The Cowles Music Center greatly expanded the music facilities at Whitworth University and renovated many spaces within the existing building. The $9.6 million construction costs included 15,600-square-feet of existing building upgrades and a 21,400-square-feet, 2-story expansion that added large rehearsal/performance…
Haverford is a prominent liberal arts college on Philadelphia’s Main Line. Kirkegaard created new teaching studios, practice rooms, and a chamber music / seminar room within the basement and backstage of Marshall’s stagehouse, a 1992 addition to the 1907 auditorium…
We were invited by the Danish architectural firm 3XN to participate in a design competition for the National Concert Hall. The project was extensive, involving a number of other performance venues as well as social, educational, and artist support spaces.…
Antwerp's Queen Elisabeth Hall brings a new world-class concert hall and conference space to life within the shell of the existing facility. This new concert venue seats 1,900 in a flexible music, conference, and theatre space serving the KMDA (the…
The Overture Center for the Arts created a beautiful new home for the major arts organizations of Madison, including Madison Opera. The centerpiece of the project is the 2,250-seat Overture Hall, a stunning new room for opera, dance, and musical…
Beginning in 2007 Kirkegaard began the process of working with Carnegie Hall to determine the best loudspeaker design for the iconic Stern Auditorium, known to most people simply as Carnegie Hall. The existing loudspeaker system had been identified in reviews [...]
The renovation of Hamer Hall provided improved acoustics for both musicians and audience, and cutting-edge staging systems and rigging capability. Key features include new sidewalls at the stage and audience chamber and a stage canopy that can be configured for…
In January of 2010, the Joint Venture Team of Ian Simpson Architects, Kirkegaard, and Bureau Bouwtechniek was awarded this project after competing and winning the international architectural competition for the redesign Queen Elizabeth Hall in Antwerp, Belgium. The new design [...]
Kirkegaard designed the acoustics of a 1,500-seat concert hall for the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra, the oldest continuous orchestra in Mexico, comprised of 100 musicians from across the globe. This new home for the orchestra is located on the campus of…
Master planning and phased acoustical / technical renovation for the 2,000-seat home of the London Symphony Orchestra and the London venue for the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Phase I (1992) involved alterations to interior finishes for improved clarity and low-frequency response.…
Acoustics, noise control, and audio/video systems design for the new 1,800-seat Robert E. Jacoby Concert Hall with organ, and renovation of the 600-seat Herman & Mary Virginia Terry Theater and 3,000-seat proscenium Jim and Jan Moran Theater.
The Overture Center for the Arts created a beautiful new home for the major arts organizations of Madison. The centerpiece of the project is the 2,250-seat Overture Hall, a stunning new room for symphony, opera, dance, and musical theater. A…
The Boston Symphony Orchestra wanted a 1200-seat concert hall at Tanglewood for several purposes: A rehearsal space for the Tanglewood Music Center student orchestra; a recital space for guest artists and members of the BSO during their summer residency; a…
Room acoustics, mechanical noise, and audiovisual systems consulting services for the new 1300-seat proscenium theater. The Sandler Center for the Performing Arts is located at the center of Virginia Beach's new Town Center and is part of an innovative urban…
Acoustics remodeling of the historic art deco 1,950-seat concert hall for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Acoustics modifications included a new performance platform and riser system, mechanical systems rerouting, auditorium reseating and balcony modifications, and the addition of wall and…
First opened in 1951, Royal Festival Hall was Britain's first major modernist public building and remains the most important architectural creation of its post-war culture. Kirkegaard carried out a comprehensive program of computer and 1:20 physical scale modeling to analyze…
This new performing arts facility complex contains the 1,747-seat Meymandi Concert Hall, home to the North Carolina Symphony and the 604-seat A. J. Fletcher Opera Theater, a proscenium lyric theatre that also serves as an intimate chamber music and recital…
Renovation of 2,750-seat Paramount Theatre which has been rededicated the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, for the Oregon Symphony. New construction includes the 880-seat multi-use Newmark Theatre; 330-seat Dolores Winningstad Theatre, a courtyard theatre for drama, opera, recitals and receptions.
Acoustics design for full range of improvements for the 2,900-seat historic home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. The project provided backstage improvements, improved seating, a new stage floor, a new orchestra pit, and new audio…
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) and The Minnesota Opera were the two strongest sources of inspiration for the idea that became the Music Theater at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. The architect, Benjamin Thompson, was a native…
The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is an intricate puzzle of a building shoehorned onto a tight downtown site. The PAC shares a city block and some internal circulation with a high-rise office building and a retail atrium. It includes a…
Recommendations for improvement of symphonic acoustics in the 2,325-seat Southam Hall, including the installation of a reverberation enhancement system.
The Music Center at Strathmore, in the suburbs of Washington DC, boasts a beautiful building in a peaceful wooded setting accessible by Metro. The 2,000-seat concert hall is the second home for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra while also offering a…
Renovation of historic auditorium to serve as 2,000-seat concert hall for the Portland Symphony Orchestra and multi-purpose performance facility for natural acoustic and amplified performances including work by PORTopera (formerly known as the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre).
Acoustics and AV systems design for 1,200-seat proscenium theatre to serve a variety of Hawaiian artists groups.
