Happy Birthday, John Cage! An interview with Michelle Schumann

Among the many musical innovations made by 20th-century composer John Cage were his experiments with “prepared piano,” whereby he put various objects on and between the piano strings to alter the sound. Pianist Michelle Schumann has performed tribute concerts marking Cage’s birthday every September since 2000. She came to KRWG’s studios to talk with Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin about how one prepares a piano, her interest in Cage’s music, this centennial year of his birth, and her own musical pursuits in Austin, Texas and around the world.