NEW YORK — Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic, reopens Saturday after undergoing a $550 million renovation.
By all accounts, the new space is grander with better acoustics than before. It’s also opening two years early, CBS2’s Christina Phan reported.
The theater is a little smaller than before, but it’s much more intimate. The seats now wrap around the stage, bringing the audience 30 percent closer to the performers.
It can also be reconfigured for different events – smaller for an ensemble or at different levels for an opera.
“It’s the most extraordinary acoustics. It sounds like nothing you’ve heard,” said Lincoln Center Executive Director Henry Timms. “But it’s not just about how it sounds. It’s also about how that building feels. And around this beautiful concert hall there are so many public spaces that welcome people in new ways and I’ll give you one example. We have a 60 foot media wall in our lobby that broadcasts whatever is on that stage down in the lobby for free. So you can come sit upstairs or you can bring the kids, bring a date, stop by, have a cup of coffee, talk with your friends and you can see the New York Philharmonic for free in the lobby of David Geffen Hall.
Saturday’s reopening celebration begins with a ribbon cutting at noon, followed by highly anticipated public performances at 2 and 8 p.m.
It all culminates with a free open house weekend at the end of October featuring hundreds of artists.
Christina Phan
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