Detroit Opera to present John Cage’s Apartment House 1776 at Cranbrook Art Museum, May 21–24

Cage’s immersive “musicircus,” written in observance of the 1976 U.S. bicentennial, reimagines America’s colonial foundations as a chorus of voices drifting from apartment windows

DETROIT, March 30, 2026 – Detroit Opera’s 25/26 opera season will conclude with John Cage’s Apartment House 1776, an immersive operatic experience staged inside the galleries of the Cranbrook Art Museum on May 21, 22, 23, and 24. The production will be directed by Alexander Gedeon and will feature performance artist Selena Kearney; Detroit Opera Resident Artists Mia Mandineau, Brianna J. Robinson, and Travis Leon Williams; and the Detroit Opera Orchestra. There is no assigned seating, and audiences will choose their own paths through the performance. Tickets ($49) are available in person at the Detroit Opera House, online at detroitopera.org, and at 313.237.6454. Any unsold tickets will be available at the door at Cranbrook.

What does 1776 mean to you? As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, Detroit Opera invites audiences to experience John Cage’s Apartment House 1776,

conceived for the U.S. bicentennial celebration of American independence in 1976: a free-form musical tapestry or “musicircus” that reflects America’s diversity and interdependence. Now, 50 years later, Detroit Opera presents a one-of-a-kind immersive experience realizing Cage’s utopian vision of American cultural coexistence, in a new production by Alexander Gedeon. No two audience members will have the same experience, with audiences moving freely during the performance. Four performers trace interwoven journeys across a landscape shaped by Cage’s rearrangements of Revolutionary-era music, their stories crisscrossing, colliding, and converging. Artists choose their own musical materials, performed simultaneously, creating a dense, constantly shifting sound mix. In essence, Cage hands over the creative process to the performers, who each tell their own personal stories through the songs they have chosen to perform. Each experience is 90 minutes per timed entry, which includes built-in pre- and post-show experiences offering insight into Cage’s iconoclastic vision of the United States and inviting reflection on our shared future. Apartment House 1776 caps Detroit Opera’s season-long exploration of American identity as the nation prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

John Cage in Detroit: John Cage’s performance history in Detroit goes back at least to 1975, when his Child of Tree, featuring dancer Merce Cunningham performing to the sounds of an amplified cactus, was presented at Detroit’s Music Hall. More recently, audiences and critics alike praised Detroit Opera’s presentation of Yuval Sharon’s production of Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4 at the Gem Theatre in 2024. One audience member described it as “mind-bending and mind-blowing,” with another commenting that it “generated a surprising range of aesthetic feelings—including pure aesthetic joy, thoughtful contemplation, sorrow, hilarity, boredom, anxiety, and confusion.” Runner Detroit Magazine noted, “Being in the audience was like sitting at a café on a street corner watching the world go by. The stage became a cityscape layered over a soundscape that was continually transforming before our eyes and ears as layers appeared and disappeared creating a musical palimpsest of sorts.” HOUR Detroit described the performance as “a ghostly, otherworldly cacophony made up of fragments and scraps of sound… I felt utterly unmoored by Europeras 3 & 4, as though I were sitting up on Mars. I’d like to feel that way more often.” The Wall Street Journal called it “an explosion of controlled chaos.”

John Cage at Cranbrook: In 1974, John Cage visited Cranbrook Academy of Art at the invitation of Irwin Hollander, Head of Printmaking and Artist-in-Residence (1973–76), for an exhibition of Cage’s Music Mushroom Manuscripts at Cranbrook Art Museum. During his visit, Cage attended a performance titled “John Cage Listens to John Cage,” organized by 17-year-old Zen Buddhist Stephen Tennent. The performance included a set of ephemera created by Printmaking Department students, collectively known as The Cage Bag. In 2024, Lyla Catellier, Curator of Public Programming, organized a series of 50th-anniversary programs, including an exhibition of archival material from Detroit Opera’s 2024 performance of Europeras 3 & 4 at the Gem Theatre, as well as a new performance inspired by John Cage entitled Music Mushroom Mechanisms, by Detroit Bureau of Sound.

Free community event at Cranbrook: On Saturday, April 18, from 1 to 5 pm, Cranbrook Academy of Art will host its annual Open Studios event, opening its campus—including museums and student studio spaces—to the public for a free day of exploration. Visitors will have an opportunity to see Detroit Opera’s Resident Artists performing live under the Peristyle at Cranbrook Art Museum, prior to their performances of John Cage’s Apartment House 1776 in May.

Apartment House 1776 By John Cage

Director: Alexander Gedeon

Performers: Selena Kearney, Mia Mandineau, Brianna J. Robinson, Travis Leon Williams

Detroit Opera Orchestra

Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Thursday, May 21, 7 pm / 8 pm / 9pm

Friday, May 22, 7 pm / 8 pm / 9 pm

Saturday, May 23, 2 pm / 3 pm / 4 pm

Saturday, May 23, 7 pm / 8 pm / 9 pm

Sunday, May 24, 2 pm / 3 pm / 4 pm

Sunday, May 24, 7 pm / 8 pm / 9 pm

Tickets: Detroitopera.org, 313-237-7464, in person at the Detroit Opera box office (1526 Broadway Street, Detroit). Any unsold tickets will be available at the door at Cranbrook.

Note: This opera experience will require walking and standing. Limited chairs will be available throughout the experience. If you need wheelchair or other assistance, please contact the box office.

About Detroit Opera

Detroit Opera is a national leader in the arts, embodying the innovative spirit and diverse perspectives of our city. We weave together incredible artistry, spellbinding drama, magical stagecraft, and stories that hit home—all in a historic, spectacular venue. Detroit Opera aspires to influence the future of opera and dance, creating an ambitious standard for American opera and dance that emphasizes community, accessibility, artistic risk-taking, and collaboration. Founded in 1971 as Michigan Opera Theatre by the late Dr. David DiChiera, Detroit Opera is led by President and CEO Patty Isacson Sabee, Barbara Walkowski Artistic Director Yuval Sharon, Music Director Roberto Kalb, Artistic Advisor for Dance Jon Teeuwissen, and Board Chairman Ethan Davidson. For more information, visit www.detroitopera.org. Follow the company on Facebook and Instagram (@DetroitOpera) and LinkedIn (Detroit Opera).

About Cranbrook Art Museum

Cranbrook Art Museum is located on the 319-acre historic landmark campus of Cranbrook Educational Community in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Art Museum opened in 1930 and is one of the earliest institutions in the United States dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art. It originates and presents exhibitions and public programs and collects objects in the areas of modern and contemporary architecture, art, crafts, and design. For more information, visit cranbrookartmuseum.org