Carnegie Hall is a concert hall in New York, New York. It was designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill (who was also a cellist), for Andrew Carnegie  in 1891 (A Short History). The hall has featured numerous famous musicians, including Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and The Beatles. It holds over 500 independent events each year, as well as a number of different concert and recitals in all genres of music. There are three halls within Carnegie Hall: The Isaac Stern Auditorium, Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall, and Joan and Sandford I. Weill Recital Hall (Building Overview). The Isaac Stern Auditorium, which is the hall most familiar to me, seats 2,804 people in five different levels. 

I visited New York in March 2016 for a choir trip in high school. We sent about a week in NYC doing shopping, music workshops, as well as getting the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall. Performing in Carnegie Hall is a dream come true for many musicians, and I got to do it with many of my close friends and my high school choir. We were part of the Total Vocal II concert with some other high school choirs across the United States, working with Deke Sharon, who wrote all of the acapella music for the Pitch Perfect movie series.  

It was a surreal experience, to say the least, to not only see the outside of, and walk into Carnegie Hall, but to be standing on stage and singing. The outside of the building appear to be simple in construction- it is very cube-like, with symmetrical, arched windows and doors. Standing on the stage, looking out at the audience at five different levels, and seeing the gorgeous ceiling and open space was an unbelievable experience. I got to experience something that many musicians, and even music-lovers, have always dreamed of, and Carnegie Hall left a lasting impression on me. 

A Short History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.carnegiehall.org/About/Press/A-Short-History 

Building Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.carnegiehall.org/About/Building-Overview