NEW YORK, NY — It was supposed to be the performance of a lifetime for Millennial Choirs and Orchestras.
The combined choir and orchestra with youth and adults from Arizona, California, Utah, Texas, and Idaho was set to perform at the legendary Carnegie Hall on Saturday, July 13, when New York City was hit with an hours-long black out that darkened Times Square and stopped the city that never sleeps.
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Arizona resident Rebecca Jackson's children performed earlier in the day, but performers from the California and Utah groups had yet to take the stage before the blackout hit.
With no power in the building, the Carnegie Hall management team decided the concert needed to be canceled, according to Jackson.
"The choir continued to warm up and practice in the dark, but eventually the Carnegie Hall managers decided that the concert had to be canceled," Jackson said.
But Millennial Choirs and Orchestras didn't let the darkness prevent them from performing near Carnegie Hall. Before dispersing for the night, the group gathered on West 57th Street to give an impromptu performance.
"The singers took to the streets and I was honored to be able to watch. Being here seeing random people step up and help out and filling the streets with sounds of joy was such an amazing experience," Jackson said on her Instagram page. "There is so much good in the world."
In a post on Millennial Choirs and Orchestra's Facebook page, they wrote:
"As you may have heard, we were not able to perform our final concert at Carnegie Hall this evening due to a widespread blackout that affected a large part of Manhattan for several hours. But in true MCO fashion, we made the best of the unfortunate situation and performed some of our pieces outside for passersby to enjoy during the stressful time. This is Brandon Stewart's arrangement of 'I Stand All Amazed.'"
