“Performing at Tokyo Opera City is an out-of-body experience. The acoustics and the hall’s design are breathtaking. The stage itself is not that big, but the ceiling is all luminous wood and goes high in a ziggurat formation, just layer upon layer of rising to the ceiling. So even though it’s a relatively small place, the sound gets lifted up into the pyramid. The effect is that when you’re playing here, it feels like you’re inside of an instrument. Tokyo Opera City takes my breath away.”

“I grew up going to the Curtis Institute of Music, a few blocks away from Verizon Hall. I am so glad that Philadelphia has the Kimmel Center, because the Philadelphia Orchestra is a great orchestra and fills the acoustics with its famous sound. The concert hall was built like the curve of a cello, with wood panels that have the tactile impression of the side of an instrument. Many of the orchestra members are my former classmates, so when I play there, I feel like it’s my home.”

“This is where I did my first artist residency. I love their approach to programming: hugely varied and communally responsible. They always find a place for my ideas on one of their concert series. I’m so impressed with what they do for music in Vienna. You feel like you stepped out of old Vienna and into the merging of contemporary and traditional. They take care of their artists; if they know a performer has a favorite snack, they make sure to have it waiting in the dressing room.”

”This is the home of the Radio France orchestra, and a lot of broadcasts are recorded here. It holds a lot of people, but the floor plan has been designed to always provide a good vantage point. I recorded my album Paris here and I premiered a piece that was written for me, the orchestra, and the conductor, and specifically for this concert hall. Performing it was one of the most meaningful contemporary-music experiences I’ve had in my life. The hall has great bistros and coffee shops nearby.”

“Fans of chamber music know that Wigmore Hall is an iconic concert hall. It’s a beautiful little gem of a concert hall. It’s a relatively small hall with phenomenal acoustics for the audience. You feel a bit exposed as a performer—feeling the weight of the hall’s history and the beauty of its sound. You want to do the very best when you’re on stage. It brings your senses to an electric point where you’re really connected with the audience and the space.”

“In the orchestral classical world, everyone wants to play here. It draws the sound out of everyone’s instrument; when you’re on stage, you always sound five times better than you thought in your practice room. The venue does a lot to connect with the community, and they offer experimental formats, like concerts that have surprise programming or chamber music where the audience is on stage with the musicians. The organization cares deeply about the interplay of music and community.”

“Super historic and super famous, this is a classic Italian opera house. It’s so beautiful and opulent. You get here by walking through the historic core of Venice. Playing here is a special experience because in Venice they don’t build new things, so you have old structures being maintained. In newer halls, you wind up playing each space based on what the acoustics are. In Venice, the historic DNA of the hall has sunk into the stage and into the walls and impacts the sound in a unique way.”

“Freshly reopened, Geffen Hall is already one of my favorites. I played on one of their nonclassical concerts as a guest of Chris Thile, performing together with Chris and Brad Mehldau. That was an amazing experience for me. I’m not a jazz musician, but I have incredible respect for Chris, who’s a friend of mine. Finding my space in this performance was very formative for me as an artist. The acoustics are beautiful here, amplifying the sound in a really poignant way.”

“I played in Australia for the first time when I was 19, and I kept meaning to go back, but for some logistical reason it didn’t work out until last summer, when I had a chance to play there again. It’s such an iconic and beautiful location. It’s a postcard of a building that’s instantly recognizable. They do a lot of interesting programming with Australian artists. They’re a central force in Sydney artistically, and I think as an institution, Sydney Opera House is one of those that has it all.”

“I came to Colombia for the first time to play a recital at Teatro Colón when I was in my twenties, and it was a wonderful experience. I’ve never forgotten how it felt. Visiting Bogotá is like stepping into a photograph. The colors, the light, the dramatic natural features you see when you fly in—the city’s fluid character is steeped in layers of history. The audience was so warm and welcoming, and the artistic vibe was a completely new experience for me.”