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| Times
Square Theater District1 |
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Long-known as a cultural haven
in America, New
York City boasts one of the finest performing arts scenes in the world.
Music, dance, theater and opera are not just well represented in New York, they
are performed by groups capable of satiating the most discerning audiences. Many
of New York's performance companies, including New
York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan
Opera and New
York City Ballet, have garnered international acclaim, and the excitement
of Broadway has always been a big draw for fans of the theater. In addition to
popular concerts
and plays,
New York offers a host of independent productions and events that showcase some
of the industry's most promising young stars.
From the elegant grandeur
of the Metropolitan
Opera House to the unparalleled acoustics of Carnegie
Hall, New York's venues
offer the ideal atmosphere for experiencing the industry's leading artists and
performers. The
Lincoln Center is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the nation,
housing 12 separate performing arts companies as well as the Public
Library for the Performing Arts and the renowned Juilliard
School, an institution of dance, drama and music. Each of the performing
arts come alive at the Lincoln Center's state-of-the-art venues, attracting
thousands of guests each year. As one of the world's foremost performing arts
cities, the Big Apple beckons visitors to discover the many performance groups
and world-famous venues of the Lincoln Center and beyond.
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Carnegie
Hall2 |
MUSIC
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall, comprised of the Isaac
Stern Auditorium, the Judy
and Arthur Zankel Hall
and the Joan
and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall, is one of the most renowned venues
for classical and popular music in America. Praised for its acoustics, Carnegie
Hall has been described as an instrument itself, producing sounds larger than
life. The facility's Issac Stern Auditorium, also known as the Main Hall, is
incredibly tall, and the journey to the fifth level and top balcony is 105 steps,
although thankfully the first four levels are accessible by elevator. The lobby
of the Isaac Stern Auditorium is lined with signed portraits and memorabilia
from several leading classical performers. A number of touring soloists, ensembles
and orchestras perform at the auditorium throughout the year. Much smaller in
size and capacity than the 2,804-seat Main Hall, the Judy and Arthur Zankel
Hall houses a season of family performances at affordable prices, and admission
often includes pre-concert activities for children. Carnegie
Hall's Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall also hosts more intimate events,
such as recitals, chamber music concerts, discussions and symposia.
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| Radio
City Music Hall |
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Radio City Music Hall
Since its inauguration in 1932, the stage at Radio
City Music Hall has been graced by some of America's most popular
entertainers, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr.
and Tony Bennett. The hall underwent a massive 70-million-dollar restoration
in 1999, returning the art deco theater to its original splendor. Guided
tours are available daily, offering visitors the chance to explore
a variety of sights, including the Great Stage, a massive indoor performance
stage that spans 144 ft (44 m) and is capable of creating a variety of special
effects, such as rain and fog; the stage's hydraulic system, which operates
four elevators and was considered so ingenious that the United States Navy
borrowed the design to use on their World War II aircraft carriers; the
Wurlitzer Organ, a traditional component of many of the hall's stage productions,
the pipes for which are housed in 11 different rooms; and the Radio
City Avenue Store, which features a collection of merchandise and
memorabilia from past shows. As an exciting finale to the tour, visitors
have the opportunity to meet one of the Rockettes,
a world-famous dance troupe that was established over 75 years ago and has
performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The venue hosts an eclectic mix
of pop concerts as well as special events and performances, such as the
Radio
City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.
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The
Apollo |
The Apollo
From the legendary performances of Elvis Presley and the Beatles to the
modern rock shows of Korn and the Strokes, the Apollo
theater has been a pre-eminent cultural force in New York since the 1930s.
Truly a venue where stars are made, the Apollo helped launch the careers
of several celebrated musicians—including Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and
Michael Jackson—with its world-famous Amateur Night. The Apollo achieved
federal, state and city landmark status in 1983, and with over one million
annual visitors, the theater remains Harlem's top attraction. In addition
to Amateur Night at the Apollo, visitors have the chance to see a variety
of other musical performances, benefits and special events. Backstage
tours are available by appointment for groups of 20 or more, presenting
a unique opportunity to learn little-known facts about the theater and the
musicians that have illimunated its stage.
Music at the Lincoln
Center
Jazz
Year-round performances and broadcast events for audiences of all
ages are provided by the Lincoln
Center Jazz Orchestra, the Afro-Latin
Jazz Orchestra and a variety of guest artists. In addition to
concerts, Jazz at Lincoln Center offers an annual high school jazz band
competition and festival, a jazz appreciation curriculum for children,
lectures and educator workshops. Performances are held at Frederick
P. Rose Hall, a facility devoted entirely to jazz.
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| New
York City Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall3 |
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New York City Philharmonic
New York City Philharmonic plays over 150 concerts that attract nearly
one million people each year. The orchestra's renowned classical symphonic
repertoire is complemented by guest conductors and artists of international
repute. Each year, New York City Philharmonic offers a subscription season
at the Lincoln Center's Avery
Fisher Hall from September through June, a free summer Concerts
in the Parks series and a schedule of holiday concerts in the winter.
Chamber Music
Chamber music fans relish the chance to catch the Chamber
Music Society of Lincoln Center, arguably the nation's most reputable
group in the genre. The Chamber Music Society's performances at Alice
Tully Hall are refreshingly broad, presenting concerts that cover a
range of instrumentations, styles and historical periods. Since its beginning,
the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center has commissioned over 132 new works,
crafting a critically acclaimed discography that boasts a year 2000 Grammy Award
nomination.
