By Shaikha Al Ameri
ABU DHABI — Sir Clive Gillinson, the executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall in the United States, visited Zayed University in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, March 10, to talk about the role of music in societies and how music influences young people.
Carnegie Hall, which Gillinson calls the greatest music building in the world, is a concert venue in New York City that was designed by William Burnet Tuthill and funded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1891. It is actually three auditoriums, but the biggest, the Isaac Stern Auditorium, is considered the grand temple of American music.
“Building the best things are never by mistake,” Mr. Gillinson told an audience of 75 at the green auditorium in the ZU Library. “He knew what he wanted before he started.”
Tuthill was not a concert hall designer by trade, but he knew what he wanted to build. The result, Sir Clive said, was a building that is “the iconic music institution in the world.”
Mr. Gillinson said that Carnegie Hall does not look like it would have the best acoustic.
“Most people say that a building that’s perfect for music can only seat 2,000, but Carnegie Hall seats 2,800,” he said. “Somehow Tuthill got it just right. And that’s real genius.”
Mr. Gillinson praised Andrew Carnegie for building the great hall, as well as hundreds of public libraries around the United States.
“Carnegie thought the book was the perfect place to gain knowledge, so that’s why when he made his fortune, he built all of those libraries,” Mr. Gillinson said.
A former cellist in the London Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Gillinson talked about how was it an irresistible opportunity eight years ago when he got the call to run Carnegie Hall, which was used for different purposes, until its rebuilding and re-opening in 2003.
Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium now has 2,804 seats, and interior curves help in evenly spreading the sound all around the auditorium.
Mr. Gillinson remarked on the values that he as Carnegie’s artistic director holds in the highest esteem, including having open and free services that all can enjoy, the importance of asking the right questions more than giving the answers and knowing that everything one does in life matters.
In addition to that, Mr. Gillinson talked about how Carnegie Hall supports music. He believes music has a major impact on individuals, and that’s why Carnegie Halls want to play a major role in the future of music. He said his institution will do that by providing free educational and online programs to inform individuals.
Mr. Gillinson also talked about the National Youth Orchestra, a new program that brings young players across America together and trains musicians in order to take them on tours to different music capitals around the word.
“Music is a bridge between cultures, so we should learn about other cultures through their music,” Mr. Gillinson said.
Mr. Gillinson studied mathematics at the University of London because his mother, who was a musician, believed that he should do music as a hobby and not a career. However, he realized early in his mathematics studies that music was his real passion. Thus, he then entered the Royal Academy of Music and eventually joined London’s Symphony Orchestra, where he became the manager in 1984 until he took the post at Carnegie Hall in 2005.
“In London, I was just a member of the orchestra,” he said. “I never thought about being management. But then we had some tough financial times, and eventually they turned to me to run things. I guess I was out of the room when they choose a director.”
The Carnegie Hall leader said that one of his favorite things is when he invites in school children to play with professional musicians.
“There’s 3,000 people in the hall playing at the same time,” he said. “It’s fantastic.”
Mr. Gillinson praised the Americans for being so supportive of the arts.
“In the United Kingdom, the arts are generally supported by public funding, but in the U.S. the funding comes from people who simply love culture,” he said. “I go to someone and ask for their support, and then they write Carnegie Hall a check for a few million dollars. It’s magical that kind of love of music, because it is done from the heart and with no strings attached.”
This story was originally published on March 11, 2013. It was re-uploaded on Oct. 28, 2020. The photo that accompanied this story was lost due to the loss of the domain name.
