Cage Shock

Contemporary Music

Thursday, December 7, 7:30 pm
   —Pre-concert lecture at 6:30 pm
   —Followed by a Private Gathering for Artists and Members

A paid livestream option is also available for this event.

Playbill (PDF) →

In collaboration with experimental sound artists Tania Caroline Chen and Victoria Shen, Tomomi Adachi recreates the essence of John Cage’s historic visit to Japan in 1962, often referred to as “Cage Shock.” Through renditions of Cage’s iconic pieces, such as Haiku and 0’00”, Adachi captures the spirit of that transformative tour. The program also features Toshi Ichiyanagi’s Sapporo, which premiered in 1962 and was conducted by John Cage. Ichiyanagi (1933-2022), an esteemed Japanese composer and the first husband of Yoko Ono, developed a close friendship with Cage during his 1950s residency in New York City and played a pivotal role in organizing Cage’s inaugural trip to Japan, with visits to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and the city of Sapporo.

A lecture on how the pieces in this radical program were received in Japan at the time, led by John Cage scholar Dr. James Pritchett, precedes the concert.

For this concert, International Contemporary Ensemble members include Kyle Armburst (viola), Katinka Kleijn (cello), Michael Nicolas (cello) and Mike Lormand (trombone).

Part of the John Cage’s Japan Series
September—December, 2023

Save 20% when you purchase a ticket to any 2 programs in the John Cage’s Japan Series. Offer only valid for tickets purchased in the same transaction.

Your ticket also includes complimentary, same-day admission for one person to Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxus, on view at Japan Society Gallery through January 21, 2024. To view the exhibition please show your ticket/receipt to the Welcome Desk for free admission before the performance.

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Images: Cage Shock: Homage to his First Japan Visit © Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation; Tomomi Adachi © Aichi Triennale; Victoria Shen © Damien Maloney; Tania Caroline Chen © Fabio Lugaro; Kyle Armbrust © digitice media team; Katinka Kleijn © Tiberiu Romanti; Michael Nicolas © Kevin Yatarola; Mike Lormand © Mike Gurfield; Kevin Yatarola; John Cage’s Japan Series © Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation.

Support for John Cage’s Japan is generously provided by Doug and Teresa Peterson and the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from Nancy and Joe Walker, and the Nomura Foundation.

Support for the international travel for Tomomi Adachi for Cage Shock is provided by The Japan Foundation.

2023-24 Performing Arts Season Support

The season is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Major support is generously provided by Doug and Teresa Peterson and Hisamitsu America, Inc. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund, the John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund, and the Endowment for the Performing Arts, established with a leadership gift from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Additional support is provided by The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Nancy and Joe Walker, Dr. and Mrs. Carl F. Taeusch II, Dr. Jeanette C. Takamura, Estate of Alan M. Suhonen, and Friends of the Performing Arts. All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. is the official airline of the Japan Society Performing Arts Program. Yamaha is the official piano provider of Japan Society.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.