ARTEC

D ESIGN AND P LANNING S ERVICES FOR

P ERFORMING A RTS FACILITIES

11 4 WEST 26TH STREET 12TH FLOOR NEW YORK NEW YORK U S A 10001 - 6812
TEL: +1(212) 242 0120 FAX : +1 ( 2 1 2 ) 6 4 5 8 6 3 5 w w w . A r t e c C o n s u l t a n t s.c o m
 Concert Hall and Congress Centre, Lucerne, Switzerland
JEAN NOUVEL, Architect
PARTIAL LIST OF ARTEC PROJECTS
Ziff Ballet Opera House, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida
PELLI CLARKE PELLI, Architects
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (Opera House), Palm Beach, Florida
EBERHARD ZEIDLER, Architect
Esplanade Opera House, Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
DP ARCHITECTS AND MICHAEL WILFORD, Architects
McDermott Concert Hall, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, Texas
I.M. PEI, Architect
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England
JOHN VERGETTE, Architect (Percy Thomas Partnership)
Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California
PELLI CLARKE PELLI, Architects
Sala São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
NELSON DUPRE, Architect
Prudential Hall (Opera House) New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, N.J.
BARTON MYERS, Architect
Chan Shun Concert Hall, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
BING THOM, Architect
Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, Budapest, Hungary
ZOBOKI AND DEMETER, Architect
Toronto Center for the Arts (Opera House plus Weston Hall)
EBERHARD ZEIDLER, Architect
Sibelius Hall, Lahti, Finland
HANNU TIKKA & KIMMO LINTULA, Architects
Frederick P. Rose Theater and The Allen Room, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, New York, NY
RAFAEL VIÑOLY, Architect
Esplanade Concert Hall, Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
DP ARCHITECTS AND MICHAEL WILFORD, Architects
Knight Concert Hall, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida
PELLI CLARKE PELLI, Architects
 PALACE OF THE ARTS, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

The world’s newest concert hall has opened on the banks of the Danube. It is, in many ways, everything a
modern hall should be. The lobbies are imposing without being palatial, the interior decor is wittily pastel and
the acoustic is inherently flexible and infinitely better than any in London or Paris as is only to be expected
of a work by the American acoustician Russell Johnson who, past 80, is still striving for the perfect sound.
That such a paragon could be built in Budapest, capital of a struggling post-communist economy, is a striking
reproach to Western complacency. The Berlin Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony orchestras are in for an
ear-opener when they visit in the next few weeks.

Tomorrow’s hall today

THE WORLD’S GREAT ORCHESTRAS ARE IN FOR AN EAR-OPENER
More interesting than the gallivanting of giant orchestras is the manner by which the hall was built, a formula
which could unlock the future for other cities. Historically, concert halls have been built by one of the
following methods: either a rich man makes a monumental gift, or a state puts up a hall and makes the citizens
pay, or a group of moderately wealthy people club together as a tax-deductible association.

None of these mechanisms seems to work any more. The world is full of men who are many times richer than
Andrew Carnegie, but no Gates or Google-mogul has emulated the Scottish steelman’s everlasting philanthropy.
State and city halls that were built under communism are concrete monstrosities, ripe for demolition; municipal
facilities like the Royal Festival Hall were disabled by official interference and musical ignorance. The third
method, recently prevalent, is failure prone. The million-here, million-there school of fundraising has lost its
appeal to middleweight donors, who feel unappreciated. It also tends to leave last-minute budget holes.
THE ACOUSTICIAN IS THE WORLD’S BEST
EXCERPTS FROM THE EVENING STANDARD, LONDON, 30 MARCH 2005
 A GREAT HALL BUILT ON THE NEVER-NEVER

What the Hungarians have done is tear up the rulebook and build a hall on the never-never. A patch of
industrialised riverbank beside the faux-bourgeois national theatre (opened in 2002) was turned over to a local
developer who, with cash from Hungarian expats in Canada, knocked up the new Palace of Arts 1,700-seat
concert hall, art gallery, small theatre for a mere 31.3 billion Forints. That, by my reckoning, is about £87 million,
or rather less than it is costing to restore London’s main concert hall to a semblance of its original inadequacy.

Giving the project to the private sector eliminated years of political obstruction and public tender. The
architect, picked by the developers, is a local music fanatic, Gabor Zoboki. The acoustician is the worlds best.
The catch, and there had to be one, is that taxpayers will have to pay back the full cost, with interest, over 30
years. The Government is gambling that, by then, Hungary will have been restored to its rightful prosperity
and no-one will feel the pinch, or remember who authorised the expenditure.

Governments come and go in Budapest with Danubian fluidity. I met five culture ministers of the present
century at the formal opening and all congratulated the others on supporting the project across party lines.
That, however, is where consensus ends. A plan to name the hall after Béla Bartók, the country’s most
important composer, was stamped on by rightwing politicians who branded it the National Concert Hall. The
word national, round these parts, resonates terrifyingly with nostalgia for lost territories and unfinished wars.

The renamed National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zoltan Kocsis, was appointed resident
ensemble. A former state orchestra of unsackable players, the NPO lacks the zest of the Budapest Festival
Orchestra, headed by Ivan Fischer and championed by the late Georg Solti. Most consider the festival
orchestra superior in tone and outlook; but Fisher’s players are obliged to rehearse in a suburban cinema and,
while they will play in the new hall, most of their concerts take place in the smaller Franz Liszt Academy.
“The new hall needs Ivan,” muttered one disgruntled musician on opening night.

Opening night concert, National Philharmonic Orchestra sludgy textures in Beethoven’s opus 124 overture were
followed by an ill-balanced piano in Liszt’s second concerto; amends were made in the second half by a pinpoint
performance of three Bartók pieces orchestrated by Kocsis, and by the serenity of the Psalmus Hungaricus, the
NATIONAL CONCERT HALL, THE PALACE OF THE ARTS Budapest, Hungary

Kodaly masterpiece that has all but faded from western ears. During the interval I patrolled the empty hall,
listening to two harps tuning up on stage: the sound was steady and pure at every level of elevation.

Johnson is staying on in Budapest to tweak the acoustic for the world’s loudest orchestras. After that, he is
heading for Paris where the lovely Salle Pleyel, an acoustic white elephant, fell into liquidation after the
Credit Lyonnais banking scandal in the 1990s. It wound up in the hands of a developer, Hubert Martigny, who
is married to a conductor, Carla Maria Tarditi. With a wad of state finance they will renovate the Pleyel and
Johnson will work on the sound. The Martignys will own the building for the next 50 years but each year a
bit of it reverts to the French government.

The model is similar to Budapest. It’s the new painless way of making a fit place for music. Building a good
concert hall, Johnson insists, is not a question of money. All you have to do it get the priorities in the right
order --- acoustics first, all else behind.

Imagine what might happen in London if a developer took over a derelict power station or telephone
exchange and put up a concert hall without consulting the cultural authorities --- a private attraction sustained
by a public buy-back guarantee. The hall could be built in three years, as distinct from the twenty it took to
erect the Barbican, and the further twenty that the Royal Festival Hall has spent on its refurbishment debate.
It could be run on sound commercial lines without obeisance to political correctness. It could have, uniquely
for London, a treasurable acoustic.

Sounds too good to be true? It happened last month in Budapest, and it’s moving ahead in Paris. Why do we
always have to be losers, and last?

BY NORMAN LEBRECHT
30 MARCH 2005

Budapest has built a brilliant new concert venue in three years.

Why does it take London decades to build bad ones?
 BÉLA BARTÓK NATIONAL CONCERT HALL
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
As the design and planning consultants for the new Béla
Bartók National Concert Hall at Muvészetes Palotája, Artec
Consultants Inc provided specialist consulting services to the
building owner in acoustics, theatre planning, and the design
and accommodation of performance equipment systems. Artec
collaborated with the architect, Zoboki Gábor; the building
owner; and the other members of the team to design the best
possible environment for music performance.
At the center of our process is the creation of the ideal
relationship between the artists and the listeners; this includes
shaping of the orchestral platform, arranging the seating areas
for comfort and sightlines, and ensuring optimal acoustics for
the entire range of musical works that will be performed. Artec
worked closely with the owner and the architect, at each stage
of design, to ensure the comfort and optimal satisfaction of
both artist and audience; each party must be able to see, hear,
and move comfortably to provide, and feel, a thrilling
performance experience.
Beyond the auditorium, Artec guided the design layout of the
public spaces so that the audience arrives at their seats in the
best possible frame of mind. The comfort of the artists is also of
particular importance because Artec has long recognized the
impact this has on the artists’ ability to truly focus on the making
of music. Technical support areas need to be designed so that the
facility can operate in the most efficient and effective manner.
Finally, the performance systems must efficiently and safely
“The complete absence of noise is a prerequisite for top rank acoustics for symphonic music.”
meet the needs of not only the expected range of concerts, but
also many additional types of events.
Designing an auditorium for world-class acoustics is a
challenging endeavor. Basic shaping considerations -
positioning of architectural features (walls, ceiling, balconies,
etc.) in relation to the platform, distribution of the seating
areas, and the specification of appropriate construction
materials are the key to achieving a great concert hall. Starting
from the preliminary conceptual design presented by TriGránit
and Zoboki Gábor, Artec’s Russell Johnson led the team in
developing a Basic Design that defined these architectural
elements in a way that would achieve the appropriate acoustics
quality and seat-count, and also accommodate other basic
project requirements within the available space on the site.
Artec draws upon two fundamental sources of inspiration in the
development of a basic design. The first are the wonderful
European concert halls built before 1905, which are beloved by
music connoisseurs around the world, for example:
Musikvereinssaal in Vienna, Austria, Boston Symphony Hall in
the United States, the Tonhalle in Zurich, Switzerland, and the
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The second are Artec’s own
family of concert halls. Artec consultants spend a considerable
amount of time each year studying halls in both of these groups,
listening and comparing their architectural features to deepen
and refine their understanding of the characteristics that make
an exceptional space for music performance.
BÉLA BARTÓK NATIONAL CONCERT HALL
The complete absence of noise is a prerequisite for excellent
acoustics. Noise is defined as any unwanted sound - during a
performance, any sound not produced by the performer is “noise”.
From the outset of the project, Artec worked closely with building
engineers to ensure the appropriate level of “quiet” in the
auditorium. The presence of background noise serves not only as
an annoyance to audience and performers, but also negatively
impacts the clarity and richness of the sound; the ease of
concentration and communication among performers; the length
and apparent loudness of the reverberant sound as it dies away; and
the range of dynamics and expression available to the musicians.
A key element in Artec-designed auditoria is adjustability. The
Artec-designed adjustable seating elements and adjustable
acoustics systems, along with the rigging and production
lighting systems, are integral aspects of the National Concert
Hall in Budapest. They provide flexibility in the support of
different experiences. The design of appropriate and effective
performance equipment systems is vitally important to the
overall success of the concert hall.
Each Artec project is developed by a team of consultants - a team
that includes consultants with specialist knowledge in the design
of theatre (performance) equipment, theatre planning, noise and
vibration control, building isolation, and room acoustics -
working together to design the performance equipment systems.
The theatre planning consultant(s), responsible for the overall
technical design of the performance equipment, works closely
with the acoustic consultant(s) on the size and placement of
equipment, on the materials used to build the equipment, and on
the features of the computer interface that will control the
equipment systems.
Budapest, Hungary
The orchestra platform of the concert hall is designed to
accommodate music ensembles of all sizes, from recital
groups, to the large ensembles required by Mahler, Bruckner
and modern day composers’ large-scale works. The system is
composed of three platform lifts (at the forestage are a
platform reduction and platform extension lift; a chorus wagon
lift is at the rear of the platform). Each forestage platform lift
is designed to accommodate mobile seating wagons with
permanently mounted audience seats, thus, the platform can be
made larger or smaller and seat-count of the hall increased or
decreased, depending on the needs of the performing
ensemble. At the rear of the platform, a different type of
mobile seating wagon was designed to be accommodated on
the chorus wagon lift, allowing for an extension of the
permanent chorus-seating balcony accommodating a total of
140 singers. These elements were designed by Artec, not only
to allow the hall’s technical staff to quickly and efficiently
accommodate the entire range of performances, but also to
ensure the optimal acoustics environment for the music being
performed.
Fixtures located throughout the three acoustic canopies, and
from a surrounding truss/cyclorama location, provide
Production Lighting for the concert platform in the Concert
Hall. These are the primary lighting positions for most music
events. Although seldom necessary, this lighting can be
supplemented and augmented by theatrical performance
lighting, located on the tier rails at all levels and in the front-
of-house lighting cove. The three acoustic canopies and the
surrounding truss/cyclorama are independently adjustable in
height with regard to the concert platform. The choice and
focusing of concert lighting fixtures has therefore taken into
BÉLA BARTÓK NATIONAL CONCERT HALL
account a wide variety in height of settings for the canopies
and truss, as well as covering different performance areas.
In addition to orchestra and platform lighting, other fixtures
are provided for lighting of both a large and a small chorus,
and still other fixtures are used to enhance or spotlight the
conductor and any supporting soloists. There will be different
orchestral settings and other events taking place on the concert
platform. All of the lighting fixtures have therefore been
circuited to individual dimmers, which makes it possible to
select which fixtures will be used for each of the various
orchestral configurations and canopy height settings.
The prime objective in the design is to have an abundant
amount of light on the music scores so that the musicians can
read the scores easily. However, lighting on the concert
platform is also an important opportunity to enhance the
appearance of the musicians, so that they are visually well-lit
and become three-dimensional. Even and bright light on the
concert platform, and the natural figure shaping and definition
that comes from lights at different angles, helps the audience
to delineate figures and see the individual musicians clearly. It
has been observed that an audience that “sees well” also tends
to feel it “hears well”.
The Concert Hall is designed with many different rigging
systems to complement the different performance types
possible. The canopy rigging system was designed using a
multipoint suspension system rigged to two counterweight
shafts on either side of the concert hall. The multipoint
suspension system was used to minimize the suspension cables
and the structural elements of the canopy. Access to the top of
Johnson pioneered the incorporation of instant adjustability in concert halls in the mid 50’s.
Budapest, Hungary
the canopy for maintenance and for adjusting the lighting
instruments is accommodated with a personnel lift that descends
from the attic slab and lands on top of the canopy. The lift makes
access simple and saves time and labor. The concert hall is
equipped with a cyclorama pipe that is rigged on a motorized
winch that accommodates the hanging of a white muslin drop
that could be used for colored lighting washes, patterns and
various moving and projected images. The cyclorama pipe is
also designed to carry concert and production lighting to
complement the lighting on the canopy and throughout the
room. The concert hall is accommodated with a series of
penetrations in the attic slab and the canopy. These penetrations
are used for temporarily rigging items above the platform, such
as banners, projection screens large posters, etc.
The result of the Artec team’s collaborative design process is
best illustrated by the equipment components that make up the
Adjustable Acoustics system, The system used to adjust the
acoustics environment in the concert hall is composed of four
elements: the Acoustic Canopy (and its sub-systems); the
Acoustics Control Chamber Doors and Actuators, and the
sound-absorptive Acoustic Curtains and Acoustic Banners.
These four motorized systems are controlled by the prime
Machinery Control System with operating touch screen
controls. The motorized systems are complemented by a
number of manually adjustable surfaces in the hall.
Artec’s founder, Russell Johnson pioneered the concept of
concert spaces with adjustable acoustics in the 1950s, when he
realized that the repertoire of modern symphony orchestras
often encompassed works for groups ranging from 15 to 300
(with choir) musicians. To ensure great acoustics for such a
BÉLA BARTÓK NATIONAL CONCERT HALL
broad range of ensemble sizes, different elements of the system
are adjusted to adapt the acoustics environment to the needs of
the music being performed. Of course, this system also extends
the possibilities of the hall to include performances of lightly
amplified music, chamber music and recitals, as well as
amplified speech events such as conferences.
At the official inauguration on March 15, 2005, the concert
hall at the Muvészetes Palotája will join a worldwide family of
concert halls designed by Artec. Symphony Hall, Birmingham
(UK), Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas (USA), Sala São
Paulo in Brazil, Winspear Concert Hall in Edmonton
Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, Budapest
www.mupa.hu
Budapest, Hungary
(Canada), Chan Shun Concert Hall in Vancouver (Canada),
Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, Sibelius Concert Hall in
Lahti (Finland), Verizon Concert Hall in Philadelphia (USA),
the Concert Hall in Lucerne (CH), and now the Budapest
Concert Hall, all share a “family resemblance”, while each
enjoys a uniqueness born from different circumstances,
architecture, and technical characteristics. Upcoming additions
to the Artec family will include concert halls in Reykjavik
(Iceland), Aalborg (Denmark), Costa Mesa, California (USA),
Miami, Florida (USA) and Wroclaw (Poland).
translated from Színpad (Budapest) March 2005 Issue
ESPLANADE – THEATERS ON THE BAY
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, opened its doors on
October 12, 2002.
This complex, located on prime waterfront land on the
shores of Marina Bay, features an 1800-seat concert hall,
a 2000-seat theatre, a recital hall, a “black-box” theatre, a
library, a 3-level retail mall and an underground carpark.
In its immediate vicinity are over 5000 world-class hotel
rooms, two major convention centers, 1000 shops, 300
restaurants and 7500 parking spaces.
While the idea for a new performing arts center was first
conceived in the community in the 1970’s, it was in the
1990’s that the project began to be seriously developed.
Artec Consultants Inc participated in the pre-architectural
studies and later began work with the building owner and
architects, providing comprehensive acoustics consulting
services.
The Concert Hall features acoustics control chambers that
embrace most of the audience chamber, a 3-segment
adjustable acoustical canopy system over the concert
platform and remote controlled acoustical curtains at
strategic locations to provide ideal acoustics for a wide
Republic of Singapore
range of performances from solo recitals, to concerts with
full orchestra, organ, and chorus. The functional
flexibility of theatre production systems and adjustable
acoustics systems accommodates Asian music, opera,
dance, and recitals, as well as traditional Western
performing arts ensembles. The stage is designed for a
maximum of 170 musicians and 200 choir members. The
concert hall features a pipe organ by Klais Orgelbau with
4889 pipes and 61 stops.
The design of the 2000-seat Theatre was inspired by
horseshoe-shaped Italian opera houses. It is designed to
accommodate performances of traditional Asian and
Western performing arts as well as multi-media
presentations. It has a main stage with an adjustable
proscenium arch, two full-sized ancillary stages, a 30
meter high fly tower, and an adjustable orchestra pit
designed to effectively handle almost any size group,
from Broadway pit orchestras to large symphonic
ensembles used in Wagner opera productions.
The design architect was Michael Wilford of London, and
DP Architects of Singapore were the Architects of Record.
THE ESPLANADE – THEATERS ON THE BAY
I spent several days in the Esplanade
concert hall in Singapore after it was
completed, listening to our new pipe
organ. From my personal view as an organ
builder the acoustics are perfect. What
really impresses me about the acoustics
is that they have clarity and
reverberance at the same time --- an
almost unique combination in the world
of concert hall acoustics. With the
chamber doors closed, the hall is very
resonant, has good clarity and a very even
acoustic at all frequencies. With these
doors fully open, the hall gains a
wonderful cathedral-like sound, with all
“The organ sounds wonderful in this hall. This
is the best concert hall I have found in
twenty two years of recording.”
Neil Collier, Priory Records, Leighton Buzzard, England
FAX:+44 (1525) 371-477
8 July 2002 (after a recording session in the concert hall in Singapore)
Republic of Singapore
the voices of the organ being beautifully
understood, still with excellent clarity. You
know that I love Symphony Hall in
Birmingham, but the new Esplanade hall
has more resonance. This Singapore hall
will very soon be recognized as one of the
best contemporary concert halls in the
world. The Artec acoustics are
extraordinary --- incredible.
Philipp Klais
Johannes Klais Orgelbau, Bonn, Germany
FAX +49 (228) 982 4030
9 July 2002
THE ESPLANADE – THEATERS ON THE BAY Republic of Singapore

“THE ACOUSTICS ARE SIMPLY BREATH-TAKING”

I came back to Chicago from Singapore nearly two weeks ago. The acoustics of the new
Esplanade concert hall are simply breath-taking! I specially love the lows; they are
supportive and all-surrounding and best of all, immediate. The organ tuttis are colorful
and clear, and the softest stops of the new Klais pipe organ are intimate and “right-on.”
The Artec acoustics seem to allow the Klais to speak right into the hall, with nothing lost
in between. On 6 May 2002, Kawamura San (from the General Contractor) came to the
concert hall to raise and lower the acoustical canopies for us, and open the hinged panels of
the acoustics control chambers. That day, the Klais team had just finished voicing the 43rd
stop. The chamber doors were opened one at a time, and we were able to listen to the gradual
change in the acoustics of the hall. When all of the chamber doors at the level of the organ
were opened, the sound became more direct and I thought to myself that if I were to do
an all French recital, this would be the right acoustics. The reeds sounded brassier as
French reeds should.

When the chamber doors at the very top-most level were all opened, the warm,
broad surrounding sound returned but now with greatly enhanced reverberation. It
was like listening to the organ in the best of European cathedrals!

A great achievement.

Margaret Chen, D. Mus.

