The Ghost Light Doesn’t Lie: The Secret History & Haunting of Carnegie Hall

Ghost light in Stern Auditorium. Image by Carnegie Hall.

I celebrated the incredible energy of Opening Night at Carnegie Hall last week, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that a few famous past residents were enjoying the show with us, too.

It turns out, the secrets and history of this legendary venue run even deeper than its foundations. And a few historical figures love Carnegie Hall so much that they’re still enjoying it in the afterlife!

The renowned violinist, Isaac Stern, is said to be a friendly ghost who watches over the building, especially after he fought to save it from demotion in 1960. He became one of the Hall’s biggest advocates for the next 41 years until his passing.

A ghost of a man in a hat has been seen sitting on the balcony and walking in the lobby. Maybe a dedicated concert goer who can’t get enough of the Hall’s incredible music? (And after the amazon concert on opening night, this makes perfect sense to us!)

Apparitions of composers Dvořák, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky have reportedly been seen on the podium continuing to conduct their music. Given that Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto №1 was part of the Opening Night program this year (as Yuja Wang played the piano and directed the NYO-USA All-Stars!), maybe he decided to make a ghostly appearance 134 years after he opened the Hall as its first conductor in 1891!

Once Opening Night ended, everything was removed from the stage and only a single floor lamp, known as a ghost light, remained. The ghost light keeps the stage lit to appease resident ghosts, ensuring good fortune for productions by allowing spirits to “play” on the stage after hours. After all, Carnegie Hall is a place to be seen, especially on Opening Night!

More Than a Performance, A Haunting: These ghostly presences confirm that the history of New York isn’t locked in a textbook — it’s alive, sometimes literally, in the air. This connection between the stage and the secrets of the city is why I created the live storytelling show, NYC’s Secrets & Lies.

4 incredible storytellers are sharing more unbelievable and bizarre tales like this at our upcoming show NYC’s Secrets & Lies: Ghost Stories on October 28th at 8pm. We are over 70% sold out, with only 14 seats remaining, in our hidden theater inside Port Authority Bus Terminal! Don’t miss your chance to hear the secrets.

Get your tickets before they vanish at lies.eventbrite.com.