David H. Koch Theater

Upcoming Events

Thru 11/09 Various Dates

Hungarian State Opera

See Full Schedule >>

Profile

Ballet dancers and opera singers have called this theater's stage their own since it opened on April 23, 1964. Home to New York City Ballet, the classically influenced, rectangular structure sits on the southeast corner of Lincoln Center for the Performing Art's airy Josie Robertson Plaza. It comprises one of the three principal venues — the others being the Metropolitan Opera House and Avery Fisher Hall. Designed by architect Philip Johnson, the thin vertical travertine columns and glass facade create a skeleton-like edifice that allows attendees to see into the four-story Promenade lobby that is outfitted with modern art, like Jasper John’s painting Numbers. Inside the theater, up to 2,586 attendees line up for performances such as George Balanchine’s perennial ballet, The Nutcracker. Overhead, above five ring levels of balconies, a spherical chandelier — that looks more like a planet stricken with glowing mumps than a light — is suspended from the gold-paneled ceiling. To improve sound quality, a massive five million dollar, state-of-the-art acoustical reconstruction was completed in the summer of 1982, affording patrons a better, if still less-than-perfect, experience once the gold curtains part. — Aaron Rasmussen

For in-depth history, legends and architecture, take the one-hour Lincoln Center Tour. View tour times and book reservations at lincolncenter.org/tours or call 212-875-5350.