Highland Park, IL 60035
22 May 2002
PLAN, ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL, SINGAPORE
copyright © 2002 AR TEC
The New York Times, New York, New York
From Homeless to House-Proud:
Brazil’s ‘Other’ Music
By Larry Rohter
S
ÃO PAULO, Brazil — It was logical and fitting that when the
São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra inaugurated its striking
new concert hall here in July, the centerpiece of the debut
program was Mahler’s Second Symphony. That work, after all, is
known as the Resurrection, and both the Sala São Paulo and the
orchestra that now resides there were celebrating a rise from the ashes.
Just a few years ago the orchestra, founded in 1953, was practically
homeless. At one point its 97 members were reduced to rehearsing in
a school auditorium, their schedule dependent on the willingness of
the school’s principal and parent-teacher association to make space
available.
But that was before the government of Brazil’s most important state
began an effort to persuade John Neschling, a Brazilian conductor
living in Switzerland, to lead the orchestra. Initially reluctant, he
acquiesced in 1997 only after the authorities agreed to a series of
basic conditions, one of which was a permanent home for the orchestra.
Anticipating doubts about selling such a project, Neschling, 52, took
an approach calculated to appeal to Brazilian sensibilities, urging
officials to consider “what happens to a good soccer team if it doesn’t
have a stadium,” as the maestro recalled in an interview here early
this month. “It made them understand we needed a place to work.”
That place turned out to be a cavernous abandoned train station on
the faded outskirts of downtown that was designed in Louis XVI style
Tuesday, August 24, 1999
in the 1920s. The choice may have seemed odd, but when the American
acoustic consultant Russell Johnson arrived to supervise the project,
he quickly discovered that the dimensions and characteristics of the
station lent themselves to the ambitious vision.
“More or less by accident, the original architect made this mammoth
waiting room almost the same length and width as a handful of the
great old concert halls in Europe,” Johnson said in a telephone
interview from New York City, where his company, Artec Consultants,
is based. “And of course it has plenty of height, which enabled us to
put in a ceiling that goes up and down, so we can adjust the acoustics
of the room to the events going on onstage.”
This all resulted in a 1,509-seat hall whose most innovative feature is
its flexible ceiling, composed of 15 motorized and individually
controlled panels whose position can be changed in minutes. A new
rear balcony and boxes seating spectators except when a choir is
required were installed around and behind the main stage without
disturbing the 32 imposing Greek columns that remain the hall’s most
distinctive visual attraction.
The revamped building also has ample rehearsal rooms and a recording
studio. Work has begun on a documentation center and archives
devoted to Brazilian composers of the 19th century and earlier,
including Carlos Gomes and a group of largely forgotten mulatto
musicians of the 18th century described by Neschling as “liberated
slaves who wrote first-class music, church choirs and Te Deums.”
Continued on next page
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
Continued from previous page
Although Brazil has always been a very musical nation, building a
top-flight orchestra was a huge challenge: Even though it seems as if
every one of the country’s 165 million people plays an instrument or
sings, the musical energies are directed almost exclusively at popular
music, not the classics.
“I had to convince people that classical music is part of the musical
expression of a country anywhere in the world,” Neschling said. “I
had to remind people that the language of the classics is as important
as the language of pop and that Brazil had this language for three
centuries but forgot it.” As a composer he wrote the scores for such
films as Kiss of the Spider Woman and Pixote.
For state officials who provided $35 million for the renovation, the
hall is a symbol of even grander aspirations. São Paulo is Brazil’s
richest and largest city and state, with 18 million people in the
metropolitan area and 16 million in the interior. It is an industrial,
financial and agricultural powerhouse that in the words of Rodolfo
Konder, the municipal secretary of culture, yearns to be recognized as
“a world-class city.”
The city has been regarded as the country’s foremost cultural center
since at least 1922, when the series of exhibitions and seminars known
as Modern Art Week established a national agenda for literature, art
and music for decades to come. Abroad, however, São Paulo has always
been overshadowed by its flashier, more exotic and better-known rival
200 miles to the east, Rio de Janeiro.
Marcos Mendonça, secretary of culture for São Paulo state, said: “We
want to transform the city’s image so that it is not only a great economic
center but has an intense cultural life. We want people to come not
just to do business.”
To attract local audiences that do not normally attend symphony
concerts, ticket prices have been kept low, with the best seats selling
for just over $10. The city and state have also sought to encourage
private sector support for their plans with tax laws that offer rebates
to companies contributing to the arts.
Indeed, the state and city authorities envision the project here as the
anchor of a much larger complex of museums and galleries. Next
door, for instance, the headquarters of the political police during
military rule from 1964 to 1985 are being converted into a conservatory
and theater, though Mendonça promised that “a few of the cells where
prisoners were held will be preserved for historical reasons.”
Mr. Neschling and state officials are clearly looking forward to
presenting his orchestra to audiences abroad and showing off the hall’s
acoustics to visiting foreign orchestras. “There is a circuit, and I want
us to be on it,” said Neschling, a Brazilian who was born and reared
in Rio de Janeiro.
The São Paulo State Orchestra plans to tour Latin America in 2001
and Europe in 2002. Performances at the Sala São Paulo by the Vienna
and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras are scheduled this year, and the
Berlin and Chicago orchestras are due here in 2000.
Mr. Johnson said the auditorium “may turn out to be one of the really
top-flight concert halls anywhere in the world acoustically, including
in Europe.”
Musicians who play here regularly seem to agree. Darrin Milling, a
bass trombonist who is one of several Americans and Russians
Neschling has recruited for the orchestra, said, “What is truly unique
and a great advantage with this hall is the ability you have to tailor the
acoustics to the audience and the piece.”
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
“I sit there in amazement that I am playing in one of the best concert
halls in the world,” added Milling, 31, who has performed with the
Philadelphia and New World Symphonies. “I’ve played in places like
Cologne and at the Kennedy Center, and for me, this is the dream
gig.”
In addition to the infusion of foreigners, the reshaped orchestra includes
16 Brazilians who had been playing in orchestras in Europe or the
United States but who welcomed an opportunity to come home.
Neschling maintains that his ensemble is already “one of the 50 best
in the world” and, aiming high, cites the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
under Fritz Reiner as its model.
“São Paulo is not less important than Chicago,” he said. “So why not
have an orchestra like Chicago?”
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
SIBELIUS CONGRESS AND CONCERT HALL
Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland, was designed as the permanent home
of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra has achieved
international recognition for its performances at home and on tour,
as well as for its widely hailed series of Sibelius recordings. The hall
is designed to accommodate congress events in addition to music.
Artec Consultants Inc provided theatre planning, acoustics consulting
services, and sound and communication system design services for
Sibelius Hall.
Artec Consultants first participated in the project by assisting the
City of Lahti with an international architectural competition, working
with three finalist teams to develop three separate architectural
schemes. Artec then developed the winning design with the
competition winners, Hannu Tikka and Kimmo Lintula of the
Architectural Design Firm Arkkitehtityöhuone Artto Palo Rossi Tikka
Oy.
Sibelius Hall is a purpose-built concert hall designed to include 1250
seats, distributed on the main floor, two balconies, and seating behind
the platform which can serve as chorus seating when required. Artec
provided the designs for the theatrical aspects of Sibelius Hall,
Lahti, Finland
including the sightlines and seating, performance lighting system,
the sound and communication systems, orchestra and chorus
platforms, and the platform extension and piano lifts.
Artec’s design incorporates a number of features that allow great
variability of acoustic, including a moving acoustic canopy, and
acoustic control curtains and acoustic banners. The three-piece
adjustable acoustic canopy facilitates on-stage communication among
the musicians and can adjust the response of the performance end of
the room to suit individual musical works. Acoustic control curtains
within the auditorium can be extended to absorb some of the
reverberant energy, creating the “dry” environment needed for
amplified speech or for certain music events.
Sibelius Hall also incorporates reverberance chambers which assist
in adjusting the room’s acoustics to match a particular repertory or
ensemble. The hall is embraced by hinged doors that can be set to
varying degrees of openness, allowing sound to pass in and out of
the chambers.
Sibelius Hall was built by the City of Lahti for 105 million Finnish
Markka ($21 million USD).
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
SIBELIUS CONGRESS AND CONCERT HALL Lahti, Finland

“A Stradivarius in a glass box.”

Ulf Meyer
Berlin Zeitung
17 March 2000

“Sibelius Hall will put Finland on the map.”

Michael Tumelty
The Herald, Glasgow
17 March 2000

“The most beautiful concert hall in Scandinavia, great acoustics!”

Wolfram Goertz
Die Zeit
16 March 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SIBELIUS CONGRESS AND CONCERT HALL Lahti, Finland

“Yes, yes, yes! Lahti has succeeded. An akustik mästerwerk.”

Lena von Bonsdorff
Elsinore
12 March 2000

Kalevi Aho’s new symphony had “a spatially sensitive finale that made
the hall breathe like a magic sound box. Which is no less than we expect
of the finest musical instruments.”
Andrew Clark
Financial Times, London
21 March 2000

“A great new concert hall.”

Wolfgang Sandner
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
15 March 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
Artec Consultants Inc provided room acoustics, noise control, and
sound isolation consulting services for the Toronto Centre for the
Arts, which opened to rave reviews in October 1993. The Centre is
comprised of three performance spaces: the George Weston Recital
Hall, the Apotex Theatre, and the Studio Theatre.
Artec provided the basic design for the 1025-seat George Weston
Recital Hall, which is designed to provide excellent acoustics for a
wide variety of musical forces and repertoire. It has been designed
especially for chamber groups, chamber orchestra, choral concerts,
and solo recitals. The hall is narrow to provide clarity and strength
(loudness) to the sound, increasing the impression of acoustical
intimacy, excellent responsiveness for performers, and adjustable
reverberation.
The building shell is constructed of grout-filled block and concrete
to eliminate noise intrusion from outdoors and from adjacent areas.
The ventilation system has been designed to provide comfort with
no perceptible noise. This silence provides a very wide dynamic range
and permits artists to achieve their best performances.
The Apotex Theatre is designed as a venue primarily suited for
Broadway-type musicals. While it is not as acoustically “live” as the
Recital Hall, a system of variable natural acoustics has been
incorporated so that the room will be equally suited for ballet, opera,
and operetta, as well as amplified events such as musicals, rock and
popular music, jazz concerts, and multi-media events.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Apotex Theatre seats 1816 patrons on three levels. The walls
are shaped to promote strength and clarity of sound while maintaining
excellent sightlines and visual intimacy from every seat in the house.
Sound reflections to the main floor from the underside of the side
tiers provide sound clarity and strength, adding to the impression of
acoustical intimacy. Its ventilation system, an adaptation of a concept
used frequently in Europe, is the first of its kind in North America.
The air is supplied through the base of each seat via a system of
acoustically lined plenums and silent air terminals. The design team
and seating fabricator have coordinated their efforts to ensure silent
air supply while giving superior comfort and minimizing operating
costs.
The Studio Theatre is a flexible venue that is appropriate for young
artists and community theatre groups who need a small venue seating
about 250 people. It is also excellent for small, informal recitals,
cabaret, lectures, cinema, and arts/ community-related social events.
Given the wide variety of uses and acoustical requirements, the design
includes a set of sound absorbing curtains, which can be extended to
reduce the liveness and loudness of the room for amplified events
and subdued drama. The goal is to provide flexible acoustics that
can be varied almost instantly to complement the flexible nature of
the space.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“Now, the Weston Recital Hall is something else. Here is the Vienna
experience! At the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s benefit October 19 given
at Weston, the audience heard the orchestra like never before.
“We were involved; we were breathless. The crescendos were almost
unbearably thrilling. The clarinet solos, and others, seemed to come from
beside us.
“Not only did we stay riveted and alert through Brahms and Beethoven, we
cheered and applauded wildly for a great transforming communal
experience.”
Ewen McCuaig
The Toronto Star
27 October 1999

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

 SUPERLATIVES TOO NUMEROUS TO RECITE
WESTON HALL, NORTH YORK, ONTARIO
TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS

THE NORTH YORK PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE HAS A NEW NAME: TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS

Civic ambition in our time usually expresses itself in
bigness, whether through the splashiest fair (Expo ‘86)
or the sprawlingest shopping complex (the West
Edmonton Mall) or the biggest mechanized playground
(the Sky Dome with its retractable roof). Nobody
aspires to excel in anything small, except maybe in
North York, where a marriage of civic boosterism and
entrepreneurial drive somehow produced a compact
concert hall of world-beating quality.
This is a hall where it takes barely a dozen steps to get
to centre stage, yet what a curious path had to be
traversed before Te Kanawa could make the journey.
The first moves were made by Mel Lastman, North
York’s boosterish mayor, who never tires of asserting
that his city, a sprawling bedroom community north
of Toronto, is someplace. Like the North York City
Centre the NYPAC was intended to help patriate the
city’s centre of gravity.

It’s the North York Performing Arts Centre’s recital
hall, and it opened its doors officially for the first time
last night. Just more than 1,000 people nestled into
this elegant new theatre for a recital by star soprano
Kiri Te Kanawa.
Lastman found an ally in Garth Drabinsky, chairman
of Live Entertainment Corp. of Canada and a man as
bold in pursuit of commercial opportunity as
Lastman is in search of civic respectability.

WHAT MIGHT HAVE PROVED A PIECE OF SUBURBAN PRESUMPTION

HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A MUSIC HALL FIT FOR ANY CITY IN THE WORLD
Fortunately for both Lastman and Drabinsky, a first-
rate design team was there to give their high-flown
dreams a suitable home. What might have proved a
piece of suburban presumption has turned out to be a
music hall, and a music series, that could claim a
proud place in any city in the world.
It may be the most coherent hall in Canada, in terms
of its total environment. The single-balcony space
(designed by Eberhard Zeidler) is both efficient and
comfortable, and not just in terms of the extent of the
leg room or the density of the seat cushions. It is
comfortable in its society, in the way it gathers people
for a shared experience of one art, so that they feel
good in the community and focus that the room lends
to their presence. Its austere construction and
preponderance of hard surfaces have been softened by
the use of curves and woods.
When the music begins, the picture slides into the
frame. A good hall acts like a natural amplifier,
delivering the sound in heightened form without
blurring its edges. That is what the acousticians
(Artec Consultants Inc) have achieved in the
recital hall. When Te Kanawa opened her mouth, I
often felt as though the sounds were being carried
up to the balcony by an invisible escalator, with no
loss of strength.
Te Kanawa’s plumy soprano, supported by Martin
Katz’s piano gave a sense of the hall’s range, at the
liveliest of its acoustical settings (a system of
revolving stage panels and retractable curtains allow
for many variations). I would have preferred a slightly
drier setting, and a better program: half of the
material was operatic, which meant that Katz spent
too much time rumbling through awkward
transcriptions. The best innings on both sides came
in three songs by Liszt during which Te Kanawa
sounded more than usually engaged, and Katz had
something really idiomatic to play. Even with the lid
most of the way down, you could sense what a hall this
could be for a solo piano recital.
What it will not do is tolerate slips. In this place, what
they sing (or play) is exactly what you get, with no
disguising makeup. It’s a high-wire act all the way,
which maybe suits a hall built on the bluster of we’ll
show ‘em and wait’ll they see. Well, we’ve seen and
heard and this is a helluva concert hall.
ROBERT EVERETT-GREEN
THE G LOBE AND M AIL
TORONTO, ONTARIO
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1993
 ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA
NEAR IDEAL IN NEW HALL
WESTON HALL
THE NORTH YORK PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE HAS A NEW NAME: TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
To the National Arts Centre Orchestra Wednesday
night fell the distinction of producing the first
orchestral sounds heard in the new Recital Hall of the
North York Performing Arts Centre and as the saying
goes, they came through loud and clear.
The “clear” came as no surprise in the wake of Dame
Kiri Te Kanawa’s hall-christening concert on
Monday and violin summit recital by Itzhak Perlman
and Pinchas Zukerman the following night.
Neither did the “loud”, given the hall’s 1,032-seat
capacity. The real question was whether the
orchestra might overpower such an intimate venue,
as the Toronto Symphony did several years ago
when visiting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra’s
hall in Prague.
This time, however, no volume problem arose. While
the National Arts Centre Orchestra packed a
stronger visceral punch than it could hope to do
downtown in a venue as large as Roy Thomson Hall,
it is an ensemble of only 46 players and no sooner had
principal guest conductor Franz-Paul Decker led
them through Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture than it
was plain North York had come up with close to ideal
accommodations for such an ensemble.
As its name suggests, the Recital Hall was never
intended to accommodate a full sized symphony
orchestra - the stage is too small in any case- but there
isn’t another hall in the Metro area in which the men
and women from Ottawa could have sounded more
comfortable.
There was a lovely cushioning quality to the string
tone, without loss of clarity, even during pizzicato
passages in the basses. Winds and brasses projected
crisply and even in big dramatic climaxes the sound
became neither raw nor congested.
Part of the credit must assuredly go to the people on
stage. Even if the orchestra appeared below peak form
(not all of its personnel changes in recent seasons
have been for the better), it remains one of the
country’s pace-setting instrumental ensembles, with
a particularly homogeneous string section.
The strings distinguished themselves in both Elgar’s
E Minor Serenade and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll,
although, in an evident desire to let Elgar’s music
unfold naturally, maestro Decker neglected to give it
much sense of forward momentum.
“The Recital Hall is stylishly
enticing…the hall is an
ACOUSTICAL GEM as well as an
architectural gem.”
-Martin Knelman, Toronto Life
The program’s major work was Beethoven’s Emperor
Piano Concerto, in which Anton Kuerti appeared as
an intense, high-strung, nervously impulsive and
very exciting soloist. His strongly accented playing in
the outer movements emphasized the innate
brightness of his piano, but as his limpid phrasing in
the slow movement demonstrated it was through no
inability on his part to produce a pellucid tone.
Anyone for a piano recital in the new hall? Richard
Goode and Beethoven are on the bill next Tuesday.
WILLIAM LITTLER ,
THE TORONTO STAR
TORONTO, ONTARIO
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1993
 WESTON HALL
A BASS PLAYER’S DELIGHT
by David Lasker
March 9: I tour the not-quite-finished Recital Hall.
Lacking its sound-absorbing seats, the place is so
bass-rich and boomy that conversation is difficult.
Otherwise, the room is uncannily silent; I can almost
hear the blood pushing through my temples. I feel a
touch of vertigo.
Oct. 26: The North York Symphony’s first rehearsal
in the Recital Hall (I’m principal double-bass).
Accustomed as I am to hacking away loudly to
compensate for unmusical venues such as Minkler
Auditorium and Roy Thomson Hall, I can now
observe “soft” as well as “loud” dynamic markings,
which by contrast sound all the more thrilling. In
audiophile lingo, the noise floor has expanded
downward.
Indeed, the hall resolves quiet details remarkably well.
Said our soloist, pianist Arthur Ozolins, “The look
and acoustics of the hall remind me of the
Musikverein in Vienna [considered by conductors
and critics to be among the world’s very best-
sounding]; I tried the piano here and there. The
sound is very exciting and bright. I can certainly hear
the bass pizzicatos; in other halls you have to strain
to hear.”
The hall’s extraordinary quiet combined with its
liveness allows me to pick out the subtly decaying
overtones from the piano when accompanist Martin
Katz holds out a chord, and hear the dampers hitting
the strings when he releases the pedal. As for Dame
Kiri, she luxuriates in long, drawn-out phrases, as if the
acoustics are encouraging her to begin feathery-light
and soft, then swell to a big, powerful climax. And her
loud notes are free of the glassy, distorted sound one
hears during loud passages in Roy Thomson Hall.
Artec president and founder Russell Johnson - the best
acoustician in the business - attended the opening.
“The quiet ventilation system and the absence of
intrusive noises is very important for good acoustics,”
says Johnson. We’ve discovered that audiences
gradually learn they’re in a room with an extremely
low amount of background noise - - - after two or
three months they stop shifting around.
The room responds effortlessly to low instruments,
particularly cello and basses. Getting the
fundamental in every chord to ring makes the notes
above ring truer. You build intonation in an orchestra
from the bottom up.
Letting out a trade secret, Johnson explains why
the Recital Hall, with its curving surfaces, avoids
the harsh, brittle sound encountered in so many
modern halls, which “employ prismatic shapings
intended to diffuse the sound in the room. But
the scale of these modulated surfaces is usually in
the 6-, 8- and 10-inch range, which tends to
selectively reflect high-frequency sound backward
toward the front of the room. This creates glassy
sound.”
“The hall is superb! The
ACOUSTICS ARE FABULOUS!”
-Hugh Fraser, The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton, Ontario
The hall will host ensembles up to about 60 people,
which normally play in larger rooms (the Recital Hall
seats only 1,032). So, in explaining the hall’s generous
height, Johnson said, “The room must not be so small as
to make large ensembles overpowering. Herbert von
Karajan once told me he wouldn’t perform Strauss’ Ein
Heldenleben in the Vienna Musikverin because all
those instruments on stage were too much for that hall.”
Does the Recital Hall remind Johnson of great halls
he has heard in his 44-year career? “No. Every room,
to an acoustician, sounds very different. You never get
the same room sound twice.” So does he like what he
hears? “You don’t learn how a room sounds in one
visit. Every time another musician walks on stage, the
room changes.”
BY DAVID LASKER
THE G LOBE AND MAIL
TORONTO, ONTARIO
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1993
 WARM ACOUSTICS AT NORTH YORK CENTRE
WESTON HALL
Why so much talk of Roy Thomson Hall’s problems?
Because Metropolitan Toronto’s concertgoers now
have an alternative that works. And it may not take
long before the exciting sound of the Weston Recital
Hall (together with its high-powered programming)
produces discontentment with the sounds heard
downtown. Roy Thomson Hall is by no means a
disaster. For some kinds of music it functions
admirably. But for warmth and immediacy, especially
where orchestral music is concerned, it isn’t in the
same league.
Should the Toronto Symphony move north? By no
means. Not only is the Recital Hall’s stage too small,
a 100-piece symphony orchestra would blast its
listeners into Yonge St. We need both halls, but Roy
Thomson Hall finally has to face up to its acoustical
problems.
The other one is no fluke. It is the latest in a series of
successful venues presided over by Artec, the widely
praised Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary, Morton
H. Myerson Symphony Centre in Dallas and
Symphony Hall in Birmingham, England among the
more recent of them.
“There is an evolution in Artec rooms from 15 years
ago,” explains Eric Seifert of Artec. “The choice of
materials to promote warmth and heavy bass
response, narrow widths and generous heights are all
features. I think every room we do is a little better
than the room before.
“This room represented the state of the art when the
design was done. I’m especially proud of the quiet and
the sound isolation (from the Centre’s other rooms).
Maybe 1,200 seats would have been better for
orchestras, because the size of the hall also governs
the platform size and this stage holds only about 55
players. But I think it’s a hell of a room.”
Yes, that about sums it up, all right. A hell of a room.
WILLIAM LITTLER ,
THE TORONTO STAR
TORONTO, ONTARIO
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1993
 FABULOUS ACOUSTICS ADD TO PERFORMANCE
WESTON HALL

“…the fabulous acoustics of the hall, coupled with the fine musicianship of
conductor, orchestra and pianist Anton Kuerti, gave the performances a freshness
and vibrancy that this listener has given up expecting at concerts in Roy Thomson
Hall. Every instrument in the orchestra came through clear as a bell, yet blended
into a whole. The first movement of the Emperor Concerto settled into a rather
staid tempo. But in the recapitulation, pianist and orchestra engaged in a thrilling,
no-holds-barred battle in which the huge sound never lost clarity or became
overpowering.”
TAMARA BERNSTEIN
THE G LOBE AND MAIL
TORONTO, ONTARIO
NOVEMBER 26, 1993

