Carnegie Hall
More than a music venue, Carnegie Hall is a cultural landmark, the sine qua non of American cultural life, a living legacy of the human spirit.
Carnegie Hall has been the venue of legendary performances from Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Tchaikovsky, Led Zeppelin, Vladimir Horowitz, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Luciano Pavarotti, to name very few of a long, long list. It has also been a stage for social change with the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Marcus Garvey, and Booker T. Washington.
There are few places on earth with such a legacy; it has helped tell the story of America, its growth, challenges, passions, and given voice to those who have refused to accept its limitations. Carnegie Hall has charted our cultural history and social change of the last hundred and thirty-five years. The voices echo from the stage, through the hall, out into the city and beyond.
Our process of excavating stories was shaped by the objects within the museum and archive. Working closely with the creative and museum team, we selected a single object that would lead us into a remarkable moment in the hall's history- eight objects in total for the eight-episode series.
We interviewed archivists, scholars, historians, cultural critics, musicians, and others to paint a sonic picture of a place, summoning up the voices that changed the world. Carnegie Hall is one of the most important cultural centers in the US, and through this series, we hope to shine a light on the role of a cultural institution and the many ways culture is both interpreted and realized.
Client
Carnegie Hall
Project
If This Hall Could Talk
Services
Concept Development - Creative Direction - Research - Naming - Production - Interviews - Sound Design - Post Production - Distribution Strategy
Voices
John Fricke, Jessica Vosk, Rob Hudson, Gino Francesconi, Kathleen Sabogal, Carol Binkowski, Phillip Lopate, Emanuel Ax, Kent Tritle, Jonathan Eig, Tom Santopietro, Will Friedwald, Emilie Raymond, Davóne Tines, Samara Joy, Fran Rosman, Ron Delsener, Lee Loughnane, Alan Light, Rachel Edelson, Jon Hancock, Tomoji Hirakata, Paquito D’Rivera, Marcia Chatelain, Coline Jenkins, Susan Ware, Gary Graffman, David Dubal and Yulianna Avdeeva
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Our Process
Gaining trust and respecting the process
Opportunity
Few institutions carry a reputation like Carnegie Hall; the opportunity was to bring life to the stories held within its legacy, and to show how much more than a music venue the hall has been in New York City's history and in America's culture.
Insight
Like so many long-established cultural institutions, the archives are rich with compelling stories, the challenge is how to bring these to life and make them accessible in the modern world. Much can be lost in translation; for us, interpretation was key.
Outcome
The series was a great success, winning an honorable mention at the Webby Awards and partnering with WNYC for distribution. The discovery and production process opened up new ways of storytelling for the august institution.
