OUR STORY

 

OUR STORY

The nonprofit Tarrytown Music Hall, listed on the National Register for Historic Places, is the oldest theater in Westchester, the 5^th oldest in NYS (older than Carnegie Hall) and one of the oldest in the nation. While many theaters in the United States were designed in the 1920’s as movie palaces, the Music Hall predates films. Only 6% of existing American theaters were built before 1900 and the Music Hall is one of them. 

The mission of our nonprofit organization is three-fold: to present diverse and relevant programming in music, theater, dance, and film for the enrichment of the tri-state community (Arts & Culture); to promote arts education through classes, partnerships, performing opportunities, and residencies (Education); and to preserve and restore the historic Music Hall (Historic Preservation) so that it may continue to be a vibrant performing arts center and catalyst for sustainable economic development in our area (Community).

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The Gilded Age

The Music Hall was built by wealthy candy manufacturer William L Wallace and designed by distinguished architects Theodore De Lemos and August Cordes, who also built the Macy’s building at Herald Square. It opened with a new Gilbert & Sullivan opera called, The Mikado, on December 12, 1885, the same year that Grover Cleveland became President, Karl Benz engineered the first automobile, and the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor.

At the time, Tarrytown was known as the “Millionaire’s Colony” due to the many prominent families like the Rockefellers, Goulds and Vanderbilts whose homes dotted the landscape. The Music Hall was their gathering place for balls, basketball games, concerts, films, flower shows, horse shows, roller-skating tournaments, and more. In 1901, the Music Hall was one of the first theaters to show silent films and in 1915, it hosted Women’s Suffrage events. Irving Berlin, Antonin Dvorak, Rafael Jossefy, Theodore Roosevelt, Mae West and Woodrow Wilson were among the first performers and speakers to grace the Music Hall stage.

From the 1930’s on, the Music Hall was a successful single screen movie theater, operated by local benefactor Robert Goldblatt. His son and daughter-in-law took over the theater in 1964, but then, in 1976, the theater closed, largely due to the rise in popularity of multiplexes and television. It was soon after proposed by the Village of Tarrytown that the theater be torn down to make way for a parking lot.

Rescue From The Wrecking Ball

The Music Hall was rescued from the wrecking ball on Valentine’s Day 1980 by our nonprofit organization and specifically by board members Helen and Berthold Ringeisen, a pianist and language professor respectively, who believed the arts were important for the community. Raymond Bowles and Morton Epstein rounded out the board.

The building, located in a depressed town and burdened with years of deferred maintenance and back taxes, could not be used as collateral. In the nick of time, Stephen Byelick, a local banker, agreed to give the Ringeisens a mortgage on their home, facilitating the purchase and renovation of the theater. If the theater failed, the Ringeisens would lose everything they owned and this almost came to pass several times over the next 23 years during which they volunteered their time and tried to bring the historic theater back to life.

Today, The Music Hall is an iconic historic building and a nationally recognized venue, offering the best in music, theater, dance, film and education. It attracts 100,000 people from all over the tri-state area and is a cultural destination and economic engine for the region, pumping over $6.8 million every year into the local economy through visitor-related spending, according the Arts and Economics Calculator.

The Theater’s Third Century

In 2003, Bjorn Olsson was hired as the Executive Director, and Karina E Ringeisen, Helen and Berthold’s daughter who grew up at the Music Hall, joined him as the Theater Manager. Today, the theater has a staff of eleven and about 200 volunteers.

In 2004, volunteers Greg and Fiona Galloway and Dean Gallea spearheaded a movement to return movies to the Music Hall’s stage after a 27-year hiatus. Movies are shown several times a year and include the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show and It’s A Wonderful Life.

In 2007, a property behind the theater that was essential for operations, was acquired for $2 million. Today, it provides parking for tour busses and staff, and studio space for The Music Hall Academy, the theater’s educational program.

The Music Hall was the first theater in Westchester to install solar panels and all shows are powered by the sun. We have invested heavily in all LED stage lighting, further reducing the theater’s carbon footprint. Our goal is to be a showcase for Green Energy in a 19th-century building.

The Music Hall was closed for 460 days during Covid.

Renowned Artists

Known for its excellent acoustics, the Music Hall has welcomed notable performers to its stage:
Joshua Bell, Tony Bennett, Laurie Berkner, Lewis Black, Jon Bon Jovi, Chris Botti, Dave Brubeck, David Byrne, Rosanne Cash, Judy Collins, Tommy Emmanuel, Melissa Etheridge, Ben Folds, David Foster, Nanci Griffith, Buddy Guy, Emmy Lou Harris, Levon Helm, Jason Isbell, Norah Jones, Sharon Jones, BB King, Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, Lyle Lovett, Nick Lowe, Patti LuPone, Loretta Lynn, Wynton Marsalis, Idina Menzel, Natalie Merchant, Keb’ Mo’, Randy Newman, Jessye Norman, Sinead O’Connor, Mandy Patinkin, Bonnie Raitt, Brian Regan, Chita Rivera, Todd Rundgren, Lea Salonga, Pete Seeger, Jake Shimabukuro, Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, Gwen Verdon, Rufus Wainwright, Dionne Warwick, The Indigo Girls, and The Mavericks to name very few. A popular venue for comedy, comedians have included Lewis Black, Hannah Brener, Vic DiBitetto, Kevin James, Trey Kennedy, Richard Lewis, Howie Mandel, Trevor Noah, Leslie Odom Jr, John Oliver, Paula Poundstone, Brian Regan, Josh Ritter, Joan Rivers, Amy Schumer, Geoff Tate, Lily Tomlin, Rufus Wainwright,  and many, many more.
In 1985, actress Ginger Rogers directed the musical Babes In Arms starring Randy Skinner and Karen Ziemba.

