The Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns in southeastern New Mexico is 4,000 feet long, 600 feet wide and, at its highest point, 255 feet high; it comprises 8 acres of natural formations and is located 750 feet beneath the surface of the earth. On November 4, and for the first time since 1933, the National Park Service will welcome the public into the Big Room for an evening of music. A string quartet from the New Mexico Philharmonic will perform works by Haydn, Grieg, Bach and Dvorak.
The one-time-only concert has generated such excitement, says NPS spokesperson Valerie Gohlke, that all 250 tickets for the free event were spoken for in a day and a half.