At 18, Church studied under Thomas Cole, the country's leading landscape painter. He became a member of the Hudson School, the first group of landscape painters to emerge in the U.S., many of whom lived and painted in the Catskill Mountains region, along the Hudson River. Their work was characterized by meticulous, realistic attention to detail, and a poetic feeling for nature. Church became the youngest member of the National Academy of Design in 1849. In the 1840s and 1850s, Church experimented with recognizable scenes of American landscape, scenes of natural drama, and imaginary scenes based on biblical sources. Church traveled widely, and spent time in Columbia and Ecuador, resulting in his acclaimed masterpiece, The Andes of Ecuador. His career peaked during the 1860s and began to decline in the 1870s, resulting in Church devoting more time to his family and less to painting.

Named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction, and designed by William Burnet Tutthill, Carnegie Hall was in use from April 1891, with its official opening and first public performance occurring in May 5. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky was guest conductor during the hall's opening week, conducting his Marche solennelle. The hall became known for its acoustics, and as a significant venue for both popular and classical music performances. For many years, Carnegie Hall served as the home of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. When the orchestra moved to the Lincoln Center in 1959, the building was scheduled for demolition. Violinist Isaac Stern led an effort to preserve the building, and the site was bought by the city in 1960 and leased to a non-profit corporation. It was designated a historic landmark in 1964, and underwent extensive renovations between 1983 and 1995.

Brahms' father, a double bassist, gave him his first music lessons, and young Brahms showed enough promise on piano to supplement his family's income by playing in bars and restaurants, and by teaching. Brahms settled in Vienna and earned enough money from his compositions — like German Requiem — to live in relative comfort. His first completed symphony appeared in 1876, after 10 years of work, followed by three more in 1877, 1883, and 1885. While he wrote no operas, Brahms completed four symphonies, two piano concertos and a violin concerto, among other works. He was also a prolific composer in the theme and variations form, with such compositions to his credit as Variations on a Theme by Handel and Variations on a Theme by Haydn.

Tchaikovsky began his musical career at 14, upon writing his first composition. Ten years later he studied with Nikolay Zaremba, and entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862. Four years later he left the St. Petersburg Conservatory to become a professor of harmony at the Moscow Conservatory. During his time at the Moscow Conservatory he completed his first major symphony and one of his most famous operas, Romeo and Juliet. Tchaikovsky wrote 11 operas, four concertos, six symphonies, three ballets, three string quartets, and numerous songs and short piano pieces, as well as suites and symphonic poems. His most successful works include Francesca da Rimini, Marche slave, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty.

Johnson gravitated towards music at an early age, picking up a guitar in his teens. According to legend, Johnson achieved his skill as a blues guitarist after he was instructed to take his guitar to a local crossroad, where he was met by the Devil, who tuned the guitar and handed it back to him. In exchange for his soul, Johnson became the King of the Delta Blues. In reality, Johnson likely learned his guitar skills from blues masters like Son House and Charley Patton. Johnson traveled as an itinerant blues musician, performing at numerous venues. Johnson's entire recorded output stems from two days of recording sessions in November of 1936 and June of 1937, and includes tunes such as "Cross Road Blues," "Terrapin Blues," and "Dust My Broom." Johnson's music was re-discovered in later decades, and influenced rock musicians like the Rolling Stones.

Jackson studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and made her professional stage debut in Separate Tables, in 1957. Her film debut came in 1963's The Sporting Life. Two roles then made her famous, one in the controversial Women in Love, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar , and the role of Tchaikovsky's wife The Music Lovers. Jackson shaved her head to portray Elizabeth I of England in the BBC's 1971 serial Elizabeth R. She received a second Oscar for A Touch of Class, and became recognized as one of Britain's leading actresses. She later abandoned her acting career to become involved in politics. She served as a junior minister in the British government, before resigning to launch a failed campaign to become Mayor of London.

Jamison began ballet studies at six. At 15, she debuted as Myrtha in Giselle. She was discovered in 1964 by choreographer Agnes de Mille, who invited Jamison to perform in Four Marys with the American Ballet Theater in New York. It was there that Alvin Ailey first saw Jamison. Ailey invited her to join his company. Jamison danced with Ailey’s company for 15 years, during which she performed some of her most enduring roles, including her legendary solo performance Cry. Jamison went on to form her own company and star on Broadway in Sophisticated Ladies. She returned to the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, to honor his request that she become artistic director after his death.