Cancelled concerts due to storm Sandy

30 October 2012, 11:50 | Updated: 30 October 2012, 11:58

Lang Lang, the Metropolitan Opera, and Carnegie Hall have cancelled concerts as the tropical storm rages across the US East Coast.

Concerts across New York have been cancelled due to the dangerous weather conditions caused by storm Sandy. A state of emergency has been declared in five states and millions are without power.

The Lincoln Center cancelled all their performances yesterday, including The Marriage of Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera. Juilliard School has cancelled all classes and events, as have the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The New York Philharmonic's concert on Wednesday is still scheduled to go ahead at Avery Fisher Hall.

Lang Lang's concert at Carnegie Hall, scheduled for 6.30pm (EDT) this evening has been postponed, and will now take place in June 2013.

New York's classical music radio station WXQR has produced a playlist to entertain its audience through the storm. They said: "Thanks for staying with us; we're on generator power but this storm won't stop us!"

Other classical musicians are making changes to their concert schedules to avoid the treacherous weather conditions. The Mariinsky Orchestra, who are currently touring the US, changed their concert programme at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and left 16 hours before their planned departure in order to beat the storm and arrive at the next leg of their tour before flights were cancelled.

An estimated 50 million people could be affected by the storm, with up to one million ordered to evacuate homes. President Obama has declared a major disaster in New York.