presentation of the anniversary CD "Spiegel im Spiegel"

Paliesius Manor

Starting and finishing at Midlands Arts Centre in Cannon Hill Park, this guided bicycle concert invites audiences to travel together through the city, stopping at a series of green spaces for live performances of contemporary music. Participants will visit locations across Birmingham by bike, where short, pop-up concerts unfold in the open air. Please note you will need your own bike to take part in this ride.

Cycle the Score

Midlands Arts Centre

In the context of Mittwoch aus Licht, Titus Engel, for his first concert as conductor-in-residence, connects the musical worlds of Stockhausen and Wagner. Both composers not only shaped the music of their time, but they also polarised opinion, both aesthetically and socially. A mystical aura still surrounds both; religion of art and classical heroic epic are the central elements of their two late works. A few days before the premiere of Mittwoch, the second act of Donnerstag offers insights into another day of the week-long opera cycle. As a purely instrumental section, Michael’s journey around the world traces a hero’s path culminating in his ascension to Heaven. The parallels to Parsifal’s journey, profoundly influenced by Wagner’s affinity for religious spirituality, are evident. John Cage's piece 4′33″ serves as a link and prelude to the quasi-sacred atmosphere, having revolutionised listening through the establishment of the musical pause as a sonic space. The concert marks the opening of the thematic focus on Stockhausen and Cage, co-curated by Titus Engel.

Symphony Concert: Light on Parsifal

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Only a few days before the premiere of the opera Mittwoch aus Licht, Titus Engel devotes himself in his first concert as conductor in residence with the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin to a scene from another day of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s week-long opera cycle – the second act of Donnerstag aus Licht. The purely instrumental section Michaels Reise um die Erde depicts the travels of a hero culminating in an ascension to heaven. There are clear parallels here to the journey of Parsifal which was profoundly characterised by Richard Wagner’s affinity with religious spirituality, and the evening concludes with extracts from this work. John Cage’s 4′33″, a composition that reoriented and challenged listening habits through the discovery of musical rests as sonic space, acts as a connecting element between these works, attuning the ear to a quasi-sacred atmosphere.

Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Kleiner Saal

Under the dome of the Mannheim Planetarium, sound and cosmos meet in an impressive way.

Atlas Eclipticalis

Planetarium Mannheim

Real Time | Fluxus Tree

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

This program features a range of vocal works from around the world, from the minimalism of John Cage to the sonic inventions of Mauricio Kagel, from Nordic traditions to the most playful contemporary music. Through vocal games, refined polyphonies, and pieces bordering on musical theater, the young singers of Opéra Junior, led by their choirmaster Albert Alcaraz, take on the challenge of these modern and expressive works with the freshness, energy, and rigor that are the hallmarks of this unique project in Europe.

Rounds

Le Corum

Bartók / Kodaly / Cage

San Carlo Theatre

We will present two of the most prominent composers of the 20th-century in New York, two friends – John Cage (1912–1992) and Morton Feldman (1926–1987). Their music will be discussed by their friend Petr Kotík at an extra special concert. Kotík will lead an expert discussion about their works as a long-time collaborator of both composers, in particular of John Cage (continuous collaboration in the years 1964–1992).

On 18 December 1950, John Cage wrote in a letter to Pierre Boulez: “Feldman’s music is extremely beautiful now. It changes with each piece, I find him my closest friend now among the composers here.”

Special Concert. Cage, Feldman, Kotík: A New Starting Point

Švanda Theatre, Smíchov

The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc with Abel Selaocoe

University of Minnesota

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Inspired by one of the earliest texts of Chinese philosophy, Divine Intimacies explores how nearly a thousand years of musical thought can be translated into contemporary sound. During the performance, visual representations of hexagrams from the I-Ching will be generated in real time and projected around the space, guiding structured improvisations between the musicians.

Tangram: Divine Intimacies

LSO St Luke's

The New York Times wrote that Gabriella Smith’s music “exudes inventiveness with a welcoming personality, rousing energy and torrents of joy.” Smith expresses that joy in her music and collaborations, even as it asks listeners to preserve our fragile planet. Her first album, Lost Coast, channeled imagery inspired by a five-day backpacking trip through California’s Lost Coast Trail with her Curtis Institute roommate and friend Gabriel Cabezas. Cabezas’s cello and Smith’s violin and vocals combine acoustically and through electronic loops to express anger and grief at natural devastation blended with wonder and hope.