“The Recital Hall’s acoustics are a

MARVEL OF CLARITY AND
BALANCE.”
-David Olds, CJRT Radio
Toronto
 NEW HALL SOUNDS GREAT!
WESTON HALL
“It’s really a very simple room,” smiled Russell
Johnson, as the founder of the New York acoustical
firm, Artec Consultants, walked through the new
recital hall of the North York Performing Arts Centre
the other day.
“It has two side wall ledges to help reflect sound, and all
the materials are either very heavy or moderately heavy.
The next important feature is the series of panels onstage,
which can be made hard or soft, (depending on which side
faces outward) in various patterns. And then there are the
curtains, two layers of tightly woven velour that
disappears into wall pockets when they aren’t in use.”The
reason for the panels and the curtains? To enable the
hall’s users to modify the acoustical environment.
“Flexibility is very important in a hall that has to
serve many kinds of music.”
And many are the kinds of music the new Recital Hall
is already serving. From recitals by vocalists Dame
Kiri Te Kanawa and Frederica von Stade, pianist
Richard Goode and cellist Janos Starker to a fiddler’s
summit with Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman,
five nights of orchestral concerts and last night, the
declamatory sounds of the Empire Brass, the “very
simple room’s” versatility has been comprehensively
tested over its past two debut weeks.
The verdict? From the artists, reportedly thumbs up.
And from the perspective of a seat on the aisle? Ditto,
ditto my song, as the Lord Chancellor put it in Iolanthe.
This has to be one of the finest
concert halls in the country.
Not that I particularly like the look of it. By comparison
with the traditional brass-trimmed red plush face of the
Main Stage Theatre next door, where Show Boat is
currently playing, the various grids, acoustical curtains,
colors and textures lack elegance. Inevitably in a shoe-
box-shaped hall, there is an incomplete stage view from
some of the seats in the narrow side balconies as well.
Functionally, however, the hall is working extremely
well, perhaps most surprisingly as a home for
orchestral music.
I say surprisingly because at 1,032 seats one might
have expected the 46 member National Arts Centre
Orchestra and the even larger Orchestra of St. Luke’s
from New York to overpower the room. While the
New Yorkers in particular filled it with sound, the
experience proved exciting rather than oppressive.
The explanation? The hall’s 55-foot height. Artec’s
project designers kept the ceiling high enough to
accommodate the volume of sound generated by a
medium-sized orchestra.
This kind of sonic impact is simply unavailable in the
more voluminous spaces of Roy Thomson Hall,
which is one of the reasons why the Toronto
Symphony has such a difficult time engaging its
audience on a visceral level at King and Simcoe Sts.
WILLIAM LITTLER ,
THE TORONTO STAR
TORONTO, ONTARIO

EBERHARD ZEIDLER IS THE ARCHITECT OF THE TORONTO CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
ORIGINALLY NAMED THE NORTH YORK PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

“The first review of the Recital Hall

came from no less a source
than Dame Kiri Kanawa.
And her verdict? A RAVE!”
-William Littler, The Toronto Star
ARTEC CONSULTANTS INC

“Modern concert halls with first class acoustics are few and far between. As
a professional musician one is very often confronted with pride by the
manager of a new hall, who extols the virtures and acoustic properties of his
new venue, properties belied by practical experience of actually performing
in it.
“Unfortunately, I have found this to be the case on countless occasions, but
emphatically not with those halls designed by Artec. Russell Johnson is
supreme in his field, a brilliant acoustician who truly understands the needs
of a whole range of different performing musicians and as a result of his
skill and flexibility has a unique ability to satisfy all concerns. The latest
hall of his in Luzern, where I had the pleasure of performing during the
summer of 1999, is a masterpiece of superb design and wonderful acoustics.
The contrast between halls he has designed and those designed by virtually
every other acoustician is poignant and flagrant, and I can heartily recommend
his work.”
Sir John Eliot Gardiner, CBE
March 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

ARTEC CONSULTANTS INC

“J’ai donné plusieurs concerts au Birmingham Symphony Hall et j’ai travaillé,

il y a tout juste trois semaines, au Meyerson Center, avec l’Orchestre
Symphonique de Dallas. C’est un réel plaisir pour moi de pouvoir dire que
ces deux salles sont parmi les meilleures que je connaisse, neuves ou
anciennes. Musiciens et public se trouvent dans un espace dont
l’environnement acoustique met en valeur et clarifie le son. Dans ces deux
salles, interprétation et écoute de la musique prennent encore plus de sens.
Et, de surcroît, elles sont discrètes et confortables. Pour cela, il nous faut
remercier Russell Johnson et l’équipe d’acousticiens d’Artec qui permettent
aux orchestres et aux solistes de vivre des moments forts dans leurs tournées.
Le Symphony Hall de Birmingham et le Meyerson Center, à Dallas, prouvent
aussi que les nouvelles salles construites en cette fin de siècle, à condition
qu’elles soient bien conçues, peuvent avoir une acoustique aussi excellente
que les plus anciennes, et si vénérées, salles d’il y a cent ans.”
Emanuel Ax
3 novembre 1995

copyright © 2008 ARTEC

ARTEC CONSULTANTS INC

“Ich habe schon mehrmals in der Symphony Hall in Birmingham gespielt

und vor gerade drei Wochen spielte ich zum ersten Mal mit dem Dallas
Symphony Orchestra in deren Meyerson Center. Es ist für mich eine große
Freude sagen zu können, daß diese beiden Säle zu den besten der Welt zählen,
alt oder neu. Musiker und Publikum befinden sich in einem Raum, welcher
den Klang und die Klarheit der Musik noch erhöht. Beide Säle sind perfekt
sowohl zum Musizieren als auch zum Zuhören; gleichzeitig sind sie
komfortabel und unaufdringlich. Wir müssen Russell Johnson und seinem
Team von Artec Consultants für diese Höhepunkte auf den Tourneeplänen
von Solisten und Orchestern dankbar sein. Symphony Hall in Birmingham
und das Meyerson Center in Dallas sind der lebendige Beweis dafür daß—
sofern sie gut geplant sind—auch neue Säle, gebaut am Ende dieses
Jahrhunderts, eine Akustik haben können, die genauso gut ist wie die der
alten und so hoch geachteten Säle des letzten Jahrhunderts.”
Emanuel Ax
1 November 1995

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

 CREATING A GREAT OPERA HOUSE
MARIINSKY II THEATRE, ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
C reating a great facility for opera and ballet performances is as
complex a challenge as producing the art forms themselves.
The beauty of opera lies in bringing together the natural sound of
the human voice, the sound of the human voice, the sounds of the
instruments in the orchestra pit, drama, scenery, costumes and
lighting, and combining all these elements into a meaningful
whole. Designing an appropriate space for great performances
requires a similar balance and melding of musical appreciation
and understanding, immersion in the history and practice of opera,
ballet, theatre and architecture, the application of objective
principles governing the esthetics, as well as an understanding of
the best and most appropriate current technologies for scenery
handling and storage, lighting and rigging, and multi-media/sound
and communication systems. Moreover, designing an opera house
requires a full, hands-on understanding of the specific nature of its
day-to-day operations and artistic, technical administrative types
of activities.
The first working meeting between Mariinsky Theater Artistic and
General Director Valery Gergiev and Artec took place during the
Mariinsky Theater Orchestra's appearance at the Lucerne Festival
in September 2002, At that time, Valery Gergiev emphasized that
the main goal of the renovation of the historic theater and the
construction of the Mariinsky II is to provide a solid basis and the
technical capability to support the future artistic growth of the
Mariinsky Theater's opera and ballet companies. At the beginning
of October 2002 in St. Petersburg, our formal relationship with the
Mariinsky Theater was established, and Artec was instructed to
start to work in four areas:
1. Preparing technical materials (in theatre planning and
acoustics) for the architectural competition, already
scheduled to get under way in less than a month's time.
2. Continuing this work as the acoustics designer, theatre
planner and theatre-equipment consultant for the
Mariinsky II project.
3. Providing acoustics consulting services for the
renovation of the historic Mariinsky Theater
4. Taking responsibility for the coordination of the two
separate projects from a theatre-planning perspective.
Artec immediately met with the other members of the workgroup
who had already been working for many months to prepare for
this competition. We studied the work of the many people already
involved. Without their work, it would have been an impossible
task for Artec to create the required comprehensive competition
materials in the few weeks that were available.
In order to define the Preliminary Building Program for Mariinsky
II, Artec had an extensive series of interviews with the technical
and administrative staff of the Mariinsky Theater's opera and
ballet companies, as well as the Mariinsky Theater Orechestra.
Arec also engaged in intensive interviews with Valery Gergiev on
his expectations of the future of the Mariinsky Theater, how the
development of the performance spaces will support his overall
artistic vision for the institution, and his expectations of
programming and planning for the years to come. During these
meetings, Valery Gergiev expressed his expectations in acoustics,
based on his many years of conducting in many opera halls and
concert halls around the world. These requirements formed the
basis for the complex and detailed design work that went into
creating the Basic Design of the Mariinsky II auditorium, which
was completed by the beginning of December 2002.
By the end of December, Artec produced the preliminary layout of
the scenery handling and scenery storage systems for Mariinsky
II. Along with the Basic Design of the auditorium, this material
was provided to each of the competing architects with the
intention that they be incorporated into each design submission.
They would also form the basis for the work of the design team
after the competition.
Theatre Planning
Artec's responsibility as theatre planner was to examine the
current and future needs of the company, not only in its new
building, but in the facility as a whole. Artec examined the
operational logistics of the opera, ballet and orchestra departments
in the current facility, as this way the key element in developing a
full understanding of the operational characteristics, organization
and schedules of the company. There is no doubt that the technical
and administrative areas of the existing building and the back-of-
house areas have evolved over many years, with departments
growing into available space as necessary, In fact, nearly every
department is, at best, only moderately comfortable. Most are in
need of more space and, in many cases, need to be in better
organic relationship with the other departments.
It was agreed that the worst possible solution was for each
department to retain its current space in the historic Mariinsky
Theater and receive additional spaces in Mariinsky II, as this
would lead to each department having an even more fragmented
infrastructure. During interviews, staff were therefore asked to
provide the total necessary space for their departments - not the
amount of needed additional space - so that preliminary decisions
could be made about the departments that would ultimately
completely move to Mariinsky II, where they would have all the
necessary space in one area, and which departments would stay in
the historic facility with additional spaces found for them (if
necessary).
These decisions were made with the administration of the
Mariinsky and in collaboration with the Fabre/Scene/Setec
consortium, the general designer for the renovation of the historic
Mariinsky Theater, as it undertook a comprehensive diagnostic
study of the historic theater. Once these decisions were made,
Artec had enough information to produce the Preliminary
Building Program that was provided as part of the technical
information package given to each of the competing architects.
Scenery Handling and Scenery Storage
One of the principal reasons behind the decision to undertake the
design and construction of a new opera facility for the Mariinsky
Theater was the severe limitations on continuing artistic
development placed on the company by the lack of space and
technical facilities in its current theater, which has no side stages,
no rear stage, no assembly area, minimal storage space, no stage
lifts of any description and antiquated stage lighting and rigging
systems. While the situation in the existing building will be
considerably improved by the proposed renovations, it is
understood that the historic theater, although beloved for its
architecture, acoustics and rich historical associations, will never
be able to provide the technical facilities that have become a real
necessity over the last decades.
When Artec started work in October 2002, we worked handed a
concept of the scenery handling systems as it had been developed
until then. This original concept was refined and developed in
extensive collaboration with Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky Theater
Technical Director Andrei Pronichev and other administrators
from the Mariinsky Theater, and our special consultants, including
Richard Brett and John Harrison. We also had the opportunity to
greatly benefit from having the developing sketches reviewed by
Joseph Clark, the technical director of the Metropolitan Opera in
New York.
From the beginning of December 2002 we worked in
collaboration with the Fabre/Scene/Setec team on various issues
involving the existing theater. One of the key issues was the
manner in which scenery elements will be moved between the two
buildings. Once that was resolved after extensive discussions with
Valery Gergiev, Andrei Pronichev and the architect, Xavier Fabre,
Artec proposed a working preliminary layout of the principal
performance areas and associated support spaces, including the
main, side and rear stages, the major rehearsal room, principal
dressing rooms, scenery storage areas, scenery assembly areas and
truck docks for Mariinsky II.
A final walk-through of the layout took place in early January
2003, with all the key decision makers present. The approved
design was included in the technical materials for the architectural
competition provided to the competition architects during the
colloquium on January 15.
Acoustics
Artec was commissioned to produce the acoustics and theatre
planning Basic Design for the 2,000-seat audience chamber of
Mariinsky II. This auditorium must have first-class acoustics
balanced with good sightlines, and good aural and visual intimacy
between the audience and the performers.
This text is from the Russian language and English language book entitled “Mariinsky II” , published 9 June 2003
in St. Petersburg by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre
An important secondary use of this room will be concert
performances by the Mariinsky Theater's orchestras and visiting
orchestras. The fact that Valery Gergiev has stipulated that
Mariinsky II must be a very good venue for symphonic-music
performances presents a complex challenge for the acoustics
designer, as the fundamental acoustics and architectural
characteristics of a good space for symphonic music and a good
space for opera are very different.
The Basic Design for the new auditorium incorporates the
traditional horseshoe shape. Our study of top-ranking opera
buildings in use today demonstrates that the horseshoe shape,
combined with four to six tiers of balconies wrapping around the
audience chamber, has consistently produced excellent visual
intimacy and superior acoustics for opera. Once this Basic Design
developed pas a certain point, Artec started a process of
comparing it with the plans and sections of highly respected
facilities in existence, to not similarities and differences. On the
basis of these comparisons, the design was adjusted and refined.
The proposed Basic Design allows for the height of the reflector
above the orchestra pit to be adjusted depending on whether the
performance has the orchestra in the pit or on the stage. It also
incorporates an acoustically transparent ceiling that will allow the
design team to maintain a human scale for the room and still allow
for increased cubage at the top of the room.
The orchestra pit is designed to accommodate an orchestra up to
80 people, with most of the musicians seated in the open. For
acoustics reasons, there are overhangs on three sides of the pit.
There is an extension lift for the pit that can make the pit larger,
to a capacity of approximately 104 people. Both pit lifts can also
accommodate wagons with permanently attached seats so that the
seating capacity of the facility can be adjusted to be as large as the
pit use allows.
Once the design team is authorized to begin work, the architect,
the client representatives and Artec will work closely together to
mold the basic architectural characteristics of the design in such a
way that it fulfills the architectural vision as well as the acoustics
and theatre-planning requirements.

From the outset, it was very clear to everyone involved

that the construction of the Mariinsky II must lead to the
creation of a unique facility. This theater must equal or
surpass, in every way, the four or five best opera facilities
in the world. The architectural, acoustic, theatre-planning
aspects and technical systems of this new theater must be
commensurate with the artistic stature of the Mariinsky
Theater's opera and ballet companies and its orchestras.
Furthermore, all four of these parameters must be in
cohesive balance with each other. Finally, although the
Mariinsky II project is funded as a completely separate
project from the renovation of the historic Mariinsky
Theater, the result of the two buildings must constitute a
rational whole that will function efficiently as one entitiy,
one harmonious facility with two major performance
venues embracing Kryukov Canal.

Tateo Nakajima
Project Director, Artec Consultants Inc
28 May 2003

MARIINSKY II
ST. PETERSBURG , RUSSIA
MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER
Artec Consultants Inc provided the program, the basic design of the
concert room proper, theatre consulting services, and acoustics
consulting services for the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
in Dallas, Texas, which opened in September of 1989.
The Center’s 2062-seat Eugene McDermott Concert Hall serves as
the home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The concert hall is one
of the keystones in a citizen-backed “cultural revolution” that has
been taking place in Dallas since the mid-1970s. Located in the new
Dallas Arts District, the Meyerson Symphony Center is close to the
Dallas Museum of Arts and the Arts Magnet High School.
The effort to obtain funding for the concert hall began in 1976, when
the Mayor commissioned a study to explore the possibilities of
building a downtown arts center. The elections of June 1978 set the
effort back when a $45 million bond issue to fund the district was
defeated. Undaunted, the proponents of a new Dallas Museum of
Art won a $54 million bond issue just one year later for three
Dallas, Texas
downtown arts projects, including a museum and a provision for $2.25
million to acquire land for a new concert hall. With the consultants
hired in August of 1982, and property in hand, a $28 million bond
issue was finally passed, making construction funds available for the
Meyerson Symphony Center.
The hall has three horseshoe-shaped balconies and three rows of
seating on a terrace level above the main floor, thereby keeping the
scale of the room very intimate. The acoustical design combines the
best characteristics of a “shoebox” hall with more modern acoustical
features that have been developed and proven in several of Artec’s
completed projects. An organ for the hall was built by C.B. Fisk, Inc.
of Gloucester, Massachusetts and inaugurated in September 1992.
The 213,000 square foot center includes a restaurant and other public
spaces, facilities for the musicians, meeting rooms and office space.
I.M. Pei and Partners were the architects for the Meyerson Symphony
Center.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“In many ways, the Ravel Bolero, like the Chavez Symphony at the first
Meyerson concert two weeks ago, gave us our most intimate glimpse to date
of just what the new hall is capable of. The effect was sensational, with
colors, textures, balances and plateaus of sound I have never encountered.”
Olin Chism
Dallas Morning News

“The sound in the Meyerson Symphony Center is absolutely wonderful. It is

one of the best concert halls in the country — and that includes both new
and old structures. A great concert hall is absolutely necessary to enjoy live
music on the highest level. The citizens of Dallas are lucky indeed.”
John Corigliano
15 April 1993

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MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“This is the first concert hall where I can do a Mozart symphony, discover
that the acoustics work well for Mozart — then change the acoustics settings
of the hall to an entirely different setting and do the Bruckner Ninth after the
intermission. And again the acoustics work well for Bruckner. What you
have accomplished here is truly first class. I’ve had a wonderful week here.
A fantastic hall. Probably the best hall in the world for Bruckner.”
Maestro Jesus Lopez-Cobos
1999

“The Eugene McDermott Concert Hall in the Morton Meyerson Symphony

Center is truly one of America’s most magical spaces. The warmth of this
great hall literally envelopes the performer and audience members in sound
which is immediate as well as beautifully resonant.”
Jerry F. Junkin
Artistic Director and Conductor
Dallas Wind Symphony

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“The acoustic design of the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas is, in my

opinion, an acoustic breakthrough of the first order. Not only does every
location in the hall resonate with equal clarity and projection, but the quality
of sound is natural, full, free from distortion and consistent throughout the
seven octave spectrum. One of the most remarkable features of the hall is its
acoustic adaptability to the needs of different musical ensembles and styles,
a special feature of the design.”
Henry Brant
Composer

“I had the great pleasure in conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra
at the Meyerson Center in Dallas, Texas, designed by Russell Johnson, and
I have found it to be one of the best new halls I have come across.”
Zubin Mehta
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

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copyright © 2002 ARTEC
MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“I was particularly impressed by the way in which orchestral sound in the

hall (Meyerson Symphony Center) combines clarity with acoustical strength
and fullness. This is a difficult quality to achieve in any large hall, yet to a
great extent it is the most important.”
Dr. Michael Forsyth
University of Bristol
Author, Buildings for Music

“Regarding the acoustics of the Meyerson Concert Hall in Dallas, I heard a

concert there last year and was astounded by the warmth and clarity of the
sound. Having heard the sound there, we were reassured that the decision
we had made in Philadelphia was the right one.”
Joseph Kluger
Executive Director
The Philadelphia Orchestra Association

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“The intimacy of Prokofiev’s lyricism (Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor)

and the clanging splendor of the Respighi (The Pines of Rome) proved yet
again what a gift to the city the Meyerson Symphony Center is. But I do
think the hall showed its strength best of all in the hush of the intimate
communication in the Prokofiev violin concerto.”
Lawson Taitte
Dallas Morning News
29 January 1993

“The Meyerson appears to be an ideal environment for chamber music. The

Kronos Quartet came across with such purity of tone, the room was so ‘live,’
you could almost hear the rosin falling off the players’ bows. If the McDermott
Concert Hall fulfills its early promise (the hall is not yet completed) it may
be that rare commodity, a world-class concert hall.”
Katrine Ames
Newsweek Magazine
25 September 1989

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MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Probably the greatest room for playing piano anywhere in this world.”
André Watts
Dallas Morning News
26 August 1990

“This is a wonderful concert hall. You should be very proud. Here on the
podium I can hear every section of the orchestra, and it is all in very good
balance. The lows are powerful. The cellos sound great.”
Norio Ohga
Chairman, Sony Corporation

“I have never before played in a hall where I could get the benefit of such a
wide range of pianissimo as in the Meyerson. I want to use this room to
record my new discs.”
Andras Schiff
after his first recital in the Meyerson Symphony Center
12 February 1992

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Thank you for your note inquiring about my own opinion of the acoustics
in the Meyerson. They are, to say the least, superb. I have had the opportunity
to play with large orchestras, chamber orchestras, as a soloist, with choruses,
and have heard many performances without the organ. Everything is superb.
“At my Monday organ recital/demonstrations I speak without a microphone
in order to give the audience, which numbers in the several hundreds each
time, a point of reference for volume and energy while I’m playing. I also
ask them to remain absolutely silent after the final piece (a loud one) and
listen to the reverberation and decay. When I point out that this same
phenomenon happens throughout a piece, and that what they are experiencing
is the sum total of acoustics, I hope that they come to a deeper appreciation
of your work, experience, and artistry. The sound of the Meyerson is
exquisite.”
Paul Riedo
Resident Organist and Curator, Fisk-Lay Organ
Letter to Russell Johnson
19 April 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Absolutely incredible acoustics. There is nothing like this anywhere in the

world. And it is most beautiful. Sitting at the keyboard, I can hear every
instrument in the orchestra. That never happens.”
John Lill
after his second performance of the Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto in the Eugene
McDermott Concert Hall, Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
1 February 1991

“Artec Consultants are proven leaders in the area of theatre planning and
acoustic consulting. In addition to having worked with them in Cincinnati to
improve the on-stage acoustics in Music Hall, I have had the pleasure of
experiencing their work in the Métropole in Lausanne, and the Meyerson in
Dallas. In each case, they have done an excellent job. Not only does the
audience experience excellent acoustical sound, but as a conductor I can
more easily hear the musicians and the musicians can better hear one another.
The entire rehearsal and concert experience is made more enjoyable for
everyone.”
Maestro Jesús López-Cobos
Music Director, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
7 February 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“To these ears, in fact, the Meyerson is one of the few truly successful new
halls on the continent, and when the fine-tuning has been finished, it should
rank with the best. The results are remarkable: Dallas’ desire to build a world-
class facility for its orchestra has come stunningly to fruition. The music
chamber has been fashioned after European opera houses with three tiers of
horseshoe-shaped balconies, a high ceiling, and the feeling of grandiose
intimacy. The hall is very good, indeed, acoustically. The sound projects
effortlessly from the stage; it is unmuddied, clear, and unflattering to poor
technique. It is also startlingly potent in bass response. There is a liveness to
the sound that never becomes excessive or aggressively bright. A full
orchestral Tutti rings gloriously out without being deafening or harsh, yet
the quietest moments of a string quartet still project with ease in the space.
One of the concerts was given over to the Kronos Quartet, which demonstrated
that the space is extraordinary for small ensembles — intimate, clear, full of
presence.”
Thor Eckert Jr.
Christian Science Monitor

