APARTMENT HOUSE 1776

Read the New York Times' in-depth coverage of the production.

Listen to the featured story and interview on NPR's All Things Considered.

Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America's independence as a nation, Apartment House 1776 is an immersive opera placing the spectator at the crossroads of its colonial foundations, imagined as a chorus of voices drifting from apartment windows.

The production realized the full potential of Cage's radical concept to create a genuine religious experience: interweaving individual spiritual journeys in a landscape that embraced — rather than avoided — the social and political tensions of the moment.

Presented by Detroit Opera at the Cranbrook Art Museum, Apartment House 1776 was an overwhelming success on a determinedly modest budget. The Detroit Metro Times described the experience in four words:

"Chaotic. Moving. Overwhelming. Beautiful."