Smith, Cabezas & Childs

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Out of the Box series returns with the groundbreaking minimalism of Terry Riley’s In C, a mesmerizing and ever-evolving piece that invites performers to move freely through 53 short musical phrases, anchored by a steady pulse in the key of C. With its hypnotic rhythms and shifting textures, In C transforms each performance into a unique journey for the senses. Reimagine the concert experience with this dynamic exploration of sound, spontaneity, and connection!

Out of the Box: Meditation

Theatre Salina 

John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes — a pinnacle of his work with prepared piano — meets the effervescence of Debussy’s Préludes, in this program performed by Boris Berman.

Boris Berman, piano

Yale University

Join NWS Fellows and alumni in tracing the evolution of American chamber music from 18th century colonies to a tribute to Ellis Island. 

Ives, Monk, Cage & Eastman

New World Center

Three powerhouse performers. One electrifying trio. Junction Trio—featuring violinist Stefan Jackiw, cellist and Bay Area native Jay Campbell, and pianist-composer Conrad Tao—brings unmatched energy, precision, and imagination to the Noe Music stage. Known for their adventurous programming and deep musical chemistry, the Trio redefines the piano trio for a new generation. Whether performing Shostakovich, Brahms, or boundary-pushing premieres by composers like John Zorn and Amy Williams, Junction Trio dazzles audiences with bold ideas and jaw-dropping virtuosity. Don’t miss this rare chance to experience “electrifying performers working their magic live” (Boston Musical Intelligencer).

Junction Trio

Noe Valley Ministry

Leon Botstein leads TŌN in a concert of music spanning over 200 years, with four 20th-century works presented alongside a brief symphony from 1776. The program begins with Ulysses Kay’s Chariots, inspired by the writings of poet William Blake and others, and John Cage’s whimsical Suite for Toy Piano, both in solo performance by Frank Corliss and Lou Harrison’s orchestration. Then we explore three symphonies of different styles: Stravinsky’s expressive Symphony in C; C. P. E. Bach’s adventurous Symphony in D Major, and one of Albert Roussel’s most beloved works, the vivacious Third Symphony, written for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930.

Stravinsky, Cage, and C.P.E. Bach

Fisher Center at Bard

One of the most promising singers of her generation, French soprano Axelle Fanyo has been praised by Renée Fleming for her “charismatic, beautiful voice [of] real star quality.” In her PCMS debut program with the “unfailingly eloquent and supportive” pianist Julius Drake (The Telegraph), Fanyo explores the master and apprentice relationship between two pioneering European composers, Arnold Schoenberg and Olivier Messaien, and their American protegés, John Cage and William Bolcom.

Axelle Fanyo, soprano Julius Drake, piano

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Composer and conductor James Weeks joins musicians from our own Royal Northern Sinfonia for this concert.

The Light Within

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

Music of the time #THULIAN

WDR Funkhaus

Leave your assumptions at the door and discover the unexpected similarities in the work of Pierre Boulez and John Cage with the London Sinfonietta. 

Following March's sold-out performance at the Southbank Centre, this intimate chamber concert now goes on tour - revealing a story of intriguing correspondence between two of the 20th century’s most iconic composers.

Leave your assumptions at the

Church of St Mary the Virgin

At the end of August, the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt—celebrating his 90th birthday—will meet the electronic soundscapes of Aphex Twin in the big hangar of the Põhjala Factory. Aphex Twin, a global icon in electronic music, has openly cited Pärt as an influence, and critics have often drawn intriguing parallels between their works. The Põhjala Angaar, one of Estonia’s most distinctive venues, offers over 1,100 square metres of space beneath soaring twin vaults—an ideal setting to experience the resonance of Pärt’s tintinnabuli style alongside Aphex Twin’s instrumental arrangements. The concert programme is curated by Vambola Krigul.

Pärt and Aphex Twin

A late summer evening, a quiet space, a work of unusual delicacy: The Konradfest festival comes to a close with Hymns and Variations by John Cage. In the Resurrection Chapel in Straß, early church sound patterns meet radical reduction – a musical breath that questions more than it explains.

