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The world’s greatest visiting musicians play in this historic concert hall that opened in 1891 with Tchaikovsky making his U.S. debut on the podium. A campaign led by violinist Isaac Stern saved the building from demolition after Lincoln Center (see Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts) was completed in 1969, and it entered its second century with old-world style intact after an extensive, lavish renovation.

Lincoln Center’s most elegant performance venue shows off glorious oversize murals by Marc Chagall inside great arched windows. The interior boasts exquisite starburst chandeliers that are raised to the ceiling before each performance. The theater presents the American Ballet Theater and many traveling groups, as well as its famous opera company (see Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts).

Thanks to the generosity of benefactor Avery Fisher, the former Philharmonic Hall is now, after early acoustics problems, worthy of the New York Philharmonic, the oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S.. A bust by Rodin of composer and former Philharmonic Music Director Gustav Mahler, on the west side of the building, is one of the best pieces of public sculpture in Lincoln Center (see Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts).

The stage was built in 1964 to the specification of legendary choreographer George Balanchine, the founder of the New York City Ballet company, which dances here in winter and spring. The New York City Opera Company is also based here, presenting laudable productions that are far more affordable than the neighboring Metropolitan (see Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts).

Built for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the hall has a pleasant, intimate feel. Besides chamber and vocal concerts, it is used for shows by the Julliard School students and faculty, many of which are free to the public (see Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts).

The ornate, Moorish-style building with a dome of Spanish tiles was designed in 1924 as a Shriner’s Temple. Saved from developers by Mayor LaGuardia (see Fiorello LaGuardia), it survived after losing its companies to Lincoln Center, and has become a major venue for touring dance companies.

A 1941 Art Deco movie theater was carefully converted to become an intimate home for dance. Small and medium-sized modern dance companies from around the world present an exciting range of work that can’t be seen elsewhere in Manhattan. Question-and-answer sessions with the artists follow some Wednesday night performances.

Opened in 1932, the largest theater in the U.S. has an opulent, Art Deco interior. Once a movie palace, it now hosts musical performances and special events. The annual Christmas show starring the Rockettes, 36 long-legged dancers, is a New York tradition.

This stately, Neo-Italianate 1908 building draws city-wide audiences for New York’s most avant garde program of international music, theater, and dance, most notably the Next Wave Festival, a fixture since 1981.

Home court for New York Knicks basketball and New York Rangers hockey, the 20,000-seat Garden is also used for rock concerts, ice shows, tennis, boxing, dog shows, and the circus.