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Tonight’s program is the second of two that focuses on Cage’s time at Wesleyan University and consists of a conversation between Laura Kuhn and Neely Bruce, one of Cage’s most beloved colleagues there, a Professor of Music and American Studies since 1974. Neely earned his DMA from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where his principal teachers were Ben Johnston, Charles Hamm, and Soulima Stravinsky. While at the University of Illinois, Neely met and worked with Cage during Cage’s own residency there in the 1960s, appearing in both Cage’s Musicircus in 1967 and in the premiere performance of Cage’s HPSCHD in 1969. Neely would go on to become well known for his association with Cage’s works, which included his directing The American Theatre Group’s stellar performance of Cage’s Song Books in 1979. In 1988, he executed a major symposium about Cage and his cultural influences, titled “John Cage at Wesleyan,” which featured many of the finest Cage performers of the day. In 1992, Neely was among the participants of the now legendary Cagemusicircus, presented by Essential Music and Andrew Culver on Nov. 1, 1992 at N.Y.’s Symphony Space, along with such others as Laurie Anderson, Irvine Arditti, Earle Brown, Stephen Drury, Annea Lockwood, Jackson Mac Low, Yvar Mikhashoff, Gordon Mumma, and a host of others.