David Geffen Hall, Concert hall at Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, United States
David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center in the Upper West Side neighborhood of the United States, offering 2,200 seats with improved acoustics along with multiple bars and restaurants for visitors. The main auditorium, named Wu Tsai Theater, occupies most of the building and features a modern stage with adaptable configuration for different performances.
The building opened in 1962 as Philharmonic Hall and was the first completed part of Lincoln Center. After several renovations, it was renamed Avery Fisher Hall in 1973 and became David Geffen Hall in 2015, before undergoing a complete renovation in 2022.
The hall takes its name from a major donor and now hosts over 100 concerts each year, featuring leading orchestras and soloists on a regular basis. Visitors can walk through public spaces before performances and experience local musicians during free lobby concerts.
The hall typically opens about an hour before concerts begin, giving visitors time to visit restaurants or linger in the lobby areas. Wheelchair users will find accessible sections throughout the building and can request special seating when booking.
The 1976 rebuild replaced the interior entirely and removed the Aeolian-Skinner concert organ, so organ recitals have not been held here since. The 2022 renovation cut more than 500 seats and wrapped new balcony seating around the whole stage. The main auditorium was renamed the Wu Tsai Theater on October 3, 2022, after a $50 million gift from Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai.
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