Planning and design services for the adaptive reuse of a ruined 1732 church into a rehearsal, recording, education, and performance space for the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). With only the initial exterior walls, crypt and spire remaining, innovative solutions were…
Kirkegaard was engaged to implement an acoustics remodeling program to correct longstanding acoustics challenges in this 2,900-seat concert hall. Interconnected problems created challenging conditions for both musicians and audience. During a pre-engagement assessment of the hall, a San Francisco Symphony…
Renovation for improved performance of acoustics for the home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Improvements to the 2,400-seat concert hall took place in three phases and involved a new orchestra canopy, and extensive modifications to the stage and rear-of-house spaces.
Acoustics consulting services for improvement of symphonic acoustics, and the installation of a reverberation enhancement system for this 2,500-seat hall. The engagement included the design of a new orchestra shell for improved onstage communication and projection to the audience.
This 2,000-seat hall is the home for the Omaha Symphony. The space serves the orchestra’s classical series and pops performances, as well as chamber music and popular events. The narrow shoebox shape of the Peter Kiewit Concert Hall creates an…
Comprehensive program of acoustics, audio and noise control recommendations including a new stage and shell design for the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Remodeling of this original, opulent movie palace was completed in 1972 by acoustician Heinrich Keilholz.
Room acoustics and noise control design for the renovation of shuttered Masonic Temple into a 340-seat concert hall, home to the Enid-Phillips Symphony Orchestra. The historic detail of the original structure is supplemented with extensive painted effects mimicking tapestries and [...]
The Collin County Center for the Arts is an innovative public-private collaboration among the cities of Allen, Frisco, and Plano, Texas - three neighbors north of Dallas. The centrally located phased development aims to create a comprehensive arts and education…
As construction was starting on their twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas oil company decided that the 400-seat meeting room nestled between the towers should be changed to a concert hall, the first such room in Malaysia. Because of…
Design for extensive acoustics, HVAC, and architectural renovation of historic 2,600-seat hall, which included mechanical noise and vibration control, audio/video system design, organ integration, stage reshaping and enlarged acoustic volume. Design for a new annex included the Buntrock Hall rehearsal…
Acoustical Design of this multi-faceted space. The room can be re-configured to adjust from a 900-seat intimate drama theater, to a 1,500-seat lyric theater, to an 1,800+ seat European-style concert hall, to a 1,900-seat arena space. The auditorium physically adapts…
The legendary quality of Carnegie Hall's acoustics were the result of numerous progressive architectural modifications to the room, including the removal of part of the stage ceiling in a pre-1900 effort to stage opera in the space. Following a 1986…
Master planning, architectural acoustics, audio systems design consulting, and noise control services for a new music tent which replaced the existing pavilion at Aspen Music Festival. The new facility opens to the exterior, consists of 2,050-seats and accommodates multi-purpose performances…
Built in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, Symphony Center will be a cornerstone of the Woodruff Arts Center's Village of the Arts. Involved with the initial site analysis and evaluation, Kirkegaard has provided programming, room acoustics and mechanical noise control…
Acoustics design for Cincinnati's new multi-use complex which includes the 2,719-seat Procter & Gamble Hall, the 437-seat Jarson-Kaplan Theater, the 150-seat Fifth Third Bank Theater, galleries, exhibition spaces, and support facilities. The Aronoff is home to numerous arts organizations, including…
This new performing arts facility functions as a "village" of ten interconnecting buildings that bring together the University’s Music, Theatre, and Dance departments. Major spaces include a 1,200-seat concert hall, 300-seat recital hall, 650-seat proscenium theatre and a 200-seat dance…
This effort supported five separate projects: new music building with 300-seat recital hall, 250-seat studio theater, 100-seat recital hall, classrooms, offices, and teaching studios; extensive renovation of 750-seat lyric theatre; renovation of 400-seat drama theatre; conversion of a historic gymnasium…
The Alys Robinson Stephens Center is a tribute to creativity, but not just in the way you might expect. When UAB set out to build a performing arts center to serve its arts program and present visiting artists, the initial…
Renovation of the historic Sydney Conservatorium of Music restored an 800-seat concert hall and added two new 250-seat recital halls; a 300-seat opera theatre (shown with orchestra pit and extended seating covered); and new teaching, practice, and rehearsal spaces. Originally…
The Donald and Maureen Green Music Center at Sonoma State University features the 1,400-seat Weill Concert Hall with a rear door that opens to the lawn outside providing excellent sound and spectacular views to an additional 3,000 people. This indoor/outdoor [...]
In 1987 Rice University hired Ricardo Bofill to create a new music building that would draw together their scattered music program under one roof. The resulting grandly-scaled neoclassical building includes a 1000-seat concert hall, a 250-seat recital hall, a black…
EMPAC is a signature work of architecture that brings together four main venues as well as artist-in-residence studios, audiovisual production and post-production suites, student facilities and lab spaces for cross-disciplinary collaboration under one roof. Spaces can be used independently and…
The Mary Baker Russell Music Center provides a new home for the strong choral and instrumental music programs at Pacific Lutheran University, with Lagerquist Concert Hall at its heart. The 535-seat hall has a stage sized for full orchestra or…
The Rhinehart Music Center serves a wide range of university groups, musical ensembles, and community performance events, including a community band and youth orchestra. It offers large rehearsal rooms for band and chorus, recording room, practice rooms, classrooms, teaching studios…
Room acoustics and mechanical noise consulting services for the renovation of a 1930's era 500-seat lecture hall to serve as a dedicated concert hall facility with upgraded lobby, backstage rehearsal rooms, and faculty offices. The hall's raked floor and new…
