Blow their minds, Santa Cruz Parents!

I pity my readers who aren’t here in Santa Cruz this Wednesday. It’s not often that you get a chance to take your kids on a free ride through avant garde history.

John Cage and my neighbor, local composer Lou Harrison

The wonderful New Music Works (with whom my choral group, Ariose Singers, performs on a regular basis) is making it really cheap to introduce your family to the outrageous wonderfulness of composer John Cage this Wednesday, what would have been his 100th birthday.

Cage is most infamous for his piece 4’33”, which will be performed on Pacific Garden Mall between 3:34 and (what else?) 4:33 on Wednesday. And earlier at noon, check out a few of Cage’s compositions for percussion orchestra featuring the William Winant Percussion Group (great SF group that often performs with NMW) on Duck Island. It’s all free.

Even in Santa Cruz, it’s possible to live your life believing that everything is what it is and there’s nothing left to discover. It’s events like this that make me know what a great place this is to raise kids. Enjoy, and happy Avant Parenting!

[Read a Santa Cruz Weekly article about this event]

Now available