A series of outstanding musical performances by internationally acclaimed artists
The Peggy Rockefeller Concerts offer a series of musical performances by internationally acclaimed artists in a venue unmatched in New York City—the University’s Caspary Auditorium. Designed by renowned architect Wallace Harrison in the 1950s, Caspary Auditorium was part of a mid-twentieth century expansion of the Rockefeller University campus. With its intimate scale, clear sight lines, and superb acoustics, Caspary provides an extraordinary musical experience.
In 1958, Rockefeller chemist Theodore Shedlovsky, an ardent music lover, invited a group of his musician friends to perform in the new auditorium, and the Rockefeller Concert Series was born. After beloved concert-goer Peggy Rockefeller, wife of honorary chairman and life trustee David Rockefeller, passed away in 1996, President Torsten Wiesel proposed that the concerts be renamed in her honor. For many years, Dr. Shedlovsky put together spectacular concerts, presenting high-caliber musicians and ensembles. Later, he entrusted the concert management to his colleague Gerald Edelman, a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist. Currently organized by Emeritus Professor George N. Reeke, Jr., The Peggy Rockefeller Concerts remain a faculty initiative, exemplifying the important partnership of science and music.
