February 13th, 2009 Carnegie Hall
One othe most famous classical music venues in the world is Carnegie Hall in New York City. Hopeful musicians and music lovers travel from all over to attend concerts by the top performers in classical, jazz, rock, and other popular music genres.
Carnegie Hall owes it’s fame to its beautiful architecture, wonderful acoustics and to the rich tapestry of performers who have graced its stages over its illustrious history. For many musicians, performing at Carnegie Hall is the proof that they have achieved the top of their profession.
Built in 1891 in Midtown Manhattan, Carnegie Hall was designed by William Burnet Tuthill for Andrew Carnegie and comprises three separate auditoriums. It’s location in Midtown Manhattan places Carnegie Hall near several excellent five star New York hotels. There are also 4 star hotels in New York near the venue. It is one of the last major masonry buildings in New York.
Originally named “Music Hall,” the Hall’s governing body convinced Carnegie to allow them to rename it after him in 1896. The Hall changed ownership after Carnegie’s death and was scheduled for demotion in 1960 when pressure from a group of artists led to the purchase of the building by the City of New York. It is now run by a nonprofit foundation and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1962.
Carnegie Hall houses three different auditoriums, with the Isaac Stern auditorium being the largest venue. This five-level auditorium seats over 2800. This auditorium served as the home of the New York Philharmonic from 1891 until 1961. Pretty much every top performer of classical, jazz, and other popular music have performed in this hall. It was named after Stern in 1997.
The first public performances at Carnegie Hall were performed in the Recital Hall. In 1896 the name was changed to the Carnegie Lyceum and then in 2003 to Zankel Hall. Over the years it was leased to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and later served as a cinema before being reclaimed as an auditorium in 1997.
The third, and smallest, hall was originally named the Chamber Music Hall before becoming the Carnegie Chamber Music Hall and the Carnegie Recital Hall. It was renamed the Weill Recital Hall in 1986.
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