Six evenings last week, one thousand singers took over the NYC’s High Line from start to finish: 12th Street to 34th. They sang a world premier piece called “The Mile-Long Opera: a biography of 7 o’clock”. The performance was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Overwhelming and weird, ambitious and awesome- emphasis on the awe.

After waiting in line for our timed entrance at 8PM, we entered the High Line at its most downtown entrance on Gansevoort Street.

We couldn’t hear any music as we ascended the stairs. It was impossible to imagine what to expect, even though I knew the basic premise.

What was the basic premise of this Mile-Long Opera performance?

We would be walking from 12th Street to 34th, the full length of the High Line. Along this path, singers would be performing. Each singer would be singing the same small portion of the piece over and over. The only way to take in the entirety of the opera was for the audience to keep moving forward.

What was the performance like?

When we emerged on the elevated path of the High Line, we were immediate thrown in. Performers stood wearing all black, only their faces illuminated by the lights shinning from black baseball cap brims. They stood only a few feet from each other, each singing a different part of the same piece. We passed by at a fairly speedy pass- the entire performance was meant to last an hour.

What was the opera about?

The lyrics of “The Mile-Long Opera: a biography of 7 o’clock” are based on interviews of New Yorkers from all walks of life. They were asked to describe their lives at 7PM, what happens at that time in their New York lives. So there are stories of family dinners, commutes. neighborhood noise, tidying up, take-out, even a marriage proposal.

The piece was incredibly site specific. In open pathways, the song was quiet and intimate, the singers spaced out mostly single file. Larger tunnels were bathed in black light and the acoustics made the sound much louder, like an actual chorus. These groupings were few and far between, by very special.

The majority of singers had no amplification, though there were certain sections where it was utilized.

Who were the performers?

The performers came from all over the 5 boroughs on NYC. Many of them were from different community choruses throughout NYC. Some soloists were also hired to add to the mix.

There where non-singing roles in the Mile-Long Opera performance too.

Throughout the walk, we would periodically see people in the windows of empty apartments on the sides of the High Line. They stood there, bathed in light with neutral expressions on their faces and they never stopped wiping the window in front of them.

This was one of the stranger elements of the piece. Especially because you have to stop and wonder how the production got access to so many empty apartments!?

At one point in the piece, the line between performers and audience was completely blurred. I still have no idea if this was intentional! Around 20th Street, two people stood on the fire escape of an over looking apartment, bathed in light and holding bouquets of flowers. Were they performers? Or just people who lived there getting in on the fun? I went on the very last day, so was this something two neighbors cooked up after 5 nights of seeing an epic opera out their window?

Here are more photos of the performance. It was wonderful how thoroughly the High Line space was incorporated into the performance.

I can’t imagine the planning or even having the nerve to begin such an undertaking!

Congratulations to Diller Scofidio, Renfrom, and David Lang who conceived the idea for the Mile-Long Opera.

For a list of all those involved and for more information on the most unique performing art piece I have ever witnessed, visit https://milelongopera.com/ You can find videos on their site too!