In late 2020, the fate of the long-running renovation of David Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic, was uncertain as coronavirus infections surged and cultural facilities closed.
Then came a $50 million gift from Taiwan-born billionaire and co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, Joseph Tsai, and his wife, philanthropist Clara Wu Tsai. The donation moved the project forward and accelerated construction, allowing him to reopen the hall in his October, a year and a half ahead of schedule.
In honor of the Tsai family’s role, the Lincoln Center and Philharmonic Orchestra announced Wednesday that the hall’s main auditorium will be named the Wu Tsai Theater.
“It took a lot of courage,” Catherine Farley, president of the Lincoln Center Board of Directors, said of the gift in an interview. “And that courage inspired others to make a difference.”
This gift represents one of the Tsai family’s greatest adventures into the performing arts to date. Joseph Tsai, a lawyer-trained vice chairman of Alibaba, is more often associated with sports. He is the original owner of the Brooklyn His Nets and has played a key role in helping the NBA expand in China. The couple have previously donated to universities, hospitals, social justice projects, and more.
Clara Wu Tsai, who is also a board member of the Lincoln Center, said in an interview that she and her husband were thrilled with the opportunity to create jobs and make performing arts more accessible to New Yorkers. Named after Tsai, a concert series aimed at increasing racial and ethnic diversity and bringing together performers from different genres.
“My dream is to create a hall full of diverse audiences and have programming there that really showcases the versatility and flexibility the hall is made to offer,” she said.
Geffen Hall’s $550 million renovation will improve both aesthetics and acoustics with wavy beechwood walls and seating surrounding the stage. Other additions meant to draw people in include a 50-foot digital screen in the lobby that can broadcast concerts to the public, and a studio overlooking Broadway.
The hall is scheduled to reopen on October 7, with a concert featuring Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” among others, before an audience of paramedics and construction workers who participated in the hall’s renovation. It is done. Two galas and an open house weekend follow later in the month.
Clara Wu Tsai said she was confident the audience would gather despite lingering concerns about the novel coronavirus and changing habits of going to live performances.
“Everyone wants to become one of the best concert halls in the world,” she said. “The timing is good.”