New York Philharmonic’s new home to open ahead of schedule
Florence Lockheart
Friday, March 18, 2022
The David Geffen Hall will open in October, two years ahead of schedule and on budget.
The New York Philharmonic and the Lincoln Center have announced that, following the achievement of a $550 million funding goal, the newly-renovated David Geffen Hall will open in October 2022, two years ahead of schedule and on budget.
Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the state-of-the-art concert will be home to the New York Philharmonic as well as providing public spaces designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects for performance and community uses.
Deborah Borda, Linda and Mitch Hart president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic said: ‘Together we have created a home for an orchestra of the 21st century, which requires not only true versatility but the creation of new public spaces that invite in all New Yorkers.’
Located in the Lincoln Center in Manhattan, the project will support $600 million in economic activity and 6,000 jobs for New Yorkers as the city recovers from the impact of COVID-19.
New York City mayor, Eric Adams, said: ‘Our arts and culture don’t belong to a limited few but to all of us, and at Lincoln Center, we will all experience them. The New York Philharmonic has brought New Yorkers together through art for decades, and I can’t wait to open these doors to the public.’
The concert hall itself features natural acoustics for symphonic, choral and recital performances, as well as the flexibility to accommodate a variety of genres and formats. The theatre’s stage has been relocated and the capacity has been reduced by 500 for a total of 2200.
Gary McCluskie, principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects said: ‘The design’s surround hall approach honours the acoustic benefits of a shoebox, while embodying a new model of sound that maintains power, depth and intimacy in equal measures, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it.’
The hall’s public spaces are designed as ‘a living room for New York City’. The new building will house a welcome centre and box office, bars, a restaurant, café and lounges, as well as a 50-foot media wall displaying live events, performances and visual art for free. The hall will also include a studio for smaller performances, rehearsals and talks as well as additional rehearsal spaces and dressing rooms.
You can find out more about the David Geffen Hall here.