The concert hall where I\u2019m standing was the first building to open at Lincoln Center in 1962, giving the New York Philharmonic its own space for the first time since the orchestra was founded in 1842. The building initially held 2,800 seats in a room designed for just 2,200, creating major acoustic problems. However, during a $550 million (\u00a3415,580,000) renovation between 2020 and 2022, 500 seats were removed and the proscenium arch was taken away, allowing the audience to sit around the stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a gut job,\u201d Gerri tells me. \u201cEverything changed other than the ceiling.\u201d Now the undulating wood panels lining the auditorium reflect sound back into the room, allowing it to resonate rather than disappear. At the back, a\u00a0digital organ is encased in twisted wood, another sculptural detail designed to shape the sound. \u201cFor years, the orchestra members were flying blind,\u201d Gerri says. \u201cNow they can finally hear themselves. It only took 60 years, but we finally got it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spanning several blocks on the Upper West Side, the 16-acre Lincoln Center is home to the New York City Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society and performing arts schools including Juilliard and the School of American Ballet. Gerri, who had an extensive career in television before she began leading tours there, tells me she\u2019s out at one of these iconic venues almost every night of the week \u2014\u00a0\u201cespecially during ballet season.\u201d As a child, she trained at the School of American Ballet before quitting to play baseball. She returned to dance in college and hasn\u2019t stopped since.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always something happening here,\u201d she tells me. With \u2018choose-what-you-pay\u2019 shows and programmes inviting schoolchildren from across the city to see the New York City Ballet perform live, anyone has the opportunity to experience incredible art. \u201cIt\u2019s luxury for everyone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
After viewing David Geffen Hall from the audience, Gerri takes us backstage. The corridor is quiet, but I can almost hear the commotion that must fill it before a performance. I take a moment to stand in the spot where some of the world\u2019s greatest musicians have waited to make their Philharmonic debut, and exhale. Minutes earlier, I was sitting among the audience; now I\u2019m on the other side of the curtain, looking out at the stage. The\u00a0hall feels different from here: larger, somehow, but also more intimate. And after everything I\u2019ve heard about the building\u2019s troubled acoustics, there\u2019s something lovely about knowing that the musicians who stand on this stage can finally hear themselves play.<\/p>\n
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Nicole Zuraitis won a Grammy Award in 2024 for Best Jazz Vocal Album for How Love Begins.<\/p>\n
DKFOTO<\/p>\n
In Conversation With Nicole Zuraitis<\/p>\n
The Grammy Award-winning jazz singer shares what it\u2019s like to perform at the Lincoln Center\u2019s Dizzy\u2019s Club<\/a> and her other go-to live music venues in the city.<\/p>\n Zoe Bell: Why is Dizzy\u2019s Club such an iconic venue?<\/p>\n Nicole Zuraitis: You can experience the rich history of Black American music while taking in one of the world\u2019s most recognisable skylines.<\/p>\n ZB: Where do you like to watch live\u00a0music in NYC?<\/p>\n NZ: I love Birdland<\/a> on 44th Street. It\u2019s\u00a0an amazing club that\u2019s been around for many years. Or you could go uptown to Smoke<\/a> or downtown to Smalls<\/a> and Mezzrow<\/a>.<\/p>\n ZB: What\u2019s your favourite post-show spot?<\/p>\n NZ: For a celebratory cocktail, I\u2019d choose Dirty French<\/a>, or Aman<\/a> for its luxurious setting and jazz.<\/p>\n ZB: What do you love about performing in New York?<\/p>\n NZ: A New York audience is quick; they\u2019re witty, passionate, emotional. They can recognise a faker from a mile away, so you have to bring your all the entire time.<\/p>\n How To Do ItThe Lincoln Center<\/a>\u2019s 75-minute behind-the-scenes tours cost $25 (\u00a319). Tickets for performances range from free and choose-what-you-pay, to upwards of $500 (\u00a3378) for first tier and\u00a0box seats. <\/p>\n This story was created with the support of NYC Tourism + Conventions, United Airlines and the Waldorf Astoria New York.<\/p>\n Published in the Luxury Collection 2026 by National Geographic Traveller (UK).<\/p>\n To subscribe to\u00a0National Geographic Traveller\u00a0(UK) magazine click here<\/a> (available in select countries only).<\/p>\n