Music

• Friday, September 12 at 2pm on 93.9 FM: Soundcheck, Live from Carnegie Hall (featuring Steve Reich and Omar Sosa)
  
• Friday, September 12 at 7pm on 93.9 FM: Opening Night Concert from Zankel Hall
  
• Monday, September 15 at 7:30pm on 93.9 FM: Emerson String Quartet and Emanuel Ax from Zankel Hall

WNYC, New York Public Radio will celebrate two of the fall season's most anticipated musical events when it airs the opening concerts from Zankel Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall. WNYC will broadcast two of the opening weekend concerts live from Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Friday, September 12th and Monday, September 15th. All performances will air on 93.9 FM and online at wnyc.org.

The September 12th opening concert in Zankel Hall will feature a program curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams, with music by Charles Ives, Lou Harrison, Thomas Adés, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. John Schaefer and Fred Child will co-host the live 7pm broadcast. Continuing the venue's Opening Festival, the September 15th performance will be broadcast live at 7:30pm and feature the Emerson String Quartet and pianist Emanuel Ax performing works by Haydn, Rorem and Dvorák. Margaret Juntwait and Fred Child will serve as co-hosts.

In addition to the two live Zankel broadcasts, Soundcheck, hosted by John Schaefer, will broadcast live from Carnegie Hall on Friday, September 12th from 2-3pm. Guests will include artists featured during the inaugural weekend.

Zankel Hall, interior. Photo: Jeff Goldberg/Esto

Zankel Hall will be the third stage of Carnegie Hall. The new 644-seat downstairs auditorium and educational center, will be the site of a broad spectrum of performing and educational events. Carved from bedrock directly beneath the hall's main auditorium, the versatile recital space will host more than 80 concerts during the 2003/2004 season, including performances by Pierre Boulez, Yo-Yo Ma, Youssou N'Dour, Audra McDonald, and the Kronos Quartet. Zankel Hall is named in honor of Carnegie Hall Vice Chairman Arthur Zankel and his wife, Judy, and situated on the site formerly occupied by a movie theater originally used for concerts when Carnegie Hall opened in 1891.

Slide Show: Zankel Hall and its construction


Special Preview: Walt Disney Concert Hall Broadcast:

Walt Disney Concert Hall. Photo: Tom Bonner

Later this fall, WNYC will broadcast two of the inaugural concerts from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, recorded live on October 23rd and 24th. Both performances feature the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of music director Esa-Pekka Salonen. Fred Child and Gail Eichenthal will serve as hosts of the broadcasts, produced by National Public Radio.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, is anticipated to become one of the most recognized architectural landmarks on the West Coast and is described as one of the world's most sophisticated concert halls. The building occupies a 3.6-acre site-a full city block at the intersection of First Street and Grand Avenue in the historic Bunker Hill area of Downtown Los Angeles. The centerpiece of Walt Disney Concert Hall is the 2,265-seat main auditorium where the Los Angeles Philharmonic will present more than 150 concerts per year, beginning in the 2003/2004 season.

While WNYC Radio has broadcast many performances over its 79-year history, this is the first time the station will broadcast the opening of major concert venues. "Two vital concert halls opening this Fall! Such uplifting news," said WNYC Radio President and CEO Laura Walker. "With all that's going on in the world, especially in New York, we're delighted to be able to celebrate and share with our listeners the first performances from these major venues."

Additional Resources:

• WNYC's Alicia Zuckerman reports on Zankel Hall
  
• How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Soundcheck broadcasts live from Zankel Hall with guests Steve Reich and Omar Sosa.
  
• Los Angeles Philharmonic Web site
  
• Carnegie Hall Web site
  
• John Adams's Official Web site
  
• Zankel Hall Announcement

Funding for the Carnegie Hall broadcasts is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, and Recording Industries-Music Performance Trust Funds, celebrating 50 years of supporting admission-free, live musical programs.