carnegie hall

April 30th, 2024

This week, Emma and I went to see a choral music performance at Carnegie Hall. I had never been before, despite it being one of the most prestigious concert venues in the world and only a nine minute walk from my office. Two of Emma’s neighbors who sing in a choir had invited her to the performance. Tickets were twenty dollars, and it was an easy yes.

A small tangent: I had always assumed that performing at Carnegie Hall was an achievement reserved only for the very best musicians. I was surprised to learn that, in practice, almost anyone can rent out a performance space there. The realization didn’t diminish the grandeur of the evening, though it did help explain the twenty dollar tickets.

I hadn’t looked into the program beforehand, so I went in without any expectations of what we’d be hearing. It turned out to be the music of Ola Gjeilo, a Norwegian composer, performed by a choir and orchestra. The music had a sweeping, cinematic quality, reminiscent of a fantasy epic—something out of The Lord of the Rings or The Elder Scrolls. It was the type of music I find myself reaching for during long, focused work sessions.

On the subway ride home, it struck me that a casual weekday evening had taken us to Carnegie Hall. No plans, twenty dollars, Monday night. That’s the thing about New York.