Carnegie HallSince it opened in 1891, Carnegie Hall has set the international standard for musical excellence as the aspirational destination for the world’s finest artists. From Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Bartók to George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, and The Beatles, music-making by a long list of artists representing the best of every genre has filled Carnegie Hall over the years. Scottish steel magnate Andrew Carnegie was inspired to build Carnegie Hall by his new wife, Louise, who sang in the Oratorio Society of New York. While on a honeymoon cruise to Scotland in 1887, Louise along with Walter Damrosch—conductor of the New York Symphony Society and Oratorio Society, also on his way to Europe—asked Carnegie to create a new home for music in New York City.