Ribo's songs come out of liturgy — verses lifted from prayer and psalm, set to melodies a stadium can sing back — and scoring them for a full orchestra rather than a touring band changes their scale entirely. Radio City's 6,000-seat Art Deco hall is about the only New York room that holds both a philharmonic and that kind of communal singalong. If you want a concert closer to a shared ceremony than a gig, this is the night.
What to expect
You enter through Radio City's grand foyer with its 60-foot ceiling and gold-leaf mural, then take a seat in the tiered hall. The Israel Philharmonic plays orchestral arrangements behind Ribo's vocals, with the audience singing along to the best-known choruses in Hebrew. Expect a mostly seated crowd that rises for the closing numbers.
Good to know
- Take the B, D, F or M to 47–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center; the entrance is on Sixth Avenue
- Radio City runs airport-style security with a small-bag policy, so allow extra time to get in
- The hall is enormous — mezzanine seats still have clear sound thanks to the original 1932 acoustic design
- Most of the programme is in Hebrew; you do not need the language to follow the melodies, but knowing a chorus helps
- Rockefeller Center restaurants fill up before showtime, so book ahead or eat further west
- Suits a wide age range; families and multi-generational groups are common at these concerts
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Common questions
Do I need to understand Hebrew to enjoy this?
No. The songs are melodic and orchestral, and the crowd singing along carries most of the emotional weight. Many attendees do not speak Hebrew fluently.
Where are the best seats at Radio City?
The first mezzanine gives the best balance of sightline and sound for an orchestral show; the rear orchestra sits under the mezzanine overhang and loses a little height.
Is this a religious service?
It is a concert, not a service, though the material draws heavily on liturgical texts and the atmosphere is often described as devotional.
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