Recital halls for K-12, higher education, and community music education: A trio of case studies

Abstract

The recital halls at Deerfield Academy, UMass Boston, and the Brattleboro Music Center each play a critical role at the center of the music education programs at these institutions. Deerfield's 160-seat Elizabeth Wachsman Concert Hall, at the independent high school's Hess Center for the Arts, is both intimate and warmly resonant, and features adjustable curtains at the stage to suit varying repertoire for rehearsal and performance, particularly of Deerfield's student music ensembles. The 150-seat recital hall at UMass Boston's University Hall serves an even wider array of ensembles, from classical choral to jazz, in a building that not only serves the Performing Arts Department but also Chemistry and other general-purpose classrooms; the adjustable curtains there surround the audience on all sides. In Brattleboro, a 331-seat recital hall is the crown jewel of a new community music center that also serves as the home to a Chamber Music Series and a range of ensembles including Juno Orchestra, a concert choir, chorale, and camerata, and the music center's “Educate. Open. Strengthen.” Program. These three rooms all serve critical pedagogical missions, but each with a different focus and a different set of needs and constraints that impact budget, architecture, and acoustical design considerations.