KIRCH'KLANG: Konradfest – Conclusion

Auferstehungskapelle

Fünf Freunde [Five Friends] is the title of the exhibition (which runs until August 17) dedicated to the works and artistic circle of Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham, and John Cage. Examining cultural politics during the Cold War as well as the issue of what it meant to be a homosexual during this time opens up new perspectives on the historiography of post-war Modernism. As part of this collaboration, the musicians of the BRSO will be joined by more than 100 friends and will focus on the composer John Cage through chamber music concerts and panel discussions as well as “BRSO und du” programs at Museum Brandhorst.

“105 Friends” – Chamber concert

Museum Brandhorst

Adélaďde Ferričre, a French percussionist of international renown, has performed in Brno once before, in early December 2023 at the Percussion Festival organised by the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts; she led a workshop and gave the closing concert, demonstrating her mastery of the marimba to great acclaim. While she is in town to perform Fazil Say’s Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra with Brno Philharmonic led by Tomáš Hanus (19 and 20 June 2025 at the Janáček Theatre), she has agreed to give a recital as part of the Philharmonic Chamber Series at Besední dům the same week. Her programme includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach and two luminaries of 20th-century music, the French composer of Greek origin Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001) and the Italian composer Franco Donati (1927–2000).

Adélaïde Ferrière – Solo (not Just) On Marimba

Besední dům

The final night of this year’s Exposition of New Music won’t be just a concert. It will be a ritual – joyful, free, and delightfully unpredictable. A festival finale dedicated to Erik Satie and John Cage, offering an evening that challenges the boundaries between stage and audience, composer and listener, music and life itself.

Musicircus

Fünf Freunde [Five Friends] is the title of the exhibition (which runs until August 17) dedicated to the works and artistic circle of Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham, and John Cage. Examining cultural politics during the Cold War as well as the issue of what it meant to be a homosexual during this time opens up new perspectives on the historiography of post-war Modernism. As part of this collaboration, the musicians of the BRSO will be joined by more than 100 friends and will focus on the composer John Cage through chamber music concerts and panel discussions as well as “BRSO und du” programmes at Museum Brandhorst.

Special concert on the 65th birthday of Steffen Schleiermacher

Gewandhaus

Music is able to create a space for inner peace, contemplation and beauty like nothing else. Experience a different concert, where the music and tones create a unified flow and a feeling of balance, peace and presence.

Meditation Concert

Randers Fritidscenter

Classical guitarist and composer Aaron Larget-Caplan searches for the life in music & music in life. He has performed in Europe, Russia, and Taiwan, premiered over 120 compositions, directs the Spanish music & dance ensemble ¡Con Fuego!, while curating the New Lullaby Project, and the Now Musique recital series. His arrangements and recording of the music of John Cage are the first to be sanctioned by the John Cage Trust, are published by Edition Peters, and have received international accolades. His 11 solo albums have earned over 10 million streams, and include albums dedicated to J.S. Bach, John Cage, Spanish romantic and flamenco composers, contemporary composers, and his own music. Raised in Colorado he makes his home in Boston where is on the faculty at the New England Conservatory.

Guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan, New York Connection

Bargemusic

Leave your assumptions at the door and discover the unexpected similarities in the work of Pierre Boulez and John Cage with the London Sinfonietta.

The Boulez/cage Letters

Southbank Centre

Players from Royal Northern Sinfonia and the orchestra’s Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa.

Once upon a time

Christoph Sietzen is a man of superlatives: When the award-winning multi-percussionist gets started with the percussion ensemble MOTUS Percussion, a huge spectrum can be experienced, from the limits of the audible to fascinating sound eruptions.

Christoph Sietzen | MOTUS Percussion

Museum Ludwig

Piano Spheres’ founding pianist Susan Svrček was known for her elegant and insightful performances. Her untimely passing in 2022 foreshadowed the loss of her husband of 32 years, influential composer Frederick Lesemann who wrote much of his later music for her and whose music she championed. This concert is a rare opportunity to hear all of Piano Spheres’ Core and Emeritus Artists on the same stage at the same time! They will perform works by Charles Ives, Arnold Schoenberg and John Cage often performed by Svrček, as well as music by Lesemann written for her. This concert is a love letter from Susan and Rick’s colleagues, students and friends, three of whom (composers Donald Crocket, Thomas Flaherty, and Bill Alves) have written pieces for this concert as part of the Piano Spheres ‘30 for 30’ commissioning program.