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Not only was there a total identity with the scores, but the resultant sound
was full, vibrant and resilient. And how the interior of the Meyerson
Symphony Center responds to such openness. In many ways, it is a chameleon
of a hall, changing its sonic colors to match the personality of the conductor
or players of the moment and giving back exactly what is put into it. At its
best, it becomes an instrument — the hallmark of a great hall — that can be
played upon like a Stradivarius in the hands of a master fiddler.
“It is quite a sensation to experience the full extent of what the Meyerson is
capable of. This we had in abundance Thursday during the Fountains of
Rome and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. Both were
mapped out and detailed, yet ripely romantic and handsomely molded.”
John Ardoin
Dallas Morning News
2 February 1991

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

THE SOUND OF MUSIC
A state-of-the-art showcase of architectural daring and high-tech know-how, the
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center has been called “a world-class concert hall”
and “the jewell of Dallas.” The Dallas Symphony Orchestra calls it home
S
oaring planes of glass and great expanses of white marble welcome
concertgoers to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the
celebrated home of the Dallas Symphony. Since its debut in
September 1989, the building has earned a place among the great concert
halls of the world, standing alongside the Vienna Musikvereinssaal and
the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in its acoustic excellence.
Designed by master architect I. M. Pei (of Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners),
the Meyerson is the very model of a modern symphony center, with roots
stretching back through the centuries and across the continents. Working
in close concert with acoustics expert Russell Johnson of Artec
Consultants, Pei took his cue from the acoustician and wrapped the
building around the prescribed 2,062-seat horseshoe-shaped auditorium.
This approach allows the strong architectural statement made by Pei with
the Meyerson’s crisp contemporary exteriors to stand in marked contrast
to the warmth and classical form of the McDermott Concert Hall found
within.
The center of much controversy over his startling glass pyramids at the
Louvre in Paris, Pei successfully translated his personal artistic vision
into a singular addition to the architectural heritage of Dallas.
Asymmetrical in design, the Meyerson presents the viewer with a
juxtaposition of overlapping geometrical shapes and curving planes.
Confined to a block-size lot, Pei turned the building on an angle to the
street, a design solution which allowed for extra length in the auditorium.
there is a spacious passage into the concert hall itself, where three
horseshoe-shaped balconies and three rows of seating on a terrace level
above the main floor help define the intimate scale of the room.
While the rectangular shape of Pei’s exterior sculpture hints at the long,
narrow “shoebox” shape of the auditorium, nothing in his choice of
materials for the exterior alludes to the warm reds and wood tones found
inside. And if the Meyerson’s architectural success is a tribute to the
genius of Pei, then the success of the McDermott must be attributable to
that of Russell Johnson. A longtime practitioner of acoustical science,
Johnson admires the sound of the great pre-World War I European concert
halls. In studying those halls, he found “a simple formula not too difficult
to reproduce today.” The pre-1910 halls, he says, “are very narrow, with
long parallel walls, and quite high horizontal ceilings.” They were also
built of very solid materials with no hollow spaces within the walls. “They
had plaster applied directly to brick,” Johnson explains, “and no air space
whatsoever between the plaster and the bearing wall.”
Johnson also found in studying the older halls that their surfaces were
not flat or bare, but rather covered with plaster decorations in the form of
vines, flowers, of cherubs in varying degrees of complexity. His challenge
was achieving such sound-diffusing surfaces within today’s stark
architectural idiom. In the McDermott, the solution begins with walls of
thick plaster, concrete, and wood, built to avoid air pockets that might
absorb sound; none of the floors are carpeted to avoid further sound
absorption. In addition, Johnson devised a complex system of acoustic
panels, velour curtains, and canopies to adjust the acoustics of the hall
for an orchestra of any size, a soloist, the spoken word, or concerts that
feature the Meyerson’s renowned Fisk organ.
As today’s halls are larger than their European ancestors, and have wider
seats to accommodate today’s audiences, Johnson works to overcome
Continued on next page
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Continued from previous page
these larger dimensions with his adjustable acoustical innovations. At the
Meyerson, a large U-shaped reverberation chamber located around the
perimeter of the McDermott Concert Hall provides approximately 300,000
cubic feet of empty space which allows sound to reverberate. Concealed
behind large panels of theatrical gauze (or scrim), the chamber is fronted
by 72 hinged, four-inch-thick concrete doors. These can be opened or
closed to any degree to control the action of the reverberation, increasing
it as the doors open, reducing it as the doors are closed. And the Meyerson
acoustical recipe includes an extremely low level of noise leaking into its
auditorium.
In addition to these doors, a combination of motor-operated, multi-layer
cloth curtains can be extended from storage pockets to cover the sound-
reflective walls as desired. In their extended state, these drapes act as a
sound absorber, and when retracted, they allow the walls to reflect sound
back into the hall. the curtains are usually retracted for most symphony
concerts, chamber orchestras, string quartets, or solo recitals, while they
are extended for film screening, popular music, or the spoken word.
The most visible of the acoustic features in the McDermott incorporates
a system of four vertically adjustable sound-reflecting canopies hung
almost horizontally above the stage. Moving up and down on
counterweights, the elevation of this canopy system helps balance the
clarity and reverberance of the room, helps control the loudness of the
sound, and affects how well the orchestra members can hear each other.
The Meyerson’s intricate system allows for an innumerable number of
variations in acoustical arrangements. Mark Melson, director of orchestra
operations for the Dallas Symphony, reports that they have devised six
basic settings (for choral groups, large orchestral groups, normal orchestra
size, amplified concerts and the spoken word, recitals or small ensembles,
and organ recitals) which cover the needs of the more than 150
performances in the hall each year. “Even these six settings vary,” Melson
adds, “by opening an extra door or extending an extra curtain.”
Over the past five years, no changes have been made in the Meyerson’s
state-of-the-art acoustical systems. Only this year, the height of the rear
orchestra riser was lowered to compensate for a feeling that the bass and
percussion tended to dominate due to their extra height. The risers were
lowered in order to bring these instruments more into balance with the
rest of the orchestra. “We are continuing to learn to make it better,” says
Melson about the Meyerson’s acoustical system. “The more we hear it,
the more we know about using it all.”
When the hall was new, Johnson would “visit, listen, and think about the
acoustics,” remembers Melson. The sound that Johnson heard and
perfected has been acclaimed by visiting orchestras, conductors, and
soloists from around the world. “What’s miraculous about the Meyerson,”
says Melson, “is the rare combination of clarity and reverberation. There
is a halo or glow or reverberation around the sound, like in a big cathedral,
yet with real clarity.”
For the Dallas Symphony, the Meyerson has provided a world-class
orchestra with a world-class home, while adding architectural sparkle to
the developing arts district of Dallas. But perhaps most importantly, the
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center has helped redefine the standards
for contemporary concert halls, and will stand as a benchmark against
which the success of concert halls of future centuries will be measured.
(from the May 1995 concert program of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra)
– ELLEN LAMPERT-GREAUX
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MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Pianist Andre Watts bounded off the Meyerson stage after his recital in
October 1989. ‘Do you know of a greater hall anywhere in the world?’ he
asked, ‘I don’t.’ Rostropovich played here about the same time. ‘Why here?
Why not in Washington? I’m so jealous’, all in his gravelly Russian voice.”
Douglas Kinzey
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
December 1990

“I have performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Prokofiev’s Piano

Concerto No. 3, and Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Rhapsody in this incredible
hall. In each case I was compelled by the sound of the piano and the orchestra
to give the best performances I have given of these works. An acoustic like
this inspires the best performances an artist can give.”
Jon Kimura Parker

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MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Though the Dallas Symphony has now performed seven programs in the Morton
H. Meyerson Symphony Center, I felt I was closer to getting the full message of
the new hall Thursday evening. That message is that this is far more than an
exceptional room for music; it has started to reveal the properties of greatness that
everyone who dreamed this dream had hoped for. During the planning and building
of the Meyerson, there was much talk about the full-bodied richness, clarity and
warmth of the world’s finest halls, and the measuring stick used tended to be how
the music of the 19th century sounds in a hall. Many of these qualities were sensed
in the Meyerson from the day it opened, but had not come to fruition during the
past month. But they were there, ripe and glistening during Thursday’s exceptionally
moving performance of the Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony led by Yehudi Menuhin.
He released not only the potential of the orchestra, which was considerable by
anyone’s standards, but a heightened awareness of the potential of the Meyerson.
And how the Dallas Symphony played for him! The strings seemed to be winged,
the winds were buoyant and aglow, and the brass was exultant. A major moment in
the evening was the suavity and mastery of Gregory Hustis’ limning of the great
horn solo in the second movement. It was the purest of poetry in sound.”
John Ardoin
Dallas Morning News
7 October 1989

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MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“In the last two years, I conducted twice in the Meyerson Symphony Center
in Dallas, and both times I had the feeling that, acoustically, this is certainly
the best modern hall in North America. Having known the Dallas Symphony
Orchestra for many years, I experienced the simple fact that playing in their
new hall made the orchestra sound one level better than they had before.
“The new hall is very warm acoustically, with an incredible beauty to the
sound that does not blur or obscure any details. I can only judge from the
conductor’s position on the podium, but I can hear very clearly all the
instruments of the orchestra. The reports I get from people listening to the
rehearsals and concerts are also more than enthusiastic. As a conductor, I
can only wish that there were many more halls of this quality all over the
world.”
Maestro Gunther Herbig
Music Director, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
14 April 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Having heard a wide variety of music in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
over the last four years, my initial impressions have been amply confirmed that the
Eugene McDermott Concert Hall is without question one of the finest rooms for
music in the entire world. The basic acoustical design provides a resonance and
after-ring which is rarely encountered in any hall. This gives body and depth to the
musical sound which totally engages the audience in the experience of the music.
One of the great marvels to me is that this wonderful resonance goes hand-in-hand
with a clarity of sound for individual solo instruments and for alternation of orchestral
choirs. You can hear the slightest whisper of sound and experience the massed forces
of organ, chorus, and orchestra without distortion.
“The aesthetic beauty of this room is another great achievement, but it would be
worth nothing without the quality of acoustics which your design has achieved. This
hall will forever enrich the musical life of Dallas, and it is a major factor in the
success of our seasons, which have completely sold out from the day the hall opened.
This is a unique achievement among American orchestras.
“It was a pleasure to work with you on this project, and on behalf of those who
continually experience great music in this hall, I express our heartfelt appreciation.”
Eugene Bonelli
Dean, Southern Methodist University
23 April 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER Dallas, Texas

“Meyerson Hall lends a warmth and depth to my performances which makes

it an extraordinary hall in which to make music. So often, the pianist’s bench
is one of the least gratifying seats in the hall, but every time I have performed
in Meyerson Hall the richness of the acoustic is right in my ears. I can tell
exactly how the piano is balancing with the orchestra. Accompanying a wind
solo is like playing chamber music. As a result, I am truly inspired every
time!”
Jon Kimura Parker
13 October 1995

“This is the best symphony acoustics that I’ve ever run across in Europe or
North America, but it is a mystery room to me. I’m hearing a lot of
reverberation at the same instant that I hear superb clarity. I’ve always been
told that that combination is an acoustical impossibility.”
Plato Karayanis
General Director, Dallas Opera

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Sited on the beautiful University of British Columbia (UBC) campus,
the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts opened on May 11, 1997.
The Centre includes the Chan Shun Concert Hall, the BC Tel Studio
Theatre, and the Royal Bank Cinema, a film screening/lecture room.
Artec Consultants Inc provided acoustics consulting services for the
entire building, and sound and communication systems design for
the concert hall.
The primary purpose of the facility is to enhance arts education at
UBC. The halls will be used for teaching and rehearsing, and also
for performance by students and professionals. Music and theatre
faculty worked for quite a few years to get the project off the ground,
and through the generosity of Mr. Thomas Chan, it has become a
reality.
The Chan Shun Concert Hall has 1400 seats, of which 200 are behind
the platform and can be used for chorus seating when required. This
hall is being used for concerts by UBC music groups, local and
regional groups, and touring chamber music groups and recitalists. It
is also being used for semi-staged concert opera by the UBC music
department and for convocations and meetings.
An adjustable acoustical and lighting “canopy” above the platform,
along with the room geometry around it, allows the music director
Vancouver, BC, Canada
and musicians to tailor their acoustical environment on stage for each
event. Motorized acoustical banners can be extended to reduce the
reverberance for amplified events and other musical offerings where
a “dry” acoustic is preferred. There is an orchestra pit for concert
opera and other events requiring a pit orchestra. The hall has been
designed to support both regular student use and the exacting demands
of touring professionals.
A modest, but high quality, sound reinforcement system is provided,
with extensive provisions for touring groups.
The BC Tel Studio Theatre is a flexible space seating between 100
and 250, depending on the setup. It complements the existing 416-
seat Frederick Wood proscenium theatre.
At approximately 160 seats, the Royal Bank Cinema answers a long
standing need on campus for a venue for both film classes and
entertainment screenings. It accommodates a wide range of activities,
including conferences, meetings, lectures, and festival events.
The architect for the Chan Centre was Bing Thom Architects of
Vancouver.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
copyright © 2002 AR TEC
AUDITORIUM DE DIJON
Artec Consultants Inc provided basic design, theatre consulting,
acoustics consulting, and sound and communication systems design
services for this two-hall facility. The building is part of the Centre
des Expositions et Congres in Dijon’s quartier Clemenceau which,
when completed, will provide hotel, office, and retail space; and
exhibition, conference, convention, parking, and housing facilities
on the edge of the business district for this regional capital of 1.6
million. The Centre’s inaugural activities took place in the 600-seat
Recital and Congress Hall, which opened in October 1997. The 1600-
seat Auditorium opened on 21 November 1998, with a gala
performance by l’Orchestre National de Paris, under the baton of
Charles Dutoit.
The Auditorium is a concert theatre providing excellent
accommodation for a wide range of activities, including orchestra,
orchestra with chorus, chamber orchestra, opera, dance, musical
theatre, recitals, speech theatre, congress, and variety attractions. The
Recital Hall/Congress Hall accommodates Dijon’s growing regional
conference activity. The Auditorium provides seating on the main
floor and two balconies, as well as sloped seating areas on both sides
of the hall. The stage, side stage, and rear stage accommodate
theatrical productions and concerts. The Ville de Dijon Auditorium
is the first French facility purpose-designed and built to properly
accommodate such a wide range of programs without substantially
compromising the artistic requirements of either music or dramatic
uses.
Dijon, France
Artec’s concert theatre design utilizes the lower portion of the
stagehouse as a reverberance chamber for orchestral concerts and
recitals. The cubage of the reverberance chamber can be adjusted in
scale and amount of absorption by careful placement of towers and
drapery, as well as by opening or closing the walls shared between
the rear stage and/or the side stage with the stagehouse proper.
Artec’s design for the theatre equipment permits quick, labor-efficient
changeovers in hall settings. The large orchestra pit/forestage
extension lifts and motorized audience seating wagons enable quick,
labor-efficient shifts from concert platforms of varying scale to patron
seating. Adjustable acoustics devices such as banners and curtains
reduce sound reflections within the audience chamber. The concert
setting allows flexibility in staging all types of attractions. The concert
ceiling stores high above the performance area and out of the way of
the stagehouse flying system, and the concert towers are stored in a
large room behind the rear stage area.
Robert W. Wolff, ASTC was Artec’s leader for the Auditorium de
Dijon. Artec’s French subconsultants on this project were Bruno Suner
of Courbevoire and Michele Kergosien of St. Quentin. The architect
was Arquitectonica International Corporation of Florida.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
AUDITORIUM DE DIJON Dijon, France

“It is a fantastic place; I cannot think of a better place anywhere in France.

Any form of expression can be explored and hold its place here. Everything
is perfect: the acoustics, the visibility, and the proportions. It is an
extraordinary place to work.”
Maurice Béjart
January 1999

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
TAMPA BAY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Artec Consultants Inc provided feasibility studies, programming,
theatre consulting services, and acoustics consulting services for the
$57 million Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Construction of this
facility commenced in April 1984. On September 12, 1987, the Center
was formally opened with a gala performance by the National Ballet
of Canada, the Florida Orchestra, and singers of the New York City
Opera. The Center, situated on nine acres in downtown Tampa on
the banks of the Hillsborough River, includes the 2500-seat Carol
Morsani Hall, a rehearsal hall, the 900-seat Louise Ferguson Theatre,
and the 300-seat Jaeb Studio Theatre.
Carol Morsani Hall is a multi-purpose hall. It is a venue for headline
acts, ballet, musical theatre, and opera, and also serves as the home
of the Florida Orchestra. The initial plans for the Center called for a
symphony hall in addition to the other halls, but owing to budget
constraints the concert hall was deferred. A space is reserved for it
on the site.
The design of the hall bears some relation to the stagecraft of another
Artec hall, Hamilton Place, with the orchestra performing downstage
Tampa, Florida
of an “acoustical wall,” constructed of wood and mounted on a steel
frame. This wall also serves as the safety curtain.
The variable acoustics devices include motorized acoustic control
curtains and banners, a large acoustic canopy containing theatrical
and concert lighting, and acoustic chambers above the canopy.
The 900-seat Louise Ferguson Theatre is traditional in design, with
center aisles, two tiers of seats along each side, and two rear balconies.
It can accommodate film projection, chamber music, dance, drama,
and opera. The Playhouse was baptized with a six-week pre-Broadway
run of the musical “Teddy and Alice,” featuring Len Cariou.
The 300-seat Jaeb Studio Theatre is a courtyard theatre. Its seating is
very flexible and the space is capable of housing jazz, cabaret, recitals,
and theatre.
The architect for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center was D. Fred
Lebensold, ARCOP, Montréal.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
copyright © 2002 AR TEC
TAMPA BAY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Tampa, Florida

“We found performing at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center to be an

extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience. I’m sure our sold out audiences
felt the same way. The various facilities that were made available to us made
our job of loading-in and putting a repertory company onstage much easier.
“On the technical side, Rik Kay, our Technical Director, informs me that
basically, the stage approached state-of-the-art. The theater itself is extremely
handsome in design and acoustic.”
James P. Festa
Company Manager
New York City Opera

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
RAYMOND F. KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts serves as a
world-class performing arts and education facility for the West Palm
Beach community and region. It features three superb performance
spaces: Dreyfoos Hall, a 2193-seat lyric theatre; the Rinker Playhouse,
a 220-seat flexible studio theatre; and the 1600-seat Gosman
Amphitheatre. Along with its additional banquet/meeting facility, the
Kravis Center is able to accommodate a wide range of performing
arts activities.
Artec Consultants Inc’s involvement in the design of the Kravis Center
began with a feasibility study that explored various programming
possibilities, and eventually led to the selection of a lyric theatre
West Palm Beach, Florida
suitable for music, theatre, and popular entertainment, with an
emphasis on ballet, opera, and symphony.
The Center is an excellent example of Artec’s interdisciplinary
approach to the design of performance facilities. With combined
expertise in acoustics, theatre planning, lighting, sound and
communications systems, and theatre equipment, Artec and the
project architects, Zeidler Roberts Partnership, have achieved a tightly
integrated design with features that enhance one another. The
commercial success of the Kravis Center is a testament to its superb
functionality for presenters, technical staff, and audiences alike.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
RAYMOND F. KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS West Palm Beach, Florida

“Having had the opportunity to play in the Kravis Center during it’s inaugural
week, and more recently last month, I was most favorably impressed by the
sensational acoustics of the Kravis. A marvelous achievement!”
Misha Dichter
7 April 1993

“Congratulations on the wonderful Kravis Center! It is truly an outstanding

facility and a beautiful setting for our work. Our production personnel have
very, very positive responses to the facilities that are provided — from the
stagehouse with rigging and lifts — to lighting positions and ease of
communication between backstage and front of house. The acoustics provide
a wonderful musical sound for both the artists and audience.
“For dancers it is sometimes difficult to establish an immediate rapport with
an audience because of architectural encumbrances — this is not the case at
the Kravis Center.”
Edward Villella
Miami City Ballet
2 December 1992

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

RAYMOND F. KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS West Palm Beach, Florida

“The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has returned from a very satisfying experience
performing in the Kravis Center, and I am writing to congratulate you on the very
refined acoustics of the new center. As a listener in the audience, I was actually
startled to hear the orchestra with such clarity and definition. I can’t think of another
new auditorium which captures and projects so warmly and clearly.
“Of great importance to us, however, is the acoustic on stage. In an orchestra which
performs without conductor, the musicians must be able to hear each other clearly
in order to keep together precisely and to achieve the necessary subtlety in coloring
and voicing the sound.
“The musicians in Orpheus reported great happiness in performing on this stage,
which allowed them the opportunity to hear each other with ease, and therefore to
perform at their best. It was wonderful to have had the hall as a supportive
companion instead of an obstacle to overcome.
“It is particularly gratifying to see that there is a hall in which both for the listener
and the performer the very highest standards have been met. On behalf of the
musicians, we thank you for this fine contribution to the music world.”
Norma Hurlburt
Executive Vice President, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
11 May 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

RAYMOND F. KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS West Palm Beach, Florida

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

LA SALLE DU MÉTROPOLE Lausanne, Switzerland

“Quand j’ai visité la Salle Métropole la première fois, en 1990, je l’ai trouvée dans
un état d’abandon total: de la poussière partout, des chaises cassées, le plancher de
scène troué, des nichées de pigeons installées dans la galerie de scène. Mais en utilisant
une torche électrique, j’ai découvert un lieu magique et soudain, j’ai réalisé que cette
salle, construite dans les années vingt pour être un cinéma, était la salle que je
recherchais depuis longtemps pour l’orchestre de chambre de Lausanne. Connaissant
la qualité exceptionnelle des réalisations d’Artec, tant en Europe qu’aux Etats-Unis,
j’ai insisté pour que Russell Johnson soit chargé de collaborer avec la ville de Lausanne
et les deux architectes pour la rénovation de cette salle. Lorsque nous avons effectué
les tests acoustiques avec notre orchestre, en 1993, Russ a dit que la salle Métropole
était un vrai bijou, idéale pour un orchestre de 35 musiciens.
‘Après la première phase de travail, qui s’est déroulée l’été 1995, j’ai eu l’immense
plaisir de découvrir que, grâce à Artec, l’acoustique avait encore été améliorée.
Maintenant, chaque instrument révèle ses propres couleurs et le son est riche et
puissant. Les pianissimos, restitués intégralement, sont veloutés. Du balcon jusqu’à
la fosse d’orchestre, cette salle offre au public une sonorité riche et enveloppante.”
Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
3 novembre 1995

