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An interesting thought, and I agree that extravagant renovations are somewhat inappropriate in a time like this when so many musical organizations are struggling. But I also think that the renovation of the actual auditorium at Alice Tully was a very important project. As conductor David Robertson expressed at opening night at Tully on Sunday, the venue is a musician's most important instrument, because it is the channel of communicating the art.

What you (Gregory Grahl) seem to be unaware of is that for every major renovation of a concert hall, there is a principal acoustician that is an integral part of the team. So it doesn't matter at all if Liz Diller is tone-deaf, because she is the architect, not the acoustician.

Yes, it seems that Liz Diller is getting most of the attention during this project, but everyone is losing sight of the real reason behind the renovation. Brightening the acoustics of an out-dated, dry sounding hall. It's great that the building has such a commanding new presence on Broadway, but none of that matters if the hall doesn't deliver. And boy did it deliver - a pure, warm, rich sound. I highly suggest that all you readers attend a concert soon. I read that the acousticians were from a company called Jaffe Holden, and all I have to say is that they were the true artists and magicians behind this renovation project. Bravo.

In this economic environment, to spend that much money on renovating a concert hall that most of us felt was just fine the way it was is gross mismanagement. It would have been better to spend the money on any number of projects: composer commissions, supporting local orchestras and chamber ensembles, community outreach, making concert tickets more affordable.
Classical music will always be a minority taste (although there are probably untapped fans out there), and adding alleged architectural/visual "extras" isn't going to entice anyone to attend a classical concert who doesn't already appreciate classical music. I don't think that most classical music buffs expect splendor (or "glitz") when we attend concerts. (Operas, of course, are a different matter.) Good music by good musicians is what most of us seek.
Alice Tully Hall has probably lost more future customers (who've grown accustomed to its 2-year absence from the concert scene) than it will gain because it now has "an exciting glass facade".
The whole experience of attending a concert at any of the Lincoln Center venues (or even just walking around the area) has been a major pain lately because of the construction, and that can't be good for attracting future audiences.
I have never felt that Alice Tully Hall was unwelcoming or confusing. (You entered a fairly small space, you immediately found the doors to the concert hall, and then you easily found someone who read your ticket and told you where your seat was. What the hell was confusing about that?)
I admit that I'm not a professional acoustics expert, but I've never felt that Alice Tully Hall's acoustics were bad. (I know that this is a common complaint about Avery Fischer Hall.) I think the fact that the architectural expert you interviewed said that she was tone-deaf (inadvertently) said more than any of us who've been critical of this wasteful project could say.