Piano Spheres Presents: For Susan and Rick

Colburn School

Piano Spheres’ founding pianist Susan Svrček was known for her elegant and insightful performances. Her untimely passing in 2022 foreshadowed the loss of her husband of 32 years, influential composer Frederick Lesemann who wrote much of his later music for her and whose music she championed. This concert is a rare opportunity to hear all of Piano Spheres’ Core and Emeritus Artists on the same stage at the same time! They will perform works by Charles Ives, Arnold Schoenberg and John Cage often performed by Svrček, as well as music by Lesemann written for her. This concert is a love letter from Susan and Rick’s colleagues, students and friends, three of whom (composers Donald Crockett, Thomas Flaherty and Bill Alves) have written pieces for this concert as part of the Piano Spheres ‘30 for 30’ commissioning program.

for Susan and Rick

One California Plaza

Departmental Recitals showcase performance departments through its students. Featuring various students and repertoire, and curated by the faculty, performances in this recital highlight SFCM programs and the wide range of study.

Percussion Ensemble Recital

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Experience the captivating artistry of Ljubinka Kulisic, an acclaimed accordion virtuoso, as she brings to life the innovative compositions of John Cage and John Zorn. The program features three seminal works by Cage: "Dream," originally composed for Merce Cunningham’s choreography, which envelops listeners in its haunting and ethereal atmosphere; "Souvenir," a solo organ piece that showcases Cage’s unique approach to the instrument; and "Cheap Imitation I and II," inspired by Erik Satie’s "Socrate" and notable for its use of the I Ching to create rhythmic patterns. Additionally, the performance includes Zorn’s "Road Runner," a thrilling, cartoon-inspired solo accordion piece that captures the frenetic energy of its namesake through rapid jump cuts and dynamic changes.

Ljubinka Kulisic, born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has a repertoire that spans from early baroque adaptations to contemporary compositions. Her extensive training includes a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Music Performance from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland in Lugano. Kulisic has performed across Europe, Canada, and the United States, participating in prestigious festivals and collaborating with renowned musicians. Her interpretations of works by Cage, Zorn, and others have been lauded as extraordinary and virtuosic by major publications. With a deep commitment to music education, Kulisic has also shared her expertise as a teaching assistant at the University of Toronto, guiding graduate students in contemporary music literature and techniques.

Performance: Ljubinka Kulisic

Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

Anton Bruckner's Locus Iste (This place) is a sacred motet, composed in 1869 during his first year in Leipzig. It's written for four unaccompanied mixed voices and is both haunting and transcendent.

Beethoven Nine: Be Embraced

Sunset Center

Gabriella Smith’s music has been performed by many leading orchestras around the world. She’s also a committed environmentalist. During this evening of music and conversation, Gabriella and host Gabriel Kahane will explore the concept of nature music, the relationship between art and political practice, and the importance of climate activism and ecosystem restoration.

Open Music with Gabriella Smith

Alberta Rose Theatre of Portland

Pianist Vicki Ray presents Nacht und Träume – an evening that explores liminal states of consciousness through the music of Cage, Schubert and Berg alongside new works by Rachel Beetz, Andrew McIntosh, Noah Meites and Bill Alves. Using different keyboards, Ray – with guest soprano Elissa Johnston – will probe the territories of night and dreams using piano, prepared piano, synthesizer along with video and electronics.  For information about parking please click HERE

Vicki Ray: Nacht und Träume

2220 Arts + Archives

This nicely varied program features works from four choreographers performed to music of diverse styles and periods. The Concert, Jerome Robbins’s impishly funny sendup of the supposedly staid behavior of classical concertgoers, finds unexpected humor in its score of selected Chopin piano works. The program also includes Balanchine’s Ballo della Regina, performed to Verdi ballet music, which features bravura choreography that challenges even the most technically assured dancers; Peter Martins’ endlessly dynamic Hallelujah Junction, danced to a score for two pianos by the esteemed contemporary composer John Adams; and In a Landscape, a pas de deux to music by the modernist composer John Cage created by Albert Evans, a beloved longtime principal dancer with the Company who passed away in 2015.

Classic NYCB

Lincoln Center

The Taproot New Music Festival will take place on the campus of the University of California, Davis, during the week of February 5, 2024, and will culminate in performances at the end of that week (February 8–11, 2024). Eight composers have been chosen to participate in the festival: they’ll have new pieces performed, and will participate in seminars and workshops facilitated by the visiting artists and UC Davis composition faculty. The festival will feature Splinter Reeds as a visiting ensemble. UC Davis’s own Empyrean Ensemble will also join the festival line-up.

