There’s the old tale that a New Yorker is approached by a passerby on the street, who asks “Excuse me, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer? “Practice, practice, practice.”
Built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, Carnegie Hall is one of the most prestigious performance venues for classical music in the world. It’s one of the few remaining buildings in New York built entirely of exquisite masonry, and presents around 200 concerts each year.
The main hall, the Isaac Stern Auditorium, is a grand space containing no less than 2,804 seats, covered in plush red velvet, over five levels. All levels can be reached by elevator, except for the top balcony, which visitors have to climb 137 steps to get to, just like in the late 1800s.
In the video below, world-class pianist Lang Lang talks about his first solo recital at Carnegie Hall, and the beauty, magic and acoustics of the hall, as well as the special connection it facilitates between performers and audience members.
