"May I Give You the Gift of Song?" Lee Mingwei's Sonic Blossom

A rehearsal of Sonic Blossom in gallery 915. Photo courtesy of Met Museum Presents

«"Everything in here is art," said Lee Mingwei, the artist and creator of Sonic Blossom, to the group of performers gathered in one of the Modern and Contemporary Art galleries during a recent rehearsal. "Be mindful of that as you perform." There is a certain reverence one experiences with Sonic Blossom, and every detail is meticulously coordinated: the costume, a Transformation Cloak, which was designed by Kelima K in 2015 using obis from the 1930s, is carefully handled with conservation gloves; the sleek chair with dramatic angles was created specifically for this performance; and, of course, the modern and contemporary masterpieces on the walls of gallery 915 and the impressive Buddhas in gallery 206. All converge for this very immersive and emotional performance.»

Opening today, October 30, and running daily during Museum hours through Sunday, November 8, Sonic Blossom blurs the lines between performance and exhibition. Each singer (all of whom are students at the Manhattan School of Music) selects visitors in the gallery at random, approaching them with the simple question: "May I give you the gift of song?" With that, a personal performance of one of five Schubert lieder takes place right in the galleries.

The very human connection of this intimate experience is what makes it so unexpectedly dramatic. Like a gift, Lee Mingwei describes the sporadic performances of these Schubert lieder as "the folding and unfolding of a 'sonic blossom.'"

Eleven singers (a mix of sopranos, countertenors, and tenors) share the performance duties of Sonic Blossom, and will switch off in their pairings throughout the nine days of continuous performances. Free with Museum admission, Met Museum Presents urges guests to visit the Blanche and A. L. Levine Court (October 30–31, November 6–8) and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (November 1–5).

View the full program (PDF) to learn more information about Sonic Blossom and the singers involved.

Schubert and the Buddha! A perfect combination!!! @sonicbloasom @metmuseum

A video posted by @limor_tomer on Oct 27, 2015 at 2:29pm PDT

A rehearsal of Sonic Blossom in gallery 206

Sonic Blossom is made possible by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (R.O.C.), and Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York.

Presented in collaboration with Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) and Manhattan School of Music.

Editor's note: This post was updated on August 1, 2017, to give proper attribution to Kelima K, the designer of the costume worn in these performances.