SAN FRANCISCO — The Joan And Sanford I. Weill Hall, at Sonoma State University’s Donald and Maureen Green Music Center, opened in late September with a piano recital by Lang Lang. The 1,400-seat concert hall’s rear wall can be opened to provide viewing and listening from outdoor lawn seating for about 5,000 additional patrons. Auerbach Pollock Friedlander provided acoustic and theatrical consulting services for the project.
More details from Auerbach Pollock Friedlander (www.auerbachconsultants.com):
Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, Performing Arts/Media Facilities Planning and Design, is proud to have completed work on the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall at the Donald and Maureen Green Music Center. Its inaugural program kicked off the weekend of September 29. Located in the heart of Northern California’s wine country, the Green Music Center is sited at the base of the Sonoma Mountains and is known not only for its beautiful location but also for its unique performance environment. The firm provided theatre design and consulting services in collaboration with the design architect William Rawn Associates, architect of record AC Martin Partners, acoustician Kirkegaard Associates and Sonoma State University.
“With the opening of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall, Sonoma State University has added a new and significant cultural dimension to this already vibrant community. The opportunity for Auerbach Pollock Friedlander to contribute to this first step in an exciting vision for the future has been very rewarding. We look foreword to our continuing collaboration with the design team and the University on future venues.” said Len Auerbach, Founding Principal.
As the centerpiece of the facility, the 1,400-seat Concert Hall was designed to showcase music and the human voice as well as other performance programming. The Center also includes a music education hall, hospitality center and a recital hall still in construction. The Hall was modeled after the Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, also designed by William Rawn, and features a rear wall that can be opened to provide viewing and listening from outdoor lawn seating for about 5,000 additional patrons. The Hall will be used for the University’s performance program, as a regular venue for the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Bach Choral Society and other Bay Area orchestras. In addition to its formal acoustic environment, the Hall provides unique flexibility for staging, variable acoustics, overhead rigging and support for a variety of popular performance events.
“Auerbach Pollock Friedlander equipped Weill Hall with automated reconfigurable orchestra risers, variable acoustics elements and state of the art theatrical and concert lighting. The technology is sympathetic to the architecture of the hall, being seamlessly integrated with the fine finishes.” added Mike McMackin, Project Principal.
“Among the many unique features of this hall is the custom design of the 1,400 seats which are representative of the garden setting and the architectural finishes of the hall. The design was carefully coordinated for comfort, optimal acoustic response, ADA accessibility and aesthetics. The design of the seats provides a unifying visual experience within the hall”, adds Auerbach.
Auerbach Pollock Friedlander is also providing theatre design consulting for the 250-seat recital hall, currently in construction, which was named Schroeder’s Recital Hall after the pianist character in Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts comic. Schroeder’s Recital Hall is designed to accommodate choral, organ, chamber and jazz concerts, community performances and lectures. The design was inspired by European churches and features a soaring ceiling.
The Center has already received praise from performers and music critics alike. The next phase of the project and will include an outdoor amphitheater with seating for 10,000 located next to Weill Hall, to be completed in 2015.
