Lincoln Center reveals some of the upgrades to new David Geffen Hall
NEW YORK -- There is a big surprise for fans of the New York Philharmonic and another sign the Big Apple is bouncing back from the pandemic.
The orchestra's new home at Lincoln Center will be open in just a few months, and, as CBS2's Cindy Hsu reported Wednesday, that's a lot earlier than expected.
David Geffen Hall is undergoing a lot of construction and has many barriers right now, but in seven months it is going to look entirely different.
The theater will actually be smaller than before. It started with 2,750 seats and will re-open with 550 fewer. The seating will wrap around the stage, bringing the audience 30 percent closer to the performers while improving the acoustics.
The stage can be reconfigured in numerous ways. It can be a smaller for an ensemble, larger to include a choir, and adjusted to different levels to handle an opera or a theatrical performance.
A series of chandeliers known as the "fireflies" has been designed to start dancing a minute before the concert begins. That will be the beautiful way everyone will know the concert is about to begin.
"It's going to take its place as one of the great concert halls in the world and it's going to make our hometown orchestra proud to welcome all New Yorkers and to experience music in its most glorious form," said Peter May, co-chair of the New York Philharmonic Board.
A new welcome center will be much more than a ticket box office. It will be open to the public and a place to meet friends and enjoy a snack from the café. The new lobby will nearly double in size and is designed to be welcoming with a comfortable lounge, and will have a 50-foot video wall to give you a feel for what it's like to watch a performance.
The designers say no more beige. The new hall will have bright, vivid colors that draw you in.
The $550 million project was supposed to take four years and finish in 2024, but by building through the pandemic it will open this year.
"It ultimately will result in $600 million of economic development and over 6,000 jobs," Katherine Farley, chair of the Board of Lincoln Center, said, adding, "Forty two percent of the businesses working on the construction are owned by women and minorities."
The builders say when David Geffen Hall opens in October it will let everyone know that New York is back.
Designers say one of the highlights will be all the new public spaces, which will offer many free performances and cultural events.