World Performers, Emerging Artists & Family Events

The Music Hall also presents performers from other countries and cultures like the Afro-Cuban Allstars (Cuba), Gonzolo Rubalcaba (Cuba), Arrival (Sweden), Bebel Gilberto (Brazil), Gaelic Storm (Ireland), Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa), Lunasa (Ireland), Red Hot Chili Pipers (Scotland), Peking Acrobats (China), Sabicas (Spain), Vienna Boys Choir (Austria) and Whindersson Nunes (Brazil) among others. Family oriented events include The Berenstain Bears, Jungle Jack Hanna, The Nutcracker Ballet, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Emerging artists open for high-profile performers or participate in student performances. 

Education

About 10,000 school children from all over the tri-state area attend daytime school performances at The Music Hall.

The Music Hall Academy, the educational arm of The Tarrytown Music Hall under the direction of Kevin J Kearins, provides professional performing arts training in music, theater, dance, voice and aerial silks to about 1000 students of all ages through lessons, classes, masterclasses, youth theater productions, school residencies, vacation camps and performance opportunities. Our distinguished faculty members hail from Broadway, American Ballet Theatre, and/or have degrees from such reputable schools as The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music. 

The Academy’s Free School Theater Residencies, Free Straight Plays, Free Musicals in Spanish and Pay-What-You-Can Policy make it possible for all children to participate in programs, regardless of financial limitations.

In 2025, TMH, with the permission from Disney, was the first organization in the United States to stage the musical Aladdin Jr in Spanish. Directed by Broadway professionals, the musical was completely spoken and sung in Spanish by native Spanish speakers and dual language students in grades 5-12. It was free of charge to participate and to attend the performances. In 2026, TMH staged The Addams Family in Spanish and will stage another musical in Spanish in 2027.

Community

The theater is home to about 200 volunteers, who usher and operate the record vinyl shop on the second floor of the Music Hall, which was founded by Greg Jacquin in 2022. The theater donates free/discounted space to local nonprofit organizations such as River Arts, Hispanic Flamenco Ballet, The Paper Bag Players and Eastern Student Guild Awards, to name a few, and donates $2000 every year towards The Sleepy Hollow High School Performing Arts Award, which recognizes talented seniors in band, chorus, orchestra and theater. It presents Holiday Craft Markets, Food Drives, Theater Tours, and Ghost Theater Tours, partners with restaurants and more, and is the identifying anchor on Tarrytown’s Main Street.

Films

Several films, television series and commercials have also been shot at the Music Hall, including The Preacher’s Wife and The Good Shepherd. Actors who have filmed at the Music Hall include Jessica Alba, Steve Buscemi, James Caan, Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Kirsten Dunst, Vera Farmiga, Whitney Houston, Michael Keaton, Ewan McGregor, Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Julia Roberts, James Spader, Marisa Tomei, Stanley Tucci and Denzel Washington, to name a few. The Music Hall shows classic films on its large screen several times a year. 

Restoration

Most of the theaters in Westchester are municipally or privately owned. The Music Hall has the unique challenge of not only being financially responsible for programming, education and community outreach, but ALSO for the maintenance and restoration of Westchester’s oldest theater.

In 2014, the theater underwent a $1.5 million exterior restoration made possible by a maximum grant of $400,000 from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, a Save Americas Treasures grant through the support of former Congresswoman Nita Lowey, state grants through NYS Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and late Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, and the support of generous members and donors. 

The theater’s Master Plan was completed by a team of architects in 2023 and is a roadmap for the theater’s full restoration, which will include elevators, HVAC systems, heating systems, restrooms, dressing rooms, paint restoration, seat replacement, and a lot more. Fundraising and restoration efforts are ongoing as funds become available.

We are currently submitting grants for the first phase of restoration: the brick repointing of the facade and the repair of internal gutters. This exterior $1.5 million project will not only protect the building from the elements, but will also enhance the beauty of Tarrytown’s Main Street, to be enjoyed by all residents and visitors alike.

If you would like to be involved in our restoration and fundraising activities, please contact us at info@tarrytownmusichall.org.  We welcome everyone who would like to see this beautiful old lady returned to her former glory.

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Ticket sales and tuition alone do not cover the costs of programming and maintaining and restoring this unique 19th century building. Please consider making a Tax-Deductible Contribution or becoming a Member today!