Description:

Using Charlotte Moorman’s own annotated copy of John Cage’s 26’ 1.1499” for a String Player as inspiration, this program explores her realization of Cage’s indeterminate score. Musicologist Ben Piekut, Associate Professor of Musicology at Cornell University and author of the acclaimed book Experimentalism Otherwise: The New York Avant-Garde and Its Limits, will share his perspective on the piece and Moorman’s place within the historical moment of the 1960s avant-garde. To complement the program, Jason Rosenholtz-Witt, Northwestern PhD candidate in musicology, and his colleagues will perform excerpts from the score and consider the specific challenges presented by the work and Moorman’s unique approach. This program is presented in partnership with the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University.