David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center reopens after $550 million renovation

NEW YORK — David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, home of the New York Philharmonic, reopens Saturday after undergoing a $550 million renovation. 

By all accounts, the new space is grander with acoustics better than before. Plus, it’s opening two years ahead of schedule, CBS2’s Christina Fan reported. 

The theater is slightly smaller than before, but it’s much more intimate. Seats now wrap around the stage, bringing the audience 30 percent closer to the performers. 

It can also be reconfigured for different events – smaller for an ensemble or in different levels for an opera. 

“It the most extraordinary acoustic. It sounds like nothing you’ve heard,” said Lincoln Center CEO Henry Timms. “But it isn’t just about how it sounds. It’s also about what this building feels like. And surrounding this beautiful concert hall are so many public spaces that welcome people in new ways, and I’ll give you one example. In our lobby, there is a 60-foot media wall which broadcasts, for free, whatever is on this stage down into the lobby. So you can come take a seat upstairs or you can bring the kids, bring a date, stop by, have a cup of coffee, have a chat with your friends, and you can see the New York Philharmonic for free in the lobby of David Geffen Hall.” 

Saturday’s reopening celebration starts with a ribbon cutting at noon followed by highly-anticipated public performances at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

It all culminates with a free Open House Weekend at the end of October featuring hundreds of artists.