Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Composer and Conductor

The pre-eminent living figure in late–19th-century classical music, Tchaikovsky was identified as the person to launch the new Music Hall with sufficient celebrity and gravitas. He conducted his own Marche Solennelle on Opening Night in 1891 and performed on three further occasions during the Opening Week Festival. Tchaikovsky’s works have been performed many thousands of times in the intervening 125 years and the 100th anniversary of the Hall was marked by a special exhibition in the Rose Museum dedicated to the composer and his works.

“
I had a royal welcome. All of today’s papers carry an account of my arrival, complete with a portrait. America knows me better than Europe.
— PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

From the Archives

Signed portrait of Tchaikovsky, 1892
Signed portrait of Tchaikovsky taken while he was in New York (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)
Entry from Tchaikovsky’s New York diary, 1891
Entry from Tchaikovsky’s New York diary (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)
Carnegie Hall’s Opening Week Festival poster featuring Tchaikovsky
Carnegie Hall’s Opening Week Festival poster featuring Tchaikovsky (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)
Signed quote from Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3
Signed Tchaikovsky music quote (Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall’s performance history database covers more than 50,000 concerts and events that occurred at Carnegie Hall from its opening in 1891 to the present. Explore events related to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (these links will open in a new tab with the performance history search tools):

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Listen to Tchaikovsky

Feel the power and hear the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s music. This playlist celebrates the master who famously conducted his own music at Carnegie Hall’s opening in 1891. His beloved works have been performed countless times since, making him one of the most popular composers and a Carnegie Hall Icon. Listen on Apple Music and Spotify.

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