2012 preview: The year in arts and culture

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 'Firebird,' American Ballet Theatre'Clybourne Park''The Exorcist''Order and Disorder: Alighiero Boetti by Afghan Women'Ravi Coltrane Quartet performance for UCLA Live'Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream'John Cage centennial'Jerry Seinfeld Live!'Pacific Standard TimeLondon's Olympic venuesDance Project L.A.Plácido Domingo sings baritone in 'Simon Boccanegra'Stephen Merchant premieres his stand-up show'Made in L.A.'50 First JokesJohn Adams' 'The Gospel According to the Other Mary'

Composer John Cage, known as the grandfather of the avant-garde, was born Sept. 5, 1912 and died in 1992. He would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2012, and a slew of <a href="http://www.johncage.org/2012/events.html" target="_blank">celebratory events</a> are being held all year across the country in his honor. In Los Angeles, the California Institute of the Arts will present a complete performance of Cage's "Song Books" on Feb. 5 as well as an orchestral concert at REDCAT on Feb. 15-16. <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/03/southwest-chamber-music-begins-john-cage-2012-.html" target="_blank">Southwest Chamber Music</a> is hosting a Cage <a href="http://www.swmusic.org/performances/calendar.html" target="_blank">festival</a> in March, complete with audio-kinetic sound sculptures and other commissioned works. And the L.A. Phil's April 10 Green Umbrella <a href="http://www.laphil.com/tickets/performance-detail.cfm?id=4721" target="_blank">performance</a> features Cage's "Concerto for Prepared Piano," conducted by John Adams.

John Cage centennial

( Victor Drees / Evening Standard / Getty Images )

Composer John Cage, known as the grandfather of the avant-garde, was born Sept. 5, 1912 and died in 1992. He would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2012, and a slew of celebratory events are being held all year across the country in his honor. In Los Angeles, the California Institute of the Arts will present a complete performance of Cage's "Song Books" on Feb. 5 as well as an orchestral concert at REDCAT on Feb. 15-16. Southwest Chamber Music is hosting a Cage festival in March, complete with audio-kinetic sound sculptures and other commissioned works. And the L.A. Phil's April 10 Green Umbrella performance features Cage's "Concerto for Prepared Piano," conducted by John Adams.

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