A range of large music rehearsal spaces: 3 case studies

Abstract

A rehearsal room for a large music ensemble must strike a balance between acoustic support and loudness control. Typically Kirkegaard approaches this by capturing a large volume and treating it with a mix of reflective and absorptive surfaces, plus some movable absorption. The size of the room’s volume, the treatment of the reflective and absorptive surfaces, and the location and extent of the adjustable absorption responds to the types of ensembles and music that the room serves. Three examples: At University of Virginia’s Hunter Smith Band Building, the main user was the 250-person marching band. This new construction used generous height and deep absorption to control loudness, despite extensive glazing. At University of Southern California’s Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall, a former soundstage was adapted into the primary rehearsal room for the Thornton School’s orchestra, wind ensemble, and percussion ensembles, with secondary use as a recording space. The renovation had to compensate for limited acoustic volume and directly adjacent mechanical room while transforming the room architecturally. At Oregon Bach Festival’s purpose-built Berwick Hall the focus was on early music—rehearsal, instruction, and performance. Our response was a moderate volume with little fixed absorption, creating an unusually reverberant rehearsal room with an extraordinarily beautiful sound.