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

LA SALLE DU MÉTROPOLE Lausanne, Switzerland

“When I inspected the Métropole Hall in 1990, it was in a state of

abandonment: dust everywhere, broken chairs, holes in the stage floor, flocks
of pigeons nesting in the stage loft. By using a flashlight I discovered a
magic place and instantly I realized that this movie theatre from the late
twenties was the chamber orchestra hall I had been seeking for the Orchestra
de Chambre de Lausanne. Knowing of the outstanding achievements of Artec
in both Europe and North America, I insisted that Russell Johnson be
commissioned to collaborate with the City and the two architects for the
renovation of the hall. During an acoustics test with our orchestra in 1993
Russ said that the Métropole is a jewel, ideal for an orchestra of 35 musicians.
“After the first phase of work during the summer of 1995, I was delighted to
discover that, thanks to Artec, the acoustics have been improved. Each
instrument sounds with its proper natural colours; the sound is rich and
powerful. The pianissimi are velvety and full. The audience receives at each
location in the hall a full and enveloping sonority.”
Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne
3 November 1995

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

LA SALLE DU MÉTROPOLE Lausanne, Switzerland

Als ich im Jahre 1990 die Salle Métropole besuchte, befand sich der Saal in einem
Zustand fortgeschrittenen Verfalls: von Staub überdeckt lagen zerbrochene Stühle
im Zuschauerraum umher, in der Bühne waren faustgroße Löcher und im Bühnenhaus
hatten sich Tauben eingenistet. Im Scheine einer Taschenlampe jedoch entdeckte ich
einen Saal von zauberhaftem Charme, und plötzlich wußte ich, daß dieser Saal, in
den zwanziger Jahren als Kino konzipiert, der Saal sein würde, den ich schon so
lange für das Kammerorchester von Lausanne gesucht hatte. Da ich die
bemerkenswerten Säle von Artec sowohl in Europa als auch in den Vereinigten Staaten
kannte, bestand ich darauf, daß Russell Johnson und seine Firma mit den akustischen
Aspekten der Renovierung beauftragt wurden. Nach einer ersten Probe des Orchesters
im Jahre 1993 sagte Russ über den Saal, er sei ein echtes Juwel, ideal für ein Orchester
von 35 Musikern.
Nach Vollendung der ersten Phase der Renovierung im Sommer 1995 konnte ich mit
Erstaunen und Freude feststellen daß, dank Artec, die Akustik des Saales sogar noch
verbessert war. Jedes Instrument findet seine ihm eigene Klangfarbe, die Balance
zwischen Solisten und dem Orchester ist ideal und der Klang ist reich und kräftig.
Die pianissimi sind samtig und voll. Das Publikum hört an jedem Platz, vom Balkon
bis zum Orchestergraben, einen vollen und räumlichen Klang.
Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
3 November 1995

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
PIKES PEAK CENTER
Back in the early 1970s, discussions began in Colorado Springs about
building a new performing arts center. The Colorado Springs
Symphony was performing in the Palmer High School auditorium at
the time, and dancers, musicians, and actors were using a variety of
inadequate spaces all over town. The facilities were so poor that
importing nationally known artists and touring groups was out of the
question. And yet, on three different occasions, voters defeated bond
issues designed to raise tax money to build a civic center – until
1978.
At that time, in response to growing public interest, a group called
Citizens for a Theatre Auditorium was formed. Through rapid and
relentless work, a resolution to spend federal grant and private funds
for the building of a much-needed performing arts center was passed
in November of that year. In a unique partnership of private and public
sectors, over $13 million was raised, and in October 1982, the Pikes
Peak Center officially opened its doors.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Set in the shadow of the Rockies’ famous Pikes Peak, the Pikes Peak
Center features the El Pomar Great Hall, a 2100-seat multi-purpose
auditorium. The room is equipped with a number of adjustable
technical features that give the hall flexibility and variation in its
acoustic, making it well-suited to a wide range of events, including
symphonic and choral music, musical theatre, opera, dance, and
headline entertainment.The Center also includes a rehearsal room,
ancillary spaces, and a 500-car parking garage.
Musicians have found it very easy to hear themselves in the Great
Hall. Dancers appreciate the excellent resilience of the stage floor,
and many conductors and soloists have praised the acoustics as
unusually hospitable.
Artec Consultants Inc provided programming, the basic design of El
Pomar Great Hall, theatre consulting, and acoustics consulting
services for the Center. The architect was James Wallace of Colorado
Springs.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
PIKES PEAK CENTER Colorado Springs, Colorado

“The reverberation chamber seems like an awfully good idea, especially in a

multi-purpose hall, where the stagehouse normally cuts the heart out of
orchestral music, even with a shell. I was astonished by the clarity of both
vocal and instrumental speech in the Colorado Springs hall and still do not
understand how it is achieved.”
Charles B. Fisk
C.B. Fisk, Inc, Designers and Builders of Pipe Organs

“Russell Johnson’s work in Colorado Springs was superb. The result is a

room that is warm and friendly to the artist, where the stage area is used
imaginatively to seat additional members of the public as well as being
attractive to the eye and useful as sound reflectors. All in all, it is one of the
most successful new auditoriums in which I have played in the last few
years.”
Isaac Stern

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

PIKES PEAK CENTER Colorado Springs, Colorado

“I have played in the music center in Colorado Springs for which Russell
Johnson was the acoustical advisor. It is a superb piece of work, certainly
one of the finest new halls that I have played in recently. I have opened at
least fifteen to twenty major new halls around the world in the last twenty
years, and of all of them I would think that this one ranks among the very
finest, if not the best. Mr. Johnson has a musical ear and an artist’s eye, a
wonderful imagination and the capacity to bring off a hall that in itself
becomes a viable instrument for the artists who have to use it. I cannot say
the same thing as openly or as enthusiastically about ninety per cent of the
other halls that have been built in recent years.”
Isaac Stern

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

DERNGATE CENTRE
Artec Consultants Inc provided acoustics consulting services for the
Derngate Centre, a 1450-seat multi-form hall, that opened on April
4, 1983. The first event booked into the Centre was the Jack Jones
Show, followed by a week’s run of “The Nutcracker” performed by
the Northern Ballet Theatre. The Derngate Centre has played host to
a variety of events, including: a counting of election returns, variety
shows, the English Sinfonia, the British and European orchestras,
popular music shows, a beauty contest, several children’s shows, and
trade exhibitions. The cost of the building was approximately 8.5
million pounds sterling.
For this multi-form hall, Artec Consultants designed an acoustic
ceiling that hangs in the fly gallery of the stage tower during theatrical
presentations. It can be lowered to align with the auditorium ceiling
for symphony concerts.
Northampton, UK
In symphonic or choral concert settings, the seating is rearranged to
accommodate 1350 patrons. The arena setting is ideal for darts
championships, boxing, or fashion shows. A flat floor format can be
obtained by dropping seating underneath, and then raising the
hydraulic floor back again, thus providing an ideal setting for
banquets, dinner dances, or large exhibitions.
On the lower ground floor is a small function suite, complete with its
own bar and VIP room, capable of catering for 150 people. The Centre
has its own integral banqueting kitchens to serve both dinner dance
functions and private gatherings.
The architects for the Derngate Centre were Renton Howard Wood
Levin of London.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
DERNGATE CENTRE Northampton, UK

“I had the privilege to conduct last season on a tour with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra in Northampton, England. I was very favourably
impressed by the acoustics of this new hall, and the orchestra could hear
itself. The balance with the soloist was exquisite and it has an even blending
which ‘flatters’ the orchestra without overblowing the balance. The bass
sound is clear without rumbling. I consider these acoustics to be one of the
finest in England and Europe.”
Sergiu Commissiona
Music Director
Helsinki Philharmonic

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

THUNDER BAY COMMUNITY AUDITORIUM
The notion of building a multi-use performing arts center in
Northwestern Ontario was proposed in 1970, when the twin cities of
Port Arthur and Fort William united to become Thunder Bay. The
absence of any type of quality performance venue in the area, and
the lack of a decent and sizeable facility between Toronto and
Winnipeg to serve as a stop in cross-Canada tours, formed the basis
of pro-facility arguments in Thunder Bay. By 1974, the city had
tentatively agreed on a financing scheme and had commissioned
architects to begin to design the facility, but for the next seven years,
civic disputes and government changes kept construction on hold.
Despite these conflicts, including staunch opposition against the
auditorium by the mayor, a loyal group of supporters led a campaign
that won a 1983 plebiscite on the arts facility issue. The Community
Auditorium opened on October 16, 1985. Surrounded by a sports
stadium, hockey arena, and Canada Games complex, the Auditorium
serves the performing arts needs of about 160,000 people living in
Thunder Bay and the surrounding region. Artec Consultants Inc
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
provided feasibility studies, programming, theatre consulting, and
acoustics consulting services for the Auditorium.
The 1500/1700-seat hall is designed to accommodate musical theatre,
headline acts, dance, opera, symphony, and choral music as well as
large meetings and conferences. Audience seating is on three levels:
a main floor, a mezzanine, and a balcony, each with side wall boxes.
To individualize the facility, the architects used native wood, brass,
and textured plaster painted a color reminiscent of the Red Rock
area north of the City. The color of the seating upholstery is also
inspired by the area’s rock formations.
Artec Consultants incorporated considerable acoustical and technical
flexibility into the room, and also provided features to make the
auditorium easily accessible to physically impaired patrons and
performers.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
CENTRE-IN-THE-SQUARE
Artec Consultants Inc provided the program, theatre consulting, and
acoustics consulting services for the Centre-in-the-Square, Kitchener,
Ontario. This magnificent new arts facility opened in September 1980.
Artec Consultants also provided the basic design for the 1902-seat
Raffi Armenian Theatre.
In addition to the Raffi Armenian Theatre, the Centre includes an art
gallery, and a flexible space studio theatre that seats over 300. The
acoustics for symphony, opera and speech and the hall’s innovative
theatre design have been highly lauded, yet the total cost of the Centre,
including the hall, rehearsal/studio, art gallery, dressing rooms, and
offices, was only $9.6 million.
Although actual construction took only two years, plans for the
Centre-in-the-Square began in 1964. Shepherded to completion by a
half-dozen dedicated citizens, often in the face of fierce opposition,
the Centre survived postponement and drastic budget cuts. Artec was
brought into the project in 1976 to provide acoustics and theatre
planning consultation. Ground breaking occurred in 1978 when the
site, MacKenzie King Square, became available and a plan for funding
was accepted by the City Council. Funding for the Centre came from
the townspeople of the Kitchener-Waterloo communities, the city,
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
the province, and the federal government. It is to the citizens’ credit
that the Centre-in-the-Square was built and has served so well to
expand the depth, quantity, and quality of the performing arts in the
city and the surrounding region.
Among the Centre’s design innovations are the Armenian Theatre’s
movable stage towers that form the orchestra shell. The towers, which
weigh approximately seven tons each, are moved on “air bearings”
(which operate on a principle similar to hovercraft). They can be
turned so that the side facing the orchestra can accommodate either
additional audience seating in boxes or serve as timber-clad sound
reflectors. The Centre-in-the-Square was the first hall in the world to
use these towers, devices that have since been used in other successful
multi-purpose rooms.
Another feature is the flexibility in the forestage zone. By using two
forestage lifts and motorized seating wagons, it is possible to quickly
transform this area to accommodate the concert platform, the orchestra
pit (in which 110 musicians can be seated), or additional seating.
Both features make it possible for opera, symphony, rock and roll,
dance, and musical theatre to be performed with equal success in the
hall.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
CENTRE-IN-THE-SQUARE Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

“This is a sensationally good hall acoustically. A really great hall. It breathes.

I like the space around the orchestra. We like the contact with the audience.
I don’t know how you managed to achieve this . . . This is a really great
hall.”
Hans Vonk
Music Director, Dresden Staatskapelle
November 1987

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

THE ROYAL CONCERT HALL
In the 1970s, the City of Nottingham, U.K. decided to supplement its
base of industry and manufacturing and take advantage of Britain’s
rapidly growing service industry sector by constructing an
international convention and entertainment center. The first step was
construction of a very special entertainment/conference center in the
heart of the downtown district.
Credit for the foresight, planning, and building of this complex goes
to the cooperative efforts of all political parties within Nottingham’s
City Council, which not only guided the project from conception,
but actually owns it. In the mid-1970s Council agreed to build the
center. Then in 1975, after intensive investigation, Council decided
that a convention hotel would be included.
Work on the complex proceeded in two phases. The first phase was
the renovation and technical upgrading of the Theatre Royal, an 1100-
seat Victorian theatre, which Council had purchased in 1969 to save
it from closure. Since that renovation, the Theatre Royal has become
the entertainment focus of the East Midlands.
Nottingham, UK
Phase two, construction of a multi-purpose concert hall, was initially
postponed as work began on the Theatre Royal in 1976. In May 1979,
however, encouraged by the success of that theatre, Council approved
funds for the design of the concert hall. Artec Consultants Inc provided
acoustics consulting services for the 2500-seat Royal Concert Hall,
which was inaugurated in November 1982.
The Royal Concert Hall is capable of housing not only symphony
orchestras, but conferences, rock and roll shows, wrestling matches,
product launches, movies, lectures, and commercial presentations.
The Hall has been steadily booked since its opening, and has been
proclaimed not only a financial success, but also a success for
audiences and artists alike.
The architects were Renton Howard Wood Levin of London.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
THE ROYAL CONCERT HALL Nottingham, UK

“I gave one of the opening concerts in the new hall in Nottingham, England,
at which time I conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a varied
programme of music by Haydn, Bartok and Beethoven. It is with pleasure
that I can openly report to you that I have found the acoustics amongst the
finest of the modern halls in which I have conducted in recent years.”
Sir Georg Solti, KBE

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CALGARY CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Artec Consultants Inc collaborated on programming and provided
acoustics consulting services for the Calgary Centre for the
Performing Arts, an $82 million project conceived and initiated by a
broad-based volunteer citizens’ group in the mid-1970s. After lengthy
investigation, including many studies, the group concluded that the
performance spaces should be sited in Calgary’s downtown area, that
the spaces should be grouped together sharing support facilities, and
that three principal arts organizations – The Calgary Philharmonic
Society, Theatre Calgary and Alberta Theatre Projects – should be
prime residents in these spaces. The intent of the Centre was to
“present a diverse sphere of activity appealing to people of all ages,
backgrounds and cultural preferences...to be a place of both
entertainment and involvement...and to help in the revitalization of
Calgary’s downtown core by helping to generate tourism, investment,
prestige, and new businesses.”
Armed with this plan, the Board of the Calgary Centre appealed to
both the city and the Province of Alberta, and in 1978 obtained a
promise from the city for a major downtown site valued at $11.4
million, plus a contribution of $12.6 million toward construction of
the project. The Government of Alberta initially contributed $46.3
million toward the total cost of the complex, of which $12 million
was in the form of a matching grant. The Special Projects Committee
was then formed and charged with the responsibility of raising $12
million in the private sector.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The Centre opened its doors on September 14, 1985. Since then, the
Jack Singer Concert Hall has been lauded for its acoustics by most
of the famous musicians and seasoned conductors who have
performed in this 2000-seat hall. It is the home of the Calgary
Philharmonic.
Occupying a full city block, the Centre incorporates two buildings
that were left standing on the site: a pillared Greek temple-style post
office and the 1906 Burns Office Building. Calgary’s theatre/
commercial district is a six-level, nearly 10-acre complex including
three state-of-the-art performing spaces, full production workshops,
office areas, an indoor shopping mall, a recital hall, and a rehearsal
hall.
The versatile Max Bell Theatre is home to Theatre Calgary. This
750-seat performance space features adjustable seating and staging.
Situated between Jack Singer Concert Hall and the Max Bell is the
cozy 450-seat Martha Cohen Theatre. Alberta Theatre Projects is
the resident tenant in this courtyard-style theatre.
All three facilities offer the latest technology in lighting, sound
equipment, and backstage facilities. For the public’s convenience,
each offers its own separate entrance, individual marquee, and night-
of-performance box office.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
“CALGARY CAN REJOICE IN WHAT WOULD APPEAR TO BE
IT IS A BRILLIANT-SOUNDING INSTRUMENT, IT HAS A
CLARITY AND AN UNUSUALLY EVEN THROW.”
BY HAROLD C. SCHONBERG
The Calgary Herald ( EXCERPTS )
19 September 1985
T here were two major points of
interest in Wednesday’s Calgary
Philharmonic concert. One was the
Mahler Eighth Symphony in its first
performance in Western Canada. The
other was acoustics of the new Jack
Singer Concert Hall. Could this new
auditorium handle the massive
sonorities of what could well be the
most colossal work ever conceived for
symphony orchestra?
Western Canada orchestras need not
feel ashamed of never having
programmed the Mahler Eighth up to
now. Even though Mahler has in recent
years become the most popular late
romantic symphonist, even pushing
Brahms and Tchaikovsky out of their
once exalted positions, the Eight is
seldom heard — not in New York,
London, Berlin, or the other world
capitols. It is just too big, it demands
too huge an orchestra, too many
soloists, too much rehearsal time, too
much money to put on.
Thus this concert provided a very
special opening to the Calgary
Philharmonic Orchestra’s thirtieth
season, as well as the supreme acoustic
test of a concert hall. For the occasion
Mario Bernardi conducted not only his
orchestra but also the Edmonton
Symphony, which meant well over 100
players on stage. Obviously the 61
piece Calgary group could never have
done this Mahler work on its own.
There were also over 300 choristers
from all over Western Canada, and
when they let loose in full voice it was
a brave sound indeed. Among the
triumphs of the evening, incidentally,
were the children’s choruses. They
actually sang in tune. Miracles can still
occur.
The hall handled the sonic explosions
with ease. Calgary can rejoice in what
would appear to be one of the better
concert halls in the hemisphere. It is a
brilliant-sounding instrument, it has a
strong and resonant bass response
(something so lacking in many
postwar concert halls), it has extreme
clarity and an unusually even throw.
One reason for its success is that it was
actually designed as a concert hall and
not as a multi-purpose auditorium.
Multi-purpose halls have to have a
dual set of characteristics — a low
reverberation period for opera, a high
one for symphony concerts.
The result has been acoustic
schizophrenia. Basic laws of physics,
after all, cannot be repealed.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
ONE OF THE BETTER CONCERT HALLS IN THE HEMISPHERE.
STRONG AND RESONANT BASS RESPONSE, IT HAS EXTREME

Russell Johnson, the acoustician for
Singer Concert Hall, is a traditional-
ist, and this concert hall is shaped
along the shoebox configuration of
such great halls as Boston Symphony
Hall and the Musikvereinssaal in
Vienna. Johnson has used heavy
materials, very thick masonry and
plaster, and a philosophy of acoustics
that stems from the previous century.
There is, it seems, something to be
said for tradition.
Whatever the architecture critics say
about the building — and already
there are rumblings — there is going
to be no complaint about the glowing
sound that emanates from the stage
of Jack Singer Concert Hall.
“THERE IS GOING TO BE
NO COMPLAINT ABOUT
THE GLOWING SOUND
THAT EMANATES FROM
THE STAGE OF JACK
SINGER CONCERT HALL.”
As Eric Dawson of the Calgary
Herald reported on Thursday, it was
a secure, confident performance of
the Mahler Eighth — well rehearsed,
dramatic when the music called for
it, sensitive and well shaped in the
contemplative moments and well
sung by the combined choruses. The
vocal soloists varied a bit; some of
them found it difficult to sing over
the welter of sound that Bernardi
threw out during Mahler ’s
superfortissimos.
But this was a performance that did
honor to the work. And Calgary now
has a splendid ambience for its
symphony orchestra.

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL
Artec Consultants Inc provided comprehensive consulting services
for this facility, Britain’s largest convention center, which opened in
April 1991. Artec collaborated with other consultants on the
development of the program, and was the prime source of
programming information for Symphony Hall and the Conference
Auditorium. Artec also provided theatre consulting services and
acoustics consulting services for the International Convention Centre,
including the basic design of both Symphony Hall and the Conference
Auditorium.
Designed for the international conference market, the Convention
Centre is located in the downtown redevelopment area of
Birmingham, just two blocks from Council House, Town Hall, and
directly across the canal from the new Aquarium, a National Sports
Arena, and a huge new real estate development which includes
condominiums, a theatre, several restaurants, and a new hotel. By
the end of its first year, the Centre’s Symphony Hall was unanimously
hailed as the finest hall in England and on par with the greatest halls
of Europe.
The International Convention Centre accommodates a variety of
conferences, meetings, exhibitions, product launches, and
entertainment events simultaneously in eleven halls built to meet
specific requirements.
Birmingham, UK
The Centre’s main conference theatre has 1500 seats, a fully equipped
stage, and a fly tower. Symphony Hall has approximately 2200 seats,
and serves as the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra, as well as a venue for touring entertainment groups and
convention meetings. The architect of Birmingham Symphony Hall
is Percy Thomas Partnership.
The largest hall, with a flat floor, is primarily designed for exhibition
and dining. It is possible to add seating ramps and chairs to
accommodate entertainment, conference, and political events. The
750-seat banquet and exhibition hall has a small cabaret stage. The
300-seat cinema doubles as a presentation theatre. Five other flat
floor halls can be subdivided into two rooms, with seating capabilities
varying from 60-400. One conference/banquet room with seating for
350 provides meeting space that adapts itself to a variety of events.
The International Convention Centre, now one of the premier major
meeting venues in Europe, has created new jobs and provides a
welcome boost to employment prospects throughout the Midlands.
In addition, the Centre draws tourists to the region, creating more
business for city hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“This is a hall for a great orchestra. My expectations for the acoustics of this
new hall were very high indeed, and Birmingham Symphony Hall is
acoustically fulfilling all of my hopes for it. The room has a beautiful sound.
Already I see how truthful, how natural and real the sound of this room is.
This is clearly a hall that will match and support a great symphony orchestra.
This room has a wonderful, wonderful immediate bass response. The
acoustics have great warmth, a very supportive warmth. The truthfulness of
the sonic quality of the winds is exciting. The sounds of individual instruments
throughout the orchestra have an absolute beauty, a wonderful clarity.”
Simon Rattle
Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
25 January 1991

“A marvellous instrument for making music.”