Taproot New Music Festival OPENING CONCERT

Ann E. Pitzer Center

Cory Fica DMA Percussion Recital

University of Miami

The addition of a second viola lifts the string quartet into a symphonic stratosphere, as we shall hear with Mendelssohn’s impassioned Second Quintet, Op. 87, and Dvorak’s sublime Third Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97. Between these two blockbusters, the piano offers an amuse-bouche with selections from Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano by the arch-iconoclast John Cage. Bid midwinter doldrums adieu with this infusion of daring and delight.

Viva Viola

St Gabriel's Church

Join us for an enchanting evening of chamber music that celebrates the beauty of nature, "Up Close with Living Lands & Waters," presented by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO). This special event takes place on January 20th at 7:30 pm CST at the Figge Art Museum, located at 225 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA.

The concert opens with the light and airy melodies of Franz Joseph Haydn's String Quartet Op. 64 No 5, known as the Lark Quartet, setting the stage for a night of musical exploration. The program continues with John Luther Adams' "Dream of the Canyon Wren," a piece for string quartet that captures the awe-inspiring beauty of nature's landscapes. Claude Debussy's "L’isle Joyeuse" (Island of Joy) transports the audience to a magical island, followed by the innovative sounds of John Cage's prepared piano piece "And the Earth Shall Bear Again." Angel Lam's "Secrets and Ice Garden" adds to the evening's allure, leading up to the finale with Franz Schubert's beloved "Trout Quintet," a piece that weaves a narrative resonating with the serene and joyful spirit of the natural world.

The concert features talented musicians including Emily Nash & Sabrina Tabby on violin, Bruno Vaz da Silva on viola, Hannah Holman on cello, Kit Polen on bass, and Marian Lee on piano. This event is presented in partnership with Living Lands & Waters and is part of a series sponsored by Susan Quail.

Don't miss this exquisite celebration of nature through the medium of chamber music. Purchase your tickets now and experience the magic of "Up Close with Living Lands & Waters" at the Figge Art Museum.

Up Close with Living Lands & Waters

Figge Art Museum

Join us for compositions highlighting both classic works as well as originals by the members and director of the ensemble!

School of Jazz Percussion Ensemble Concert

Arnhold Hall

Hung-Yu Lin, cello: Second Year Master's Recital

Carnegie Mellon Percussion Ensemble

Carnegie Mellon University

Joshua Arkangel (M.M. '23) presents a contemporary classical music recital.

Student Recital: Joshua Arkangel, Contemporary Classical Music

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Percussion Ensemble

Northwestern University

Grammy-nominated soprano Sophia Burgos joins Royal Northern Sinfonia and their conductor Dinis Sousa.

Americana II: Cage, Ives, Crumb and Coates

Quatuor Danel celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary of Independence. The programme includes a piece by Amy Beach, which incorporates three traditional Alaskan Inuit melodies.

Quatuor Danel: America 250 Years

Stoller Hall, Manchester

Rhythm is as ancient as human culture, and after all these years, composers are still finding new ways to express themselves with it. John Adams traces the evolution of 20th- and 21st-century rhythmic-based experimental music in a program he conducts. Following the premiere of his entry in our ongoing LA Phil Etudes series, he leads the New Music Group in John Cage’s gamelan-inspired piece for metal percussion and Lou Harrison’s jubilant Organ Concerto. Composer and pianist Conrad Tao’s Pacific 88 is paired with a new work by Wang Lu, and the evening concludes with a new piece by footwork DJ and Pulitzer Prize for Music finalist Jlin.

John Cage

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 6, 2026

Percussion Ensemble · Northwestern Bienen School of Music

Jan 24, 2027

Americana II: Cage, Ives, Crumb and Coates · Royal Northern Sinfonia

Feb 3, 2027

Quatuor Danel: America 250 Years · The Stoller Hall

Mar 16, 2027

John Adams/Rhythmic Lines · Los Angeles Philharmonic

Apr 27, 2027

The King’s Singers · Prague Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Oct 2, 2026

A Concert for MTT · San Francisco Symphony

Sep 26, 2026

Dedication to Arvo Pärt. Presentation of the anniversary CD "Spiegel im Spiegel" · Paliesius Manor

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