DANCE
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet, established in 1948, is a world-class dance company that
performs 23 weeks a year at the Lincoln Center's New
York State Theater. The company's yearly schedule features over 60 ballets—one
of the largest repertoires of any American ballet company—divided into three
components: the Winter Repertory Season, which runs from January through February;
the Spring Repertory Season, which spans from late April through June; and a
performance of George Balanchine's the Nutcracker, which runs for six weeks
during the holiday season. Since its formation, the New York City Ballet has
employed a number of celebrated performers, including Jacques d'Amboise, Edward
Villela, Melissa Hayden and Suzanne Farrell. To ensure audience members get
the most of their theater experience, the New York City Ballet also offers enrichment
programs that strive to enhance knowledge and appreciation of the art form.
New York City Center
Originally built in 1923, New
York City Center was saved from destruction by Mayor Fiorello
and opened in 1943 as Manhattan's first performing arts center. With affordable
and fun theater, music and dance performances, New York City Center quickly
became a staple for culturally-inclined New Yorkers. In the mid-1970s,
the theater received landmark status and was re-dedicated as the premiere
home for dance performance in New York. Today, the theater is home to
several resident groups that perform each year, including Alvin
Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul
Taylor Dance Company and American
Ballet Theatre. The center also hosts the acclaimed Encores!
Great American Musicals in Concert, a series that garnered six
Tony awards for its 1996 performance of Chicago.
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The
Metropolitan Opera House |
OPERA
The Metropolitan
Opera
With a history that dates back to 1880, fans of grand opera don't want
to miss the Metropolitan Opera, which offers seven performances each week
from September through April. Some of the most talented opera singers,
conductors, stage directors and designers contribute to a repertory that
includes works by Mozart, Rossini and Verdi, among others. This opera
company is also famous for its live radio broadcasts, a tradition since
1931. The Metropolitan Opera performs at the Lincoln Center's Metropolitan
Opera House, one of the most famous opera houses in the country. Each
seat at the venue features screens that provide continuous English translation
of foreign languages.
New York City Opera
From the classics of Handel and Monteverdi to the contemporary works of
Bela Bartok and Aaron Copland, New
York City Opera features an expansive repertory of popular, as
well as seldom-performed masterpieces. The company offers affordable ticket
prices that strive to make opera accessible to patrons from a range of
economic backgrounds. In addition to standard repertory performances,
the company has presented a number of lesser-known works, including operas
by Baroque composers like Gluck and Handel, which has catalyzed something
of a Baroque renaissance. The season runs from September to November and
from March to April at the Lincoln Center's New York State Theater. In
the spring season, visitors have the chance to catch the annual Showcasing
American Composers series, which presents 12 new American works-in-progress
free of charge.
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| Times
Square Theaters4 |
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THEATER
Broadway and Off-Broadway
Performances
The Times Square area, located between 41st and 55th streets and 6th and 8th
avenues, is home to the theaters that house the excitement of Broadway and off-Broadway
productions. Visitors attending Broadway plays can expect to see some big name
stars in works by well-established directors and writers, while off-Broadway
performances are more risquee and experimental, drawing from the industry's
lesser-known talent pool. As opposed to the larger Broadway theaters, off-Broadway
productions are typically housed in theaters with fewer than 300 seats, such
as the Provincetown
Playhouse, which showcased the early works of celebrated playwright
Edna St. Vincent Millay and Eugene O'Neill. For Broadway performances, the Ambassador
Theater, Gershwin
Theater, Winter
Garden Theater, Vivian
Beaumont Theater and Shubert
Theater are just a few of the theaters to check out. Current theater
listings are readily available from several sources, including New York newspapers,
the New Yorker magazine, a number of online directories and, of course, the
glittering marquees outside Times Square area theaters.
Lincoln Center
Theater
Lincoln
Center Theater is a non-profit organization that provides a year-round
schedule of popular plays and musicals at affordable prices. Although
the ticket prices are thrifty, the theaters are not. Lincoln Center Theater
consists of two performing spaces, the 1,100-seat Vivian Beaumont Theater
and the 299-seat Mitzi
E. Newhouse Theater, both of which underwent an eight-million-dollar
renovation in 1996 that improved acoustics and climate control, upgraded
the building's infrastructure and increased access for the disabled. Past
performances have included Swimming to Cambodia, Children of Asazi and
the House of Blue Leaves.
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The
Lincoln Center5 |
SPECIALTY ATTRACTIONS
Public Library
for the Performing Arts
The Public Library for the Performing Arts is a must-see for opera, theater,
dance and music enthusiasts, as it houses one of the world's most extensive
collections of circulating, reference and rare archival materials in its
field. The library's Recorded Sound and Moving Image Collection features
an array of DVDs, VHS tapes, cassettes and CDs that can be enjoyed at
one of 14 listening stations with unlimited listening time. Two on-site
galleries offer temporary exhibitions on a range of topics, and free seminars
and performances are featured at the library's Bruno Walter Auditorium.
Lincoln Center
Tours and Facilities
The Lincoln Center provides a host of tours and special programs for individuals
and groups wishing to learn more about this eminent facility. Whether
its touring
the theaters and concert halls or arranging a private Meet-the-Artist
performance and conversation with singers, dancers and musicians, there
are plenty of ways to make the most of the Lincoln Center experience.
A number of on-site restaurants satiate hungry concert- and theater-goers
with menu selections ranging from cakes and pastries to sandwiches and
entrees. The Avery
Fisher Hall Lobby Gift Shop, the Metropolitan
Opera Shop and the Performing
Arts Shop offer an array of recordings and memorabilia, ensuring
that visitors will not soon forget the magic of the performances they
have witnessed.
PHOTO COURTESY
- NYC & Company; Times Square Theater District; New York City, NY,
USA
- NYC & Company; Carnegie Hall; New York City, NY, USA
- NYC & Company; New York City Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall;
New York City, NY, USA
- NYC & Company; Times Square Theaters; New York City, NY, USA
- NYC & Company; The Lincoln Center; New York City, NY, USA
United States