Carlo Maria Giulini

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“The acoustics are wonderful. Why do they not build concert halls like this
anywhere else?”
Victoria Mullova

“This year Rattle and his orchestra at last got their new concert hall, leaving
the treacherous acoustic of the Town Hall for Symphony Hall’s wonderfully
rounded ambience; within the first few concerts it was clear that this was by
a long way the finest auditorium in the British Isles. Return visits have failed
to reveal any blemishes, and suggest that the hall measures up to the best in
Europe, evoking comparisons with the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (and)
the Musikvereinssaal in Vienna.”
Andrew Clements
Financial Times, London
2 January 1992

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“I have just heard Valery Gergiev conduct a complete Boris Godunov and a
complete Iolante in your Symphony Hall in Birmingham. You have built a
miracle there. It is one of the best things that has happened in the world of
music in many years. It’s the best acoustical experience one can have. This
was my third visit to your hall, and I’m now scheduled to be back there
again for another concerto. In Boris the sound of the principals was
wonderfully rich and warm. I cannot thank you enough for what you have
achieved in Birmingham and Dallas for the world of music.”
Alexander Toradze
12 September 1995

“I feel that this has to be the ideal concert hall. I clearly remember the first
concert I heard there, when the inner lines of a Haydn symphony came through
in an exhilarating way. Many congratulations on a superb building.”
Barry Millington
BBC Music Magazine
8 August 1995

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Russell Johnson, the idiosyncratic acoustician from America who designed

the acoustics in the new I. M. Pei Dallas concert hall, was given a free rein
in Birmingham, and designed a shape based on the great traditional shoe-
box halls of Boston and Vienna. It is wonderful how the texture of some
sections is carried aloft, and floats across the tall spaces of the building
towards you, the solo winds especially . . . In this, the building is more like
a cathedral than a concert hall, but with added clarity that focuses the sound.”
Nicholas Kenyon
Observer, London
21 April 1991

“Nobody who has heard Rattle’s performances of Mahler or Firebird or

Daphnis et Chloé could say that ‘no one plays softly any more.’ Rattle does
have the luxury of a supremely sympathetic hall, of course, but his fidelity
to the score was just as apparent in Birmingham Town Hall.”
Mark Hebert
May 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“All of us love the acoustics of Symphony Hall in Birmingham. When we

play in the Birmingham hall, we feel at home. For us the sound there is just
like we hear in our Concertgebouw.”
Administrator
Concertgebouw Orchestra

“In acoustical terms the new hall is a plain triumph. Listening from a central
stalls seat to the Firebird, I thrilled to the music in a way I have not done
since first getting to know it in early adolescence. Later on, listening from a
seat at the back of the first circle to the Daphnis, I was able more calmly to
list and admire the achievements of Russell Johnson and Artec. The sound
of the orchestra seemed to possess ideal space, depth, intimacy, and clarity
across a wide range of pitch and dynamics, in both seats. And this is the true
miracle...it reached me as a physical presence naturally proportioned and
positioned with no lacks, gaps, artificial ‘Gramophonic’ adjustments or
internal imbalances.”
Max Loppert
17 April 1991

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Symphony Hall is a tremendous boost to the arts. Visually, it is stunning,

constructed on the pattern of the great traditional concert halls . . . Its designer
is the American Russell Johnson, described by Andrew Jowett, Symphony
Hall’s director as ‘the guru of concert hall design.’ Johnson’s previous
meisterwerk is the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. But Johnson is
also the concert hall world’s foremost acoustician. While respecting and
preferring traditional design, he has added acoustic refinements that are truly
state of the art.”
Peter Hepple
The Stage, London
25 April 1991

“Birmingham Symphony Hall? It’s the only decent concert hall in the United
Kingdom.”
Maestro Howard Griffiths
Zürich Chamber Orchestra
22 August 1999

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“The most wonderful hall I’ve played in.”

Stephen Kovacevich Bishop

“The uniformity of the acoustics between the stage and the audience area is
very unusual. Out in the audience area the sound is so silvery. We had no
idea that a hall of this size could have such an intimate sound. We feel very
comfortable on stage. This hall has a much greater dynamic range than any
hall we know. Pianissimo sounds do not lose their quality. It’s like a very
responsive violin. When we ask this hall to do something, it says ‘yes.’ It
never seems to say ‘no’ to us, at least so far. It’s the feeling that you are
playing in a small hall that is so impressive. A lovely sound. And it is always
an intimate sound. A truly wonderful hall.”
Maggini Quartet
5 January 1992

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Symphony Hall, the acoustical marvel of our age.”

Basil Ramsey
The Musical Times, London
October 1991

“Russell Johnson, who designed this place, is widely acknowledged as the

world’s leading expert in creating companionable spaces for music, and his
Birmingham hall is evidently a close relation to the enthusiastically received
one he recently completed in Dallas . . . Symphony Hall looks on this showing
to be a virtuoso among concert rooms. Most extraordinary is the pianissimo.
The most delicate sounds can register. The effect was almost uncanny, and
quite outside my experience. This is a clarity that is essentially musical,
helping to bring out inner parts in fine detail.”
Paul Griffiths
The Times, London
17 April 1991

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“(Quoting Simon Rattle) ‘What I was able to do was argue until I was blue
in the face that we should hire the acoustician first so the hall could be
designed entirely from the acoustician’s point of view.’ With the concert
hall designer Russ Johnson very much in charge of the project, an ideal
design emerged. ‘Of course working here is going to make the orchestra
better. It has already,’ says Rattle. ‘Unusually for England it’s a hall that
allows an orchestra to play properly without having to squeeze the sound
out. But we’ve hardly started to explore its possibilities. It’s like a new
beginning. Now that we have a proper instrument to work with, I think you’ll
find that the sound of our orchestra is very much changed. We’ll learn more
and more. (I’ve been) given a Stradivarius.’ ”
Andrew Clements
Financial Times, London
14 April 1991

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“The acoustic of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall had for me a combination

of warmth and brilliance very rarely equaled anywhere in the world except
perhaps the Musikvereinssaal in Vienna or the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
(In Verdi’s Requiem) the voices of the soloists were clear, the choral texture
beautifully balanced, and all the instrumental choirs were clear and present.
I was enormously impressed by the sound of this room.”
Matthew Epstein
General Director, Welsh National Opera, Cardiff

“In Birmingham Rattle has supervised the building, and, more importantly,
the acoustic properties of Symphony Hall, which now provides the most
satisfying orchestral sound of any in Britain today. In Birmingham,
Schoenberg’s saturated textures had a diaphanous, chamber-music
transparency, and Rattle was able to project the quietest of pianissimi while
containing thrilling climaxes — the sound of the CBSO brass in full cry
never blared or spread.”
Hugh Canning
Sunday Times
2 October 1994

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Rattle conducted outstandingly fine performances of all this music . . .

If you haven’t heard an orchestral concert in Symphony Hall, you haven’t
heard (in this country) how music can and should sound.”
Michael Kennedy
The Sunday Telegraph, London
12 March 1995

“In April 1991 Simon Rattle and the CBSO got from the City a $48,000,000
new Symphony Hall, in which great music sounds as much at home as it
does anywhere in Europe. Many of the happiest hours of this writer’s life
have been spent in orchestral rehearsals. Even so, the six days I spent in
Symphony Hall were exceptional. For starters there is the quality not only
of the sound, but of the silence. To gauge this you have to get into Symphony
Hall a few minutes before rehearsal time. This particular silence is owed
above all to Russell Johnson, the American acoustician.”
John Russell
New York Times Magazine
12 April 1992

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“I am truly impressed with the wonderful, sympathetic acoustic and the warm
sound produced in Symphony Hall, Birmingham (UK) and the Meyerson
Hall in Dallas, Texas. Having conducted in both halls (with the Dallas
Symphony in Dallas and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Birmingham),
I have only words of praise for the acoustic which, in my experience, has no
match in contemporary halls. As a conductor on the platform, I have a feeling
of absolute clarity and balance of the orchestra’s sound and at the same time,
from the audience’s side, I felt a very colourful and warm sound response. I
have no hesitation whatever in recommending Russell Johnson’s highly
valuable experience in this field — his expertise is greatly appreciated in the
musical world.”
Libor Pesek
Music Director, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
30 April 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“A great joy to know that we have the greatest hall in the world, here.”
Kyung-Wha Chung

“The audience at the inaugural concert of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall

heard the ‘first’ performances of ‘lost’ works by Stravinsky and Ravel . . .
Firebird, and Daphnis and Chloe. The rediscovery was made possible by
Russell Johnson, regarded as the world’s greatest acoustic designer. After
the concert, everyone from Simon Rattle to the most cynical concert critics
praised Johnson’s skill in drawing something new from music they had heard
countless times.”
Robert Matthews
Sunday Telegraph, London
21 April 1991

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“I have performed several times in the Birmingham Symphony Hall,

conducting my Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.
“We were all very enthusiastic about the excellent acoustics in the hall. Our
orchestra performs on old instruments, often with the harpsichord as a
continuo instrument. The sound of old string instruments is a lot softer than
the sound of the modern violin. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra normally
has a string section of only 13 musicians in total, but this never was a problem
in Birmingham. We even performed a concert for harpsichord and orchestra,
which was completely audible in every part of the hall. Congratulations on
this wonderful hall.”
Ton Koopman
Conductor, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra
19 April 1993

“Phenomenal acoustics . . . Bravissimo.”

Yuri Temirkanov

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Acoustically marvellous. It is not only easily this country’s finest concert

hall, but also assuredly among the world’s best. One knew that a miracle had
been worked. The resonant bass line, absolute clarity of instrumental tone,
and warmth of string tone startled and entranced the ear. The balance is
well-nigh perfect, and in the climaxes every strand in the texture was audible,
yet the sound was not analytical, but rich and cohesive.”
Michael Kennedy
The Sunday Telegraph, London
21 April 1991

“Russell Johnson, a New Yorker who is the acoustics designer of the

Birmingham hall, said it bears some resemblance to the Morton H. Meyerson
Symphony Center in Dallas. ‘He has managed to make an extraordinary
mixture of clarity and warmth (in Symphony Hall),’ Mr. Rattle said.”
Craig R. Whitney
New York Times
2 April 1991

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Russell Johnson and Percy Thomas Partnership have designed the finest
modern concert hall I know, and I have heard most of them by now. It is the
first time I have heard a concert in a new hall which seems to have all the
good qualities of the legendary halls (Boston, St. Petersburg, Concertgebouw,
Musikvereinssaal) without some of the disadvantages of these old halls. I
found the sound of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall to be breathtakingly
natural, warm and clear at the same time. Although every section of the
orchestra sounded distinct (with very good bass sound, violins never scratchy
or thin, woodwinds present but never overwhelming) the sound seemed, at
the same time, to blend very well without ever creating a mushy wash of
sound you hear near the rear of Boston’s Symphony Hall.”
Costa Pilavachi
President, Philips Classics, The Netherlands

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“Playing in Symphony Hall, Birmingham has been the most rewarding

possible musical experience. I have great admiration for what Artec has
accomplished there and elsewhere.”
Lynn Harrell
13 April 1993

“Symphony Hall in Birmingham, where I have conducted the Prague

Symphony Orchestra during our recent tour to England, is definitely one of
the best in the world acoustically.
“The sound in the hall is very natural, brilliant, warm, never harsh or shrill.
All sections of the orchestra were very transparent. Also, on stage it is a very
pleasant feeling, as the players can hear each other very well and have always
perfect control over the dynamics.
“Symphony Hall in Birmingham is one of the finest in which I have worked
during my conducting career.”
Martin Turnovsky
Music Director, Prague Symphony Orchestra
19 April 1993

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“I had a special opportunity to give a concert in Symphony Hall, Birmingham

with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra during our latest tournée in England.
The Hall excites exceptional acoustic resonance values. It concerns the quality
of the sound to the audience and the sound audibility between musicians on
the stage. Above all, the Hall is full of life and tone. The sound reveals itself,
is well balanced and rich in quality. It seems to me that every type of music
will sound exquisitely in that Hall.”
Kazimierz Kord
Director, Filharmonia Narodowa
21 July 1993

“It’s absolutely wonderful. It will change everything . . . like suddenly having

a new Strad. We’re thrilled. Even at it’s driest setting, it is magnificent.”
Sir Simon Rattle

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

SYMPHONY HALL Birmingham, UK

“I met Russell Johnson shortly after the opening of the concert hall in
Birmingham over 10 years ago. After my last concert in Birmingham with
the London Philharmonic Orchestra, I must confirm that Symphony Hall
still has one of the best acoustics in the world. We have also invited Russell
Johnson to help us improve the acoustics of the Avery Fisher Hall in New
York and within a short period of time he was able to solve our problems at
a very high level.
“I have met Mr. Johnson in between on different occasions and I have always
been deeply impressed by his seriousness, his knowledge and his outstanding
talent. He does not talk very much but what he does say has always been
very convincing. His deep understanding of acoustics especially in the
musical field is quite remarkable. I am very grateful to know him and I can
recommend his services to everyone.”
Maestro Kurt Masur
16 March 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

ARTEC CONSULTANTS INC

“I have performed in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall several times, and just

three weeks ago, I worked with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at their
Meyerson Center. It gives me great pleasure to say that these are two of the
finest acoustic environments in the world, new or old. The performers and
the audience alike are in a room that enhances and clarifies the sound of
music. These two halls make sense of both performing and listening to music;
and they are comfortable and unobtrusive to boot. We have Russell Johnson
and the staff of Artec Consultants to thank for these superb highlights on the
travels of orchestras and soloists. Symphony Hall, Birmingham and the
Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas are living proof that, provided
they are designed well, new halls at the end of this century can have acoustics
as excellent as the old, venerated halls built ten decades ago.”
Emanuel Ax
1 November 1995

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER
Artec Consultants Inc provided acoustics consulting services for this
new three-hall facility on the site of the Kunsthaus on the
Vierwaldstättersee shore. The concert hall hosted its first public
performance with the opening of the 1998 Lucerne International
Music Festival, 19 August, 1998.
The major halls include an 1840-seat Concert Hall, a 900-seat flexible
performance and banquet hall, and a 280-seat lecture hall. The facility
also includes museum and exhibition space, meeting rooms,
restaurants, and a rehearsal hall.
The Concert Hall has seating on the main floor and four balconies,
thereby keeping the scale of the room visually and aurally intimate.
The hall accommodates symphonic and choral music, popular music,
plenary conference sessions, jazz, and folk music. It is the home of
the renowned International Music Festival, a five-week classical
music festival occurring each summer, drawing many of the world’s
finest orchestras.
To accommodate this wide variety of events, the concert hall features
a 7000 cubic meter reverberation chamber around the perimeter of
Lucerne, Switzerland
the hall, which can increase or decrease the amount of reverberance
in the hall. Heavy, sound-absorbing curtains can be deployed in front
of all the wall surfaces to reduce the natural liveness of the hall for
amplified events, and a two-piece, vertically moving acoustical
canopy above the performance platform can be adjusted to tailor both
the visual and acoustical scale of the room to suit the performance.
The “Middle Hall” is a flat floor hall with one balcony. It can seat
900 people with the use of telescopic seating. The hall is complete
with a stagehouse and rigging systems for theatrical events, trade
presentations, and audio-visual presentations. The hall can also
accommodate a wide variety of popular and folk music, as well as
smaller classical recitals. The flat floor mode of the hall is equally
suited to accommodate rock concerts with standing audience,
banquets, cabaret theatre, and exhibitions.
The “Small Hall” can seat 280 people for lectures, meetings, and
presentations. This hall is designed to accommodate a wide variety
of audio-visual equipment for these events.
The Architect for the facility is Jean Nouvel of Paris.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“Wunderbar ist die Akustik, wunderbar das Haus, eines der schönsten Häuser
der Welt.”
“The acoustics are wonderful, the hall is wonderful, one of the most beautiful
halls in the world.”
Maestro Claudio Abbado
Music Director, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
21 August 1998

“French architect Jean Nouvel has built what must rank as one of the world’s
most beautiful structures . . . The concert hall is a collaboration with the American
acoustician Russell Johnson, whose Meyerson Center in Dallas and Symphony
Hall in Birmingham, England, have already placed him at the head of his field.
A complex system of resonance chambers and sound absorption panels merge
into a sumptuous and logical whole.”
Andrew Patner
The Chicago Sun Times
15 September 1998

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“The sound of the piano was so beautiful. I could clearly hear all of the subtleties.
And the pianissimos are wonderful. The acoustics of this hall are so warm, so
round.”
Murray Perahia
Pianist

“During my work in the new music center in Luzern I had the chance to enjoy
the excellent acoustic conditions of this hall. I was particularly thrilled by the
warmth and the transparency of the sound which emerges when you play in this
wonderful new building.”
Maestro Franz Welser-Möst
in a letter to Russell Johnson
4 February 2000

“You are a magician. The countless colors we can create in this hall are a miracle
— that is very rare in the world. A magnificent achievement.”
Maestro Kurt Masur
6 September 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“Bravo. This is by far the best contemporary concert hall. Fantastic acoustics
coupled with great architecture.”
Gerard Mortier
Intendant, Salzburg Festival
September 1998

“There are many modern concert halls with good acoustics. But this is the only
concert hall that is acoustically perfect for the piano. I found that I could actively,
from bar to bar, work with the acoustics of a hall. This was a good room for
piano during my warm-up this afternoon, but with the sound absorption of the
audience it is even better. I love the way this room allows my very softest notes
to very slowly and naturally die away into infinity.
“. . .Wunderbar. Wunderbar. It is really, really wonderful. I’ve never before been
able to play so softly. A fantastic hall.”
Daniel Barenboim
24 August 1998

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CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“This is great. Pianissimos carry throughout the hall. The hall sounds so wonderful.
For me it is perfect, magnifique.”
Jonathan Gilad
Pianist
21 November 1999

“The acoustical miracle of the American acoustician Russell Johnson in the

architectural miracle of Jean Nouvel has existed for only a year. Yet the sound of
this hall has become, justly and in little time, a legend unto itself. Because every
detail carries to the farthest row of seats, only the finest musicians, it must be
said, withstand the test. The European Union Youth Orchestra withstood it with
bravura, and successfully perpetuated the new legend of Lucerne.”
Klaus Schädeli
Berner Zeitung
16 August 1999

“Oceans of sound.”
Vladimir Fedosejev
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
23 November 1999

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“Bravissimo! Bravissimo! Absolutely phe–nom–e–nal! It sounds like the

Musikvereinssaal. The two best halls are now the Luzern Konzertsaal and the
Musikvereinssaal in Vienna.”
Yuri Temirkanov
Conductor, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
28 August 1998

“. . . the supreme achievement is the concert acoustic. Created by the American

Russell Johnson, it accommodates just about every degree of clarity the human
ear can detect.
“The Berlin players exulted in the noise they made, every crotchet in Rihm’s
intricate piece individually defined, no mush, no place to hide bad playing. It
was a sound to cry for, from limpid to loud, a triumph of technology and experience
that recaptures the simple grandeur of a mid-Victorian shoebox hall.”
Norman Lebrecht
The Daily Telegraph, London
27 August 1998

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copyright © 2002 AR TEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“This hall has fantastic acoustics. When I got on the podium I just did what I
wanted to do, and it all came out the way I wanted it to. Perfect. Perfect.”
Maestro Kurt Masur
8 September 1999

“Whatever we do on stage, the sound just floats in this hall. The sound we heard
on stage is fantastic. Bravo. I would like to come back here and listen from a seat
in the audience.”
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
19 August 1999

“I had a great experience tonight. And also I now know that this hall can cope
with anything we throw at it.”
Maestro Zubin Mehta
Israel Philharmonic
26 August 1999

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CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER
“Congratulations on the acoustics of the new Concert Hall in Lucerne. I
think it’s probably the best concert hall in all of Europe! Listening to a
concert here is really touching because the listener is enveloped and
surrounded by the music. You can feel the sound, particularly in the forte-
passages of an orchestral work. This makes the audience part of the
performance, and not a detached observer. Listening in this concert hall
is an event!
“The sound of the orchestra is always well balanced. This is of course
very helpful for the conductor during the concert. But it’s also the first
essential for a good recording. In the hall, no instrument is disadvantaged
by the acoustics. Therefore, the recording engineer doesn’t need to help
certain instrumental groups. At the same time, all the different groups of
instruments blend well into one huge instrument.
“The sound always has warmth (wonderful for the celli and double basses)
and enough reverberance. And the loudness is just right!
“This hall is absolutely ideal for large-scale works (e.g. Bruckner, Mahler,
Richard Strauss, Wagner) There are probably few halls in the world that
can compete with the Lucerne hall with respect to ‘spaciousness’. This is
even more important if such a work is going to be recorded for CD. Halls
like the Vienna Musikvereinssaal, which are fantastic for live symphony
concerts, are not ideal for the recording of late-romantic works. The
Musikverein doesn’t have enough space to allow the sound to breathe,
whereas Lucerne is definitely an ideal location to record large scale
orchestral works.
“The acoustics in Lucerne can be adjusted very flexibly, depending upon
the size of the orchestra and the style of a piece. Lowering the canopy
provides more clarity and intimacy and is very effective for chamber
music or solo recitals. The clarity of this hall is amazing—even up in the
last rows of the upper gallery.
Lucerne, Switzerland
“The stage with its adjustable elements and risers is very useful for the
requirements of different orchestras. For recordings, it is extremely handy
to have a variable stage. The choir, positioned in the fairly high choral
gallery, sounds extraordinary.
“Other methods available to adjust the acoustics for a specific work are
the curtains and the echo chambers. It’s possible to create for the
performance of a mass an almost cathedral-like sound, and for a Mozart
symphony an appropriately dry acoustic environment.
“I was very impressed by the stereo image. Closing my eyes, I could
locate exactly the position of the different instruments. In my experience
in concert halls, one hardly ever finds such an excellent panoramic stereo
image.
“A frequent inconvenience during recordings is disturbance by noise
(either street traffic or activities inside the building). If during a recording
musicians are interrupted by noises, they often lose concentration and
patience when they are forced to redo certain takes again and again just
because of intruding noise. Most modern concert halls are not sufficiently
isolated against noise, but in the Lucerne concert hall we really have a
situation of absolute silence, even though it’s situated in the heart of
town next to the train station. I have never found another recording venue
this quiet. This raises the quality of concerts and recordings considerably
because only silence allows a total concentration on our common goal:
MAKING MUSIC!
“With my warmest wishes for the future, I hope Artec will enrich the
musical world with more concert halls in the style of Lucerne!”
Pauline Heister
Recording Engineer, Classical Music
Augsbur g , Germany
11 October 1998
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“We have all the spaciousness we want during our fortissimos, but at the same
time there is certainly enough clarity. I could always hear all the detail I need to
hear, even during fortissimos. It is amazing. This hall is a masterpiece. Also,
acoustically it is the best concert hall in my experience for rehearsal.”
Maestro Franz Welser-Möst
Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra (135 musicians on stage)
26 March 1999

“An amazingly beautiful sound. This hall has ideal acoustics for Beethoven
performed on period instruments.”
Sieuwert Verster
5 September 1999

“Visually a very intimate room. And it’s a wonderful hall acoustically. A beautiful
sound. I have recently discovered that Artec’s hall in Birmingham is as good as
this hall. These two halls look somewhat alike — similar dimensions — similar
proportions. You seem to have the knack to make excellent concert halls.”
Maestro Bernard Haitink
14 August 1999

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“Extraordinary hall! We love your hall in Birmingham, but this one is even better;
it is smaller and feels much more intimate. We are so grateful to you for creating
this masterpiece. We, as performers, so much depend on having the right
environment, and so often we do not get it. Here it feels great to perform. It is
perfect. The audience is close, but there is enough freedom and space for us.
And acoustically, it is just wonderful, phenomenal.”
Katia and Marielle Labèque
November 1998

“Fantastic hall — the shape of the hall, beautiful, very special. From the stage I
have the impression that the hall is very small, very intimate. With the many side
balconies it has been possible to make the room very narrow, which gets the
audience much closer to the performers, and is better for the acoustics as well. A
really nice hall to play in, it feels just right.”
Anatol Ugorsky
November 1998

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

copyright © 2002 AR TEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“This is a wonderful hall, a wonderful hall. We have just spent two days in the
rehearsal room in the basement. And now we come up here into paradise. You
are a magician.”
Maestro Kurt Masur
8 September 1999

“It was a joy to make music here.”

