Imagine Singing in Carnegie Hall!

by Sheri Leigh

Have you ever dreamt of singing in Carnegie Hall? Well, it might not be such a fantastic dream. All it takes is an hour or so of your time and an interest in the creative genius that inspired and designed this world-renowned hall.

The Music Hall, as it was called when Andrew Carnegie built it in 1891, went up just two years after The André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments was endowed. At that time Central Park, two blocks north, was so far uptown that it was considered the suburbs and didn’t even warrant paved streets. Today the area is Manhattan’s cultural heart, and Carnegie Hall, its grand dame of performance venues, holds court next to the fabled Russian Tea Room, while keeping a watchful eye on the upstart Hard Rock Café.

Carnegie Hall originally housed three separate performance venues. The maintop hall is the most renowned. Five tiers of seats seemingly float above the chamber, and 19-century elegance envelopes the audience with lush velvet seats, intricate plasterwork and exquisite neo-classical columns.

The Hall, designed without the need for steel support beams, was built using concrete and masonry walls several feet thick. The supporting columns are so thin that on opening night even the architect feared they would not support the massive edifice. This wedding cake architecture created an interior filled with light and air, which serves to focus all attention onto the stage. The construction proved not only stable but instrumental in creating the exceptional acoustics the hall is known for.

Even the most jaded soul becomes rapt by the sensory feast Carnegie Hall presents. The music, ethereal and delicate, seems to float through the hall. You can hear a pin drop as the performers wait for the baton to fall. I can still remember the rapture I felt as the lead violinist’s bow touched her string and a single note reverberated through the house the first time I ever sat in Carnegie Hall. I also remember hoping that that heavenly first experience would not ruin me for life!. 

Now how, you may ask, does this allow me to sing on Carnegie’s fabled stage? Easy. Just take one of the tours. These fantastic jaunts, filled with the history of 19^th century architecture and music, and  fantastic stories of 20^th century classical performers, usually end with the group standing on stage singing a few bars of Happy Birthday or something equally timely for one of the members.

On your next trip to New York, don’t miss this fascinating piece of Americana and experience the wonder of a performance on this fabled stage. No matter what is playing, it is an experience you will cherish forever.

PS: Don’t miss the Russian Tea Room next door!