Carnegie Hall’s 1891 Opening Night Ticket

05/16/24 • 32 min

After more than a century, an unexpected piece of ephemera from May 5, 1891 — a ticket from Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night — made its way back to the Hall and into its archival collection in the Rose Museum. This episode travels back to that historic opening concert, and the Gilded Age world of Andrew Carnegie’s New York City, exploring what made Carnegie Hall unlike any other concert hall ever built — and how it remains one of a kind today.

Guests in this episode include Carol Binkowski, author of "Opening Carnegie Hall"; Phillip Lopate, author of books including "Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan"; Emanuel Ax, award-winning pianist who has performed at the Hall more than 120 times over the last 50 years; and Kent Tritle, artistic director of the Oratorio Society of New York, which was featured on Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night and still performs at the hall today. Members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Museum and Archives team—including director Kathleen Sabogal, assistant director Rob Hudson, and founding archivist Gino Francesconi—are also featured.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.

Previous Episode

Judy Garland’s Autographed Album Cover

This episode of If This Hall Could Talk takes a close look at a Carnegie Hall icon: Judy Garland. With her magnificent and complex character, a public persona that often differed from her private reality, and incredible vivacity in the face of personal adversity, Garland is a figure who has long inspired and fascinated fans. The album from her landmark 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall captured these dualities, winning five Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year) and spending weeks at the top of the charts. It has also inspired numerous tribute performances, including a concert celebration led by host Jessica Vosk in 2022.

Among the featured voices in this episode is John Fricke, author of “Judy Garland: World’s Greatest Entertainer,” and Emmy Award–winning producer of documentaries about Judy Garland for the PBS series “American Masters” and A&E.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.

Next Episode

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert Flyer

This episode looks at a momentous Carnegie Hall concert — the 1961 tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — and the roles that the Rat Pack and many other artists played in supporting Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference at a pivotal moment of growth for the organization and the Civil Rights Movement.

Guests featured in this episode include Jonathan Eig, author of “King: A Life,” a 2023 biography of Dr. King; Tom Santopietro, author of “Sinatra in Hollywood”; Will Friedwald, author of “Sinatra! The Song Is You” and “The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums”; Emilie Raymond, author of “Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement”; and Davóne Tines, path-breaking artist and singer. Members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Museum and Archives team—including director Kathleen Sabogal, assistant director Rob Hudson, and founding archivist Gino Francesconi—are also featured.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.