Maestro Frans Bruggen
5 September 1999

“I feel very comfortable playing on the stage of this hall, both during rehearsals
and our two concerts. I can hear myself easily, and amazingly (I’m in the brass
section), we can easily hear the first and second violins. That hardly ever happens
in concert halls. There is a change in the sound when the audience is present, but
it is not a disruptive shift. The semi-reflective wall you’ve put behind the brass is
clever. It works. And there is something very special about the sound in this hall,
but I don’t know how to put it into words.”
Musician
Israel Philharmonic
26 August 1999

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CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“May I assure you that the acoustics of the concert hall in the Culture and Congress
Center in Lucerne belong to the very finest (in competition with perhaps two to
three other concert halls) in the entire world.
“In 1990, as the planning of the new Culture and Congress Center had progressed
to the stage of realization, the quest for an acoustical expert became acute. At
this point, as Director of the International Music Festival Lucerne I recommended
Russell Johnson and Artec Consultants, following the excellent advice of Vladimir
Ashkenasy, who had performed in the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas
and at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, both acoustically
realized with great success by Russell Johnson and Artec.
“In my capacity as Director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Director
of the Berlin Philharmonic Hall and Chamber Music Hall, I have traveled with
the orchestra all over the (musical) world. We have played in practically every
well-known concert hall and have an excellent field of comparison.
“The acoustics in the new concert hall in Lucerne are of a crystalline clarity, at
the same time of great warmth, never harsh or hard, even at maximum volume.

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

The minimum volumes are heard at all points of the hall, even in the last seat of
the highest balcony. The musicians hear each other very clearly on the stage,
which is of enormous importance to the quality of performance. The acoustical
flexibility of the hall is guaranteed by a great number of possible technical
adjustments. The size of the ensemble, if soloist, small chamber group, or large
symphony orchestra achieves in every case the same beautifully clear, warm and
well-rounded sound.
“We are in every way enthusiastic about the acoustical accomplishments of Russ
Johnson and his associates from Artec Consultants for the concert hall at the
Culture and Congress Center in Lucerne and recommend coming to Switzerland
to hear the results of their excellent work.”
Ulrich Meyer-Schoellkopf
February 2000

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER
“Congratulations. We love this hall. We’ve been working
in a series of ordinary concert rooms where we have had to
work very hard to make sound. For us, coming in here today
is like getting out of a Volkswagen and slipping behind the
wheel of a Ferrari. When are you going to create a concert
hall for me? You know, Russell Johnson halls have become
the standard against which the others are judged.”
Kent Nagano
Music Director, Hallé Orchestra
24 August 1998
“You did a good job on this hall. It is wonderful for singing.
I found the acoustics at the position just in front of the chorus
to be very favorable for the soloists.”
Bryn Terfel
20 August 1998
❖
“It’s a sound that in its quality and clarity can stand
comparison with any in the world.”
Jane Hanson
The BBC
16 September 1998
Lucerne, Switzerland
“We could do everything we wanted to do. In the beginning
of the 3rd movement, the pianissimos worked very well. In
the loudest passages, at the podium it never went into
overdrive. The clarity was always there. I have no wishes
for any changes. Absolutely fantastic hall.”
Maestro Franz Welser-Möst
Music Director-Designate, The Cleveland Orchestra;
Artistic Director, Zürich Opera
❖
“Already the very first music I heard in your new hall has
made clear that you have built a masterpiece. It was an
astonishing and moving moment and every concert since
makes this wonderful experience grow.
“We have been listening to orchestras, such as the Berliner
Philharmonisches Orchester, but also to recitals, for instance
with Daniel Barenboim, and each of those concerts prove
the outstanding acoustical quality of the new hall.
Congratulations to you and all of your wonderful team who
have made this miracle come true.”
Toni J. Krein
Artistic Manager, International Festival of Music Lucerne
Letter to Russell Johnson
26 August 1998
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
copyright © 2002 AR TEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

“Upon the arrival of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and
Choir in Luzern, all of us already had heard about the
beautiful new hall in which we were to perform. While we
were rehearsing, this particular information became only
more positive in reality! We experienced unbelievably clear
acoustics, correctable with panels, very easy to play as
everybody on stage was able to hear each other. The sound
is beautiful and became even better and more clear with the
audience present.
“This hall is ideal for a relatively small ensemble like our
orchestra. The sound does not shrink but becomes even a
bit richer. We performed in Luzern’s new Concert Hall with
a lot of pleasure.”
Ton Koopman
7 December 1998
“Thank you, thank you for this wonderful hall. I walked
out on stage and sang three notes and I knew immediately.
I could have sung all night. It is so easy to sing in this hall.
My voice goes out and seems to be reflected right back to
me. And the sound of the lute! Every one of his quiet notes
carried. It seems that this concert hall works beautifully for
everything — strings, voice, piano, symphony orchestras —
everything. Congratulations.”
Cecilia Bartoli
10 September 1998
❖
“You have done it again. Congratulations. Excellent
acoustics for piano.”

❖ Alfred Brendel
1998
❖
“An incredible hall. Wonderful acoustics. I felt very
comfortable on stage. I’ve played in both Dallas and
Birmingham. They are both very good, but I think this hall “You are a magician. You have created a wonderful hall for
is acoustically better.” musicians. Thank you for these fantastic acoustics. Thank
you for this wonderful hall.”
Andreas Haefliger
9 September 1998 Rudolf Baumgartner
Founder and Music Director, Festival Strings, Lucerne
September 1998

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER
“Congratulations. It is a magnificent room . . . Incredible.
Fantastic. On stage we could all hear each other easily. This
is the first time I’ve ever been able to hear all of the detail
in this Stravinsky work. Did you hear the wonderful way
the clock sounds died away?”
Maestro Mario Venzago
Conductor, Sinfonieorchester Basel
26 August 1998
❖ “We have now been playing for a couple of days in this
“Its warm and resonant, yet clear and detailed sound —
designed by the renowned American acoustician Russell
Johnson — has great presence. The sonics flattered the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s turbo-charged brilliance
while giving the strings a shimmering depth that lent extra
emotional charge to Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathetique’ Symphony.
Afterward, conductor and orchestra members all praised
the quality of the acoustics.”
John von Rhein
Music Critic, The Chicago Tribune
14 September 1998
Lucerne, Switzerland
“There are all the other concert halls in the world — and
then there is this hall. Fantastic acoustics. To me the design
format appears to be an original.”
Anatol Ugorsky
1998
❖
beautiful Congress Hall. It has been a great pleasure for us
to be playing on this stage even during our rehearsals, but
especially during our two concerts where I think the depth
of the sound gets even larger and we get even more
flexibility in the colors of sound. It is very easy for us to
play on this stage. We feel free to do anything we want
musically and to take big risks, and it works most of the
time — but this is not your problem, it is our problem. My
friends at the Beethoven Ninth concert who were sitting in
the top balcony told me the acoustics were amazing —
presence, plasticity, dynamics, colors, the clarity of the
music — yet at the same time not clinical. They were very
enthusiastic about the acoustics.”
Emmanuel Pahud
Flautist, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
21 August 1998
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
The Financial Times, London, UK
Hall of Harmony Beside the Lake
Lucerne’s new cultural centre is a building music lovers will
want to return to again and again, writes ANDREW CLARK
(EXCERPTS)
S
een from across the lake, Lucerne’s Cultural and Congress Centre
merges imperceptibly with the city skyline. Only close up do you
notice the enormous overhang of the roof, the traffic-free
waterfront location and the sense of an outsize music-box waiting to be
entered and explored. Jean Nouvel’s latest grand projet is neither
architectural conceit nor functional monstrosity, but a happy marriage of
artistic ideals and practical imperatives.
Surrounded by Alpine views, it has just about the most spectacular setting
of all the world’s major concert halls, and Nouvel responds with unusual
restraint: his building harmonises with, rather than dominates, its
surroundings. But the real miracle lies within, intangible and invisible.
The acoustic engineered by Russell Johnson easily matches the wonders
of Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, on which Johnson worked so profitably
a decade ago. The difference is that Lucerne’s new hall is more elegant
and intimate.
You might wonder what this architectural-acoustical jewel is doing in a
Swiss city of only 60,000 people. Shut off from the musical mainstream
for most of the year, Lucerne has yet to answer the question satisfactorily:
the programme for the winter months consists mainly of bargain-basement
imports and small scale community promotions.
The hall’s raison d’etre is the Lucerne music festival, a star-studded event
which has long outgrown its previous venue. The only way the festival
could get a new building was to tie it to the city’s ambitions as a tourist
and conference centre. And in a country where every major public
spending initiative needs local endorsement at the ballot box, that meant
Monday, September 14, 1998
proving to the widest range of interest groups, from hoteliers to yodelling
clubs, that they had a stake in the building.
The result is a Sfr205m (£87m) venue of which everyone can be proud.
The art museum, conference hall and two flexible smaller halls will not
open until next year; but the concert hall, inaugurated last month to
coincide with the festival’s 60th anniversary, has already established itself
as worthy of the world’s leading orchestras.
All are housed behind a facade of glass, steel-mesh and aluminum, and
sheltered by a vast pagoda-like canopy – the building’s only concession
to monumentalism. Reaching unsupported for 30 meters towards the
waterside, the canopy not only offers shelter from the elements, but
harmonises the building with the horizontal expanse of the lake. It invites
you to spend the intervals outside – for which purpose a long, open-
fronted bar has been furnished.
That’s just as well, because Nouvel doesn’t seem to want anyone to linger
en route to or from the concert hall. Shielded by the canopy, the building’s
open-fronted balconies are denied the prospect of mountains and sky,
and the tiny foyers are almost as darkly idiosyncratic as Nouvel’s opera
house at Lyons, with horrifyingly low ceilings, narrow corridors and
conspiratorial spotlights. The impact in Lucerne is leavened by the
rosewood decor, as if you’re skirting the base of a mammoth stringed
instrument or the bowels of a ship.
Once inside the moulded shoebox auditorium, all is sweetness and light.
It’s a bit like a private temple to music, with plaster walls, wooden organ
Continued on next page
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
Continued from previous page
gallery and a night-sky ceiling of unparalleled height. Its pristine comfort
masks a litany of horse-trading during the building process. Nouvel wanted
smooth walls; Johnson insisted on reflective devices – and the compromise
is an attractive surface of indented reliefs. Nouvel wanted red and blue
decor; Claudio Abbado, representing musicians closely associated with
the festival, demanded something milder, and the result is a soft white.
Nouvel objected to Johnson’s trademark echo-chambers; to his credit he
backed down, painting them an infernal red.
The 1,840 capacity (420 less than Birmingham) is Johnson’s ideal – a bit
small for an international festival, but unlike Baden-Baden’s ill-fated
new theatre, not so big that it will embarrass its users in the off-season.
There are four slim balconies and a smattering of Oregon pine around
the stage. As for sound quality, you don’t get much more truthful than
this. It is transparent, gently resonant and quite unforgiving, but with the
same balance wherever you sit. Musicians clearly love it – and so do
audiences, buoyed by the close contact with the stage. The 20th century
has not, on the whole, been renowned for its success in concert hall design.
In Lucerne’s new venue, we can draw compensation from all those failed
adventures. It is a meeting point of art and science, the avant-garde and
tradition – a building music lovers will want to return to again and again.
For his seventh and final year as festival intendant, Matthias Bamert put
together an appropriately lavish programme – a “festival of festivals,”
with contributions from Bayreuth, Salzburg and the London Proms, plus
the usual glittering array of orchestras and soloists. These were augmented
by a downmarket series of events aimed at the wider Lucerne public –
who, before Bamert started loosening the festival’s boundaries, felt
marginalised by the festival’s expensive image. Countering that feeling,
without compromising standards, has been one of Bamert’s achievements,
and he hands over an organization in rude health to 37-year old Michael
Haefliger, currently manager of the Davos festival.
Another hallmark of Bamert’s work in Lucerne has been his promotion
of contemporary music. The choice of Heinz Holliger as this year’s
composer-in-residence helped to mitigate the absence of a commissioned
work to inaugurate the new hall. Holliger is Switzerland’s musical
conscience – virtuosic, slightly eccentric, defying the predictable or
conventional – and his music reflects those qualities. The centerpiece of
Lucerne’s Holliger retrospective was a concert in which he conducted
the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in works ranging from his first
published orchestral essay to his recent Violin Concerto.
Tonscherben (1985) – 15 minutes of sonic fragments, ingeniously
musicked – showcased the demonstration quality of the hall’s acoustic,
as well as making a smashing concert-opener. But Holliger is more than
just an expert manipulator of sound. Cornelia Kallisch’s rendition of five
songs (1960/1993) inspired by poems of Georg Trakl underlined his gift
for exploring the inner world of the psyche.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Luxuriates in
New Lucerne Concert Hall
By John von Rhein, Music Critic
L
UCERNE, Switzerland – When Georg Solti conducted the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra at Lucerne’s International Music Festival in
1985, he drew sympathetic applause from the Swiss listeners when
he told them that if the city could afford to build a modern train station, it
could also afford to build a modern concert hall.
Thirteen years later, and not a minute too soon, what Solti hoped would happen
has happened.
To coincide with the festival’s 60th anniversary and the 150th anniversary of
Swiss confederation, the festival’s management has opened a dynamic new
1840-seat concert hall and made it the centerpiece of a $185-million ultra
modern Culture and Convention Center at the edge of Lake Lucerne.
Last weekend, the CSO under Daniel Barenboim joined the parade of
international orchestras – including, earlier this summer, the Berlin and Vienna
philharmonics and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – in inaugurating
the facility, which opened August 19.
Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the hall reaches out toward the
rippling waters – Lake Lucerne is literally a swan lake – with a striking
cantilever roof that projects more than 100 feet beyond the building’s
multicolored, steel-and-glass facade. In many ways its imposing high-tech
design symbolizes Lucerne’s entre into the 21st Century, forming a striking
contrast to the medieval stone turrets, Baroque churches and ancient wooden
pedestrian walkway of the old city.
Already “one of the top instrumental festivals in the world,” according to
Matthias Bamert (the Swiss conductor who is stepping down this year after
16 years as festival director), Lucerne has raised the cultural bar even farther.
When completed next year, the complex “will include a multi-purpose hall,
an art museum and a convention center. From now on, Bamert predicts,
Monday, September 14, 1998
cognosceni will mention Lucerne in the same breath as the other leading
European festivals of Salzburg, Bayreuth, Glyndebourne and Aix-en-
Provence. The assertion seems a fair prediction, not a casual boast.
The weekend concerts by the CSO were part of an ambitious four-week
“festival of festivals” that is to be followed in November by a new Lucerne
Piano Festival and an Easter Festival next year. Rubbing elbows with capacity
crowds of mainly Swiss music lovers was a contingent of Chicago cheerleaders
that included Maggie Daley, representing her husband, Mayor Richard Daley,
at a ceremony proclaiming Lucerne a sister city to Chicago.
But nothing gave greater cause for celebration than the hall itself. Sonically,
this is the finest of the four European concert halls the orchestra has visited
this summer. Its warm and resonant, yet clear and detailed sound – designed
by the renowned American acoustician Russell Johnson – has great presence.
The sonics flattered the CSO’s turbo-charged brilliance while giving the strings
a shimmering depth that lent extra emotional charge to Tchaikovsky’s
“Pathetique” Symphony. Afterward, conductor and orchestra members all
praised the quality of the acoustics.
Flexibility is key to the success of the sound. The off-white walls on either
side of the hall feature heavy adjustable panels that can be moved in and out,
depending on the size of the performing forces. At Barenboim’s first concert
here on Friday, Johnson and his Artec Consultants team slightly changed the
panels’ position between the first half of the program (Strauss’ “Till
Eulenspiegel” and Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra) and the second
(Tchaikovsky). The improvement was noticeable.
There can be no doubt that the CSO will want to perform here every summer
it visits Europe, or that incoming festival managerMichael Haefliger will be
eager to invite the orchestra back. Certainly the audience response could
hardly have been more positive, allowing for the traditional Swiss reserve.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
The Chicago Sun Times
Chicago Symphony Orchestra on tour
By Andrew Patner
L
UCERNE, Switzerland – Improved acoustics were a major goal of
the $110 million transformation of Orchestra Hall into Symphony
Center. The goal was to achieve both the greater warmth and the
sharper clarity of many European halls by introducing a new roof, different
spatial proportions and an acoustical shell.
Concerts in three cities on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s current
European Festivals Tour offer an interesting array of comparisons with the
Symphony Center project: the difficulty of combining an old hall in Brussels,
Belgium, with modern needs; the folly of building a new hall in Baden-
Baden, Germany; and the glory of a brand-new hall in Lucerne, which must
be considered among the world’s best.
The Palais des Beaux Arts in downtown Brussels was an Art Deco tour de
force in the 1920’s for Flemish architect Victor Horta. Forced to build much
of the structure underground so as not to block views of the historic city,
Horta created a hall elegant in its time that also became renowned among
music lovers.
Belgium is a country that thrives on factionalism. As different French and
Dutch speaking groups have battled for control of the hall, it has fallen on
hard times. On the evening of the CSO’s first concert there last week, the
Belgian Radio and Television service announced that it would abandon the
hall altogether. And CSO music director Daniel Barenboim and former CSO
principal guest conductor Claudio Abaddo issued a letter demanding
acoustical changes to correct the dry sound, a legacy of a failed renovation.
It was difficult for the CSO players to hear one another in the hot and
dilapidated hall. Though Barenboim and the players made balance changes
for the second night’s concert that improved the overall sound, Brussels was
certainly a low musical point for the tour.
Baden-Baden is a lovely resort town in southwestern Germany, where wags
point out that it’s Sunday every day and nothing will stand between the
Tuesday, September 15, 1998
elderly spa visitors and their afternoon cake and tea. Why a nearby racing
car manufacturer decided to build a multi-million dollar hall there is anybody’s
guess. Not surprisingly, the private venture collapsed financially after just
three months.
The city administration has taken over the impressive structure, built with
the town’s old train station as an entrance and foyer, at considerable and
long term expense. The new management team, still taking charge, could
offer little information on the acoustical plan of the building. The effect is
that of a luxurious box in search of a mission.
The hall, which is extremely comfortable for the audience, has a large, distant
stage that almost seems like an afterthought. Never theless, Barenboim –
perhaps pleased with the cooler environment – produced an often invigorating
performance of the Mahler Fifth Symphony.
Even without these difficulties, arriving at the three-week-old Lucerne Culture
and Convention Center was a bit like landing in Oz.
French architect Jean Nouvel has built what must rank as one of the world’s
most beautiful structures in time for the city’s 60th annual orchestra festival.
A large cantilevered roof shelters a broad terrace from frequent rain and
also mirrors – literally and figuratively – the lake’s still waters. Using rich,
theatrical colors and the most expensive metals and woods, Nouvel has
combined the simplicity of modernist concepts with the best of post-modern
playfulness and textures.
The concert hall is a collaboration with the American acoustician Russell
Johnson, whose Meyerson Center in Dallas and Symphony Hall in
Birmingham, England, have already placed him at the head of his field. A
complex system of resonance chambers and sound absorption panels merge
into a sumptuous and logical whole. A long and steep all-white chamber,
Lucerne’s hall has no purpose but to serve music. In doing so, though, it
creates a positive and enveloping visual experience.
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
copyright © 2002 AR TEC
CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER Lucerne, Switzerland

Lucerne has never had a large opera house, in spite of the fact that Richard Wagner lived there from 1866 to 1872,
composing Die Meistersinger and portions of the Ring during this period. But the city may never miss one now. The
new hall inside the Kultur- and Kongresszentrum, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and acoustician
extraordinaire Russell Johnson, may well be the best place in Europe to hear opera in concert. Even listeners who had
attended the auspicious opening-night concert, thrilled with the acoustics as heard in the Berlin Philharmonic’s
performance of Wolfgang Rihm’s In-Schrift and Beethoven’s Ninth under Claudio Abbado, were not prepared for the
stunning sonic splendor several weeks later.

James Levine and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus brought the house down on August 30, with Act II and
excerpts from Act III of Götterdämmerung. Wolfgang Schmidt, a reliable tenor with powerful projection, made for an
appropriately abrasive, oblivious Siegfried. Eike Wilm Schulte (substituting for Falk Struckmann) did a fine job as a
gullible Gunther, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha’s Alberich was predictably commanding. Eric Halfvarson’s rich, expressive
bass masterfully portrayed the manipulative Hagen. Anne Schwanewilm’s sweet soprano was a bit weak as Gutrune,
overshadowed by Deborah Polaski’s Brünnhilde. Standing alone in the choir balcony above the orchestra, Polaski
modulated her gleaming voice between the agony of the Valkyrie-as-jilted woman and the ecstasy of her self-sacrificing
immolation.

The most powerful moments, however, may have belonged to the orchestra and chorus, here working in blissful
complicity with the brand new acoustical space. By definition, the Bayreuth Orchestra is the best Wagner ensemble
around; the chorus, impeccably prepared by Norbert Balatsch, is a mellifluous marvel of synchronous blending; and
Levine is one of the foremost sculptors of Wagnerian sound. Add to that winning equation the special features of this
1,840-seat auditorium — an acoustic canopy, gypsum tiles and a reverberation chamber — and you get a formidable
experience. Johnson has struck a remarkable balance between clarity and reverberation, built on a foundation of
silence that takes the breath away. (Swiss audiences, quiet and respectful, help the situation.) Whether in the brooding
strains of the funeral march or the ecstatic flames of the magic-fire music, whether there’s a lone voice or a booming
chorus, the results are spectacular.

Robert Hilferty
Opera News
December 1998

copyright © 2002 ARTEC

CULTURE AND CONGRESS CENTER
Glückwünsche zur Akustik des neuen Konzertsaals in Luzern! Ich glaube, es
ist wohl der beste Saal in ganz Europa! Ein Konzert in diesem Saal zu hören
berührt einen wirklich, weil man als Hörer umgeben ist von Musik. Besonders
bei Forte-Stellen in großen Orchesterwerken kann man den Klang förmlich
fuhlen. Das Publikum fühlt sich als Teil der Auffuhrung und nicht als
unbeteiligter Beobachter. In diesem Saal ein Konzert zu hören ist ein Erlebnis!
Der Orchesterklang ist immer sehr ausgewogen. Diese natürliche
Orchesterbalance ist sehr hilfreich für den Dirigenten während eines
Konzertes. Aber es ist auch die erste Voraussetzung, um eine gute CD-
Aufnahme in diesem Saal zu machen. In Luzern ist wirklich kein Instrument
akustisch benachteiligt. Bei einer Aufnahme wird der Tonmeister daher nicht
einzelnen Instrumenten helfen müssen. Gleichzeitig mischen sich die
verschiedenen Instrumentengruppen ganz hervorragend zu einem einzigen
großen Instrument.
Der Klang ist wann und voll (wunderschön für Celli und Bässe) und hat
genügend Hall. Auch die Lautstärke ist immer sehr gut, d.h. Forte-Stellen
sind wirklich überall im Saal als “laut” zu hören.
Dieser Saal ist absolut ideal für große Orchesterbesetzungen (wie z.B.
Bruckner, Mahler, Richard Strauss oder Wagner). Es gibt sicher wenige Säle
in der Welt, die es im Hinblick auf “Räumlichkeit” mit Luzern aufnehmen
können.
Dies ist um so wichtiger, wenn ein groß besetztes Werk für CD aufgenommen
werden soll. Säle wie z.B. der vielgerühmte Wiener Musikvereinssaal, der
für ein Konzert ideal ist, erreicht bei einer Aufnahme eines spätromantischen
Werkes oft seine Grenzen. Der Musikverein hat (wenn er mit Publikum
vollbesetzt ist) einfach nicht genügend Volumen und Größe, um bei sehr
großen Orchesterbesetzungen auf einer Aufnahme wirklich noch optimal zu
klingen. Dagegen ist Luzern definitiv der ideale Saal, um Aufnahmen groB
besetzter Orchesterwerke zu machen.
Die Akustik in Luzern kann sehr flexibel eingestellt werden—je nach Größe
des Orchesters und in Abhängigkeit vom Stil des jeweiligen Werkes. Indem
man z.B. das Canopy (die fahrbare Decke über Bühne und vorderem Saalteil)
niedriger macht, erhält man mehr Klarheit und Intimität, was beispielsweise
für Kammermusik oder Solokonzerte wünschenswert ist. Überhaupt ist die
Klarheit an allen Plätzen im Saal ganz erstaunlich—bis hinauf in die letzten
Reihen des obersten Balkons.
Lucerne, Switzerland
Die Bühne mit ihren einzelnen fahrbaren Elementen ist sehr praktisch für die
Bedürfnisse unterschiedlicher Orchester. Auch für Aufnahmen ist eine derart
variable Bühne hilfreich. Der Chor klingt—wenn er auf der recht hohen
Chorgalerie oberhalb der Bühne steht—ganz hervorragend.
Andere vorhandene Möglichkeiten, um die Akustik für ein bestimmtes Stück
anzupassen, sind die Vorhänge und sog. Echokammern: Mit diesen Mitteln
ist es möglich, z.B. für eine Meßkomposition dem Saal einen Kathedral-
ähnlichen Klang zu verleihen und fur eine Mozart-Symphonie wiederum eine
trockenere Akustik zu schaffen.
Sehr beeindruckt war ich auch von dem Stereo-Panorama des Klanges: auch
mit geschlossenen Augen konnte ich die Instrumentengruppen exakt
lokalisieren. Eine derartige Ortungsschärfe habe ich bisher kaum in einem
anderen Saal angetroffen.
Ein häufiges Problem bei Aufnahmen ist die Störung durch AuBengeräusche
(entweder Verkehrslärm oder sonstige Aktivitäten innerhalb des Gebäudes).
Wenn Musiker bei Aufnahmen immer wieder durch derartige Geräusche
unterbrochen werden, verlieren sie oft ihre Konzentration und Inspiration,
weil sie wieder und wieder eine Stelle wiederholen müssen, nur wegen eines
Geräusches.
Selbst viele modernen Säle sind nicht ausreichend isoliert gegen Lärm. In
Luzern hingegen haben wir einen Saal mit absoluter Stille (obwohl er im
Herzen der Stadt direkt neben dem Bahnhof steht)! Ich kenne keinen
vergleichbar ruhigen Konzertsaal.
Dieses Vorhandensein von Stille erhöht die Qualität von Konzerten und
Aufnahmen erheblich, denn nur Stille ermöglicht die völlige Konzentration
auf unser gemeinsames Ziel—nämlich Musik zu machen!
Mit meinen allerherzlichsten Wünschen fur die Zukunft. Ich hoffe, Sie werden
die Musikwelt noch mit vielen Konzertsälen im Stile von Luzern bereichern!
Pauline Heister
Tonmeister und Producer
Augsburg, Germany
11 Oktober 1998
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
The New York Times
Architecture Joins Music as Star of the
Lucerne Festival
By Alan Riding
L
UCERNE, Switzerland, Aug.20 – It is perhaps a measure of the
mysterious power of opera that the summer music festival in
Lucerne is far less well known than those of, say, Salzburg,
Bayreuth, Aix-en-Provence and even Glyndebourne. Of these five,
Lucerne alone does not present opera, limiting itself to a busy program
of concerts and recitals. And that, it seems, suffices to give it a more
modest place in Europe’s crowded calendar of festivals.
Yet, if judged by quality rather than publicity, Lucerne’s International
Music Festival is hard to match. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of
Amsterdam show up here every summer, while this year’s four week
festival, which runs through Sept. 16, is also presenting the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and five other
leading ensembles.
Similarly, this year’s roster of big-name conductors includes Claudio
Abbado, James Levine, Daniel Barenboim, Kent Nagano, Esa-Pekka
Salonen, Riccardo Chailly and Lorin Maazel, Further, there are piano
recitals by Maurizio Pollini, Andras Schiff and violinist Anne-Sophie
Mutter and the mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli.
th
Yet, for all that, the real star of Lucerne’s 60 music festival is architecture
in the shape of a striking new concert hall. Designed by the French
architect Jean Nouvel, it forms part of a $134 million Lucerne Culture
and Convention Center, which will include a multipurpose hall, a
convention center and a Museum of Fine Arts when completed next year.
The concert hall alone was inaugurated by Mr. Abbado and the Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra on Wednesday.
25 August 1998
For this centuries-old city, the ultramodern center, with its glass and
multicolored steel facade and its dramatic cantilever roof projecting more
than 100 feet beyond the main building, represents a dramatic break with
tradition. Standing on the edge of Lake Lucerne, it looks out toward 17th-
century houses, an ancient wooden bridge and medieval stone
watchtowers.
Had Mr. Nouvel’s original plan been accepted, the center would have
been even more revolutionary. In 1990, he won a competition with a
design that would have had the center jutting out on the lake itself, but
the city council then asked a Swiss Architect, Rodolphe Luscher, who
placed third in the competition, to build the complex. Two years later, M.
Luscher was dropped and Mr. Nouvel was recalled, but on condition that
the lake remain untouched.
“If I cannot go to the water, the water shall come to me,” he decided.
And, with that, he designed two channels of shallow water that run through
the complex and effectively separate it into three sections. Mr. Nouvel
has also sought to draw the lake into the corner by adding large picture
windows and a summer terrace.
The 1,840-seat concert hall, though, was to prove his greatest challenge.
His brief was to design what is known as a “shoe box” hall—that is,
rectangular with a flat ceiling. “This is what the conductors and music
lovers prefer,” he noted. He added four balconies, each with narrow “arms”
that stretch on either side of the hall, and four rows of seats were include
behind the orchestra below the organ.
Before construction began, however, Mr. Nouvel was joined by the
renowned American acoustician Russell Johnson. The connection was
Continued on next page
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
Continued from previous page
fortuitous – while conducting at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham,
England, the festival’s director, Mathias Bamert, was impressed by the
acoustics designed by Mr. Johnson – and would prove felicitous. “I am
the guardian of the eye,” Mr. Nouvel, 51, explained. “Russ Johnson is
the guardian of the ear.”
Apart from including a traditional flexible canopy and identifying the
natural reverberance of the floor, stage and walls, Mr. Johnson and his
Artec Consultants staff introduced heavy pivotal panels covered with
hollow geometric motifs on either side of the hall. Depending on the
needs of the music, these panels remain closed or can open to any angle
up to 90 degrees.
“The audience must be able to hear in every seat,” explained Mr. Johnson,
74, tapping decades of experience in concert halls around the world. “The
conductor and musicians on stage must also hear each other and have a
sense of what it sounds like in the hall. The aim is simultaneous clarity
with some reverberance. You also have to work very carefully to get the
silence right. The acoustician builds his signature on that silence.”
After the inaugural concert, comprising Wolfgang Rihm’s 1995
composition “In-Schrift” and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mr. Abbado
gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the acoustics. The Welsh bass-baritone
Bryn Terfel, who performed in the Beethoven symphony, said the sound
in the new hall was “wonderful.” Mr. Johnson, though, expects to work
here for another three years before he is satisfied with the acoustics.
As “guardian of the eye,” however, Mr. Nouvel had to make some
concessions. Best known for his designs of the Arab Institute and the
Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, both in Paris, Mr. Nouvel,
also rebuilt the 19th-century opera house in Lyons, adding a stunning
arched roof and, most memorably, an entirely black decor inside the
auditorium. In Lucerne, he again wanted a full concert hall of dark colors,
but faced a rebellion.
“In an opera house, the room disappears,” Mr. Bamert said, recalling the
debate over color. “In a concert hall, the room is always there. It took
Jean Nouvel a while to get this. The hall cannot compete emotionally
with the music. Nouvel thought we didn’t like the colors. They were
beautiful, but that was the point.”
The architect finally surrendered, using rich reds, greens and blues for
the facade and Bordeaux red for the lobbies and corridors leading to the
hall, but opting for white in the hall itself. “So having made an all-black
opera house in Lyons, I have now made an all white-concert hall in
Lucerne,” he said with a laugh. Mr. Bamert could not be happier with the
result. Having run the festival since 1992, the soft-spoken Swiss conductor,
who is also music director of the London Mozart Players, now feels ready
to leave his post here at the end of this year (he will be succeeded by
Michael Haeflinger, currently director of the Davos International Music
Festival’s “Young Artists in Concert” program).
Before then, though, to an existing annual Easter Festival, Mr. Bamert is
adding a new Lucerne Piano Festival from Nov. 19 to 22 this fall, all part
of a strategy to make as much use as possible of the new concert hall
(which will also become the permanent home of the Lucerne symphony
Orchestra). Further, he has organized a symposium, “The Festival in the
21st Century,” from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, to stimulate debate among
musicians, cultural managers and politicians over the future of festivals.
Underlining his fascination with this form of musical jamboree, Mr.
Bamert even chose festivals for this year’s festival theme. Thus, as a nod
to Lucerne’s 60th birthday, in the coming days the Bayreuth Festival
Orchestra and Chorus will perform part of Wagner’s “Meistersinger”
and “Götterdammerung” in concert while the Salzburg Festival will
present its new production of Messiaen’s “Saint Francis,” also in concert.
So could Lucerne also be bending to the temptation of opera? “Of course,
with a hall like this we can now contemplate putting on semi-staged
operas,” Mr. Haefliger said. “But my main challenge will be to persuade
great orchestras and conductors to keep coming here, perhaps even to
stay a little longer. I’d also like to influence the programs a bit more.
Next year’s theme is the myth at the end of the century.”
copyright © 2002 ARTEC
 Artec Consultants Inc
Artec is the global leader in the design of innovative performing
arts facilities. Founded in 1970, we provide specialized consulting
services for the design, planning and construction of performing
arts facilities of all types, including opera houses, concert halls,
multi-purpose theatres, speech drama theatres, open air venues and
historic renovations. Our list of commissions spans small facilities
with very low construction budgets to the largest and most
prestigious landmark venues.
Led by Damian Doria, Tateo Nakajima and Ed Arenius, Artec is a
group of highly qualified consultants who bring diverse, yet related
backgrounds into one office. Our consultants have experience and
training in theatre technology, music, architecture, acoustics,
theatre lighting, sound reinforcement and electronic enhancement
systems. By uniting their varied expertise into one team, we are
able to provide the sensitivity, technical expertise and coordination
necessary to assist clients in achieving top-rate facilities. We
believe that this interdisciplinary, comprehensive approach is one
of the primary reasons for the firm’s celebrated success.
Artec Consultants Inc has collaborated with internationally
famous architects on the designs for many of the top-ranked
concert halls, concert theatres, opera houses, and other
performance spaces of the late 20th century. Among the most
prestigious and best-known are: Sala São Paulo, São Paulo,
Brazil; Concert Hall, Culture and Congress Center, Lucerne,
Switzerland; Enmax Concert Hall, Winspear Center for Music,
Edmonton, Canada; Eugene McDermott Concert Hall, Morton H.
www.ArtecConsultants.com
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, Texas, USA; l’Auditorium
de Dijon, Dijon, France; Sangnam Hall, LG Arts Center, Seoul,
Korea; Symphony Hall, International Convention Centre,
Birmingham, UK. Sibelius Hall, Lahti, Finland; New Jersey
Performing Arts Centre, Newark, New Jersey, USA; and Kravis
Center for Performing Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
Artec continues to lead its field in the 21st century with projects
including the acclaimed Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay,
Singapore, (which includes an opera house and a concert hall);
Béla Bartok National Philharmonic Hall, Palace of the Arts,
Budapest, Hungary; Thrivent Financial Hall, Fox Cities
Performing Arts Center, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA ; the
acoustics renovation of Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada;
Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City, USA; Renée and Henry
Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa
Mesa, CA, USA; the renovation of Salle Pleyel Paris, France; and
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade
County, Miami, Florida, USA.
Whether a project is large or small, requiring a single area of our
expertise or the full range of Artec’s consulting services, the
constant emphasis and priority of our team is to achieve the highest
quality facility for the available budget. For Artec, quality is
defined not only by aspects of the acoustics, theatre planning, and
operational success of the facility, but also by the appropriateness
of the design solutions in matching the needs and ambitions of the
clients, the audiences and the prospective users.
 ARTEC’S UNIQUE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH IS
AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR FIRM’S SUCCESSFUL 38 YEAR HISTORY
At the core of Artec’s design services is
Auditorium Design. Artec applies its many years
of experience in the design and planning of
auditoria to each and every project, striving on each
occasion to achieve the most appropriate solutions
for the needs and ambitions of our Clients.
Artec’s list of commissions includes many different
types of rooms, both new facilities and renovations,
spanning a wide range of capital investments. We
have worked on an extraordinarily wide variety of
rooms, including, but not limited to, opera houses,
proscenium theatres, thrust stage theatres, flexible
spaces, arena theatres, recital halls, concert halls,
and outdoor performance venues.
Designing a venue that incorporates the
characteristics of several different types of
facilities into one space, is sometimes the
appropriate solution to meet the needs of the
community. Often, we recommend the
incorporation of adjustable features that will allow
the future owners and operators to accommodate
an extensive range of performance types.
Facility (Theatre) Planning Services approaches
each project as an integral whole, to ensuring that
each design develops the appropriate balance
between architecture, acoustics, sightlines,
operational efficiency and comfort & safety off the
audience, artists and technical staff of the facility, as
well as the incorporation of appropriate adjustable
features and specialized performance equipment
systems. We are convinced that this philosophy,
unique in the industry, is a key reason for the
successful track record that Artec has achieved.
The experience of the audience members as they
enter the facility and make their way to the
auditorium, the location and number of restrooms,
the ease with which each person can circulate and
find their seats and the bar service facilities are a key
part of the success of any performing arts facility.
The efficiency of technical operations is also
dependant on the appropriate sizing of loading,
storage and technical circulation spaces, their
functional layout, and their spatial relationship to
each other. Artec provides design guidance and
recommendations in this key area.
Similarly, the appropriate sizing and functional
layout of artist support spaces, and especially their
spatial relationship to the platform, is another key
area in which Artec provides recommendations to
develop creative, but functional environments for
artists and technicians to work.
Artec is perhaps best known for its track record in
designing auditoria with first class Auditorium
Acoustics. Whether they are dedicated concert
halls for symphonic music, theatres for Broadway
or a West-End style musical theatre, opera houses,
recital halls, drama theatres, or multi-purpose
concert theatres, we take great care in designing
spaces that provide the appropriate level of
acoustics quality.
Great acoustics are achieved by developing a room
design with an appropriate balance of room
geometry, room volume, distribution of audience
seating and the use of appropriate building materials.
We believe that the goal of the design team is to
achieve an optimal balance between architecture,
acoustics, and other considerations, and we work
very closely and collaboratively with the rest of the
design team of the project, usually providing a Basic
Design to start off the iterative design process.
Achieving appropriately low levels of background
noise is also an essential part of ensuring a great
acoustical experience and a great deal of attention
is required by the entire design team from the
outset of the project in the area of Background
Noise and Vibration Control.
Artec has extensive experience in all aspects of
the Design and Specification of Specialized
Performance Equipment Systems for venues
ranging from concert halls and opera houses, to
speech theatres and multi-use flexible spaces.
Artec’s design philosophy is to keep these systems
as simple and as labor efficient as possible. Artec
prides itself on providing systems that are cost
effective and enhance the ability of the artists to
create a memorable performance.
Artec’s performance equipment systems related
services cover, stage machinery, theatrical rigging,
scenery handling and storage systems, concert
shells and towers, adjustable acoustics elements,
production lighting and the entire range of sound
and communication and audio-visual systems.
In addition, on many projects, Artec provides
coordinated services in Operations and Business
Planning (including Feasibility Studies) and Pre-
Design Construction Cost Estimation in
collaboration with Strategic Partners.
These services are essential to the successful
design, construction, and operation of all
performing arts facilities in any city around the
world. We believe that this unique interdisciplinary
and comprehensive approach allows us to provide
our clients with harmonious design solutions
appropriate for the resources available for each
project. Our ability to refine ideas and resolve
issues in a coordinated and fully collaborative
manner is a prime reason that Artec has led the field
with the highest quality results and so many
innovations in the last 38 years.
 Rose Hall including the Allen Room and the Frederick P. Rose Theater,
for Jazz at Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, New York, New York

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1 1 4 W E S T 2 6 T H S T R E E T 12 T H F L O O R N E W Y O R K N E W Y O R K U S A 1 0 0 0 1 - 6 8 1 2
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Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, Texas
Esplanade Opera House, Singapore
Sibelius Hall, Lahti, Finland
Jack Singer Concert Hall, Max Bell Theatre, and Martha Cohen Theatre,
Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Concert Hall, Reykjavik, Iceland
ARTEC
Armenian Theatre, Centre-In-The-Square, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, England
SangNam Hall, LG Arts Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
F A X: + 1 ( 2 1 2 ) 6 4 5 8 6 3 5

International Convention Centre, Birmingham, U.K.

Hamilton Place, (opera house) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Schlesinger Concert Hall and Music School, Alexandria, Virginia
Performing Arts Center, including a concert hall, Wroclaw, Poland
Ted Mann Theater, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, Budapest, Hungary
Stockey Centre, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
TEL : +1(212) 242 0120

Henry and Renée Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California

Chan Concert Hall, and Chan Shun Centre, Vancouver, Canada
Pleyel Hall, (acoustic upgrading), Paris, France
Salle de Concert, le Domaine Forget, St.-Irénée, Québec
Acoustics Modifications to Orchestra Hall, Chicago
Winspear Centre for Music (concert hall), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sala São Paulo (concert hall), São Paulo, Brazil
Ziff Opera House, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida
La salle du Métropole (concert hall), Lausanne, Switzerland

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Four Rivers Center, Paducah, Kentucky
Recital Hall, CBSO Centre, Birmingham, U.K.
Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cultural Center, World Union, Jerusalem, Israel
Center for the Performing Arts, 1600-seat Concert Hall and 500-seat
Theatre, Carmel, Indiana

ARTEC
Arts Foundation Opera Theatre, Santiago, Chile
Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore
Music School, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee

F A X : +1 ( 2 1 2 ) 6 4 5 8 6 3 5
Concert Shell for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Ohio
Mariinsky Opera House, St. Petersburg, Russia (Basic Design, Theatre
Planning, Theatre Equipment, Acoustics Consulting)
Opera House, Music Arena, and Concert Hall for West Kowloon Cultural
District, Hong Kong
Acoustics Upgrade, Opera House, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Toronto Centre for the Arts (Opera House plus Weston Recital Hall),
North York, Ontario, Canada

TEL: +1(212) 242 0120

El Pomar Great Hall, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Prudential Hall (opera house), and the Victoria Theater, New Jersey
Performing Arts Center, Newark, New Jersey
Westphalia Cultural Forum (concert hall), Muenster, Germany
Opera House, Washington, DC, (for The Washington Opera) [not built]
l’Auditorium de Dijon (opera house/concert hall), Dijon, France
 Concert Hall, Aarhus, Denmark

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Hammerson Hall (opera house), Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, Ontario,

Design and Planning Services for Performing Arts Facilities

Canada
Concert Hall, Montreal, Québec, Canada (2014)
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, U.K.
Carol Morsani Hall, (opera house), Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center,
Tampa, Florida
Music School, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
ARTEC
Concert Hall and Cultural Center, Brno, Czech Republic
Knight Concert Hall, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida
Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Harbourfront, Toronto
FAX: +1(212) 645 8635

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, including Perelman Hall,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Derngate Centre, Northampton, U.K.
Recital Hall, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Music School, Center for the Arts, Interlochen, Michigan
Shakespeare Festival Theatre, Montgomery, Alabama
Kalevi Aho Hall, Lahti Music Institute, Lahti, Finland
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Benson Great Hall, Bethel College, Arden Hills, Minnesota

Kravis Center (opera house), West Palm Beach, Florida
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton, Wisconsin
North Jutland House of Music (music school), Aalborg, Denmark
Roy Thomson Hall (acoustic upgrading), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Concert Hall, Culture and Congress Center, Lucerne, Switzerland
Wegener Hall (concert hall / opera house), Apeldoorn, Netherlands