ROCHESTER, NY – Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, a 2,326-seat venue at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, has been equipped with a Meyer Sound MICA line array loudspeaker system, helping it expand its repertoire from classical music to jazz.
"In addition to the school's own jazz events, the hall hosts the headline concerts for the Rochester International Jazz Festival each summer," said system designer Anthony Nittoli of consulting firm Akustiks LLC of South Norwalk, Conn. "With the old system, coverage was spotty at best, and it simply didn't have enough power for louder contemporary jazz. The festival had to bring in temporary systems, and they were often not well matched to the room."
For a permanent solution, Nittoli used the Meyer Sound MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program to plot a LCR system with a center array of 11 MICA line array loudspeakers. Side arrays include four MSL-4 and two CQ-1 loudspeakers each. The installation also includes four Meyer Sound 700-HP subwoofers, UPA-1P and UPM-1P fill loudspeakers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with a Galileo 616 processor.
The Meyer Sound system was supplied by Go Media, with supporting infrastructure installed by AV Solutions, both of Rochester.
According to Ron Stackman, stage operations manager at the Eastman Theatre for 15 years, the audio upgrade was long overdue. "The difference is night and day," he said. "I've been pushing for a first-quality sound system since I've been here. It's thrilling to see it come to fruition. Even for spoken word, which is part of nearly every event, including symphony concerts, the new system is so much clearer and more articulate."
For the venue's staff audio engineer, Jules Corcimiglia, approving a Meyer Sound solution was a no-brainer. "My opinion from the start was that the only acceptable option was a full Meyer system," he said. "And now that we have it, the improvement is remarkable. The vocal intelligibility is astonishing, as is the imaging. With musical accompaniment coming from left and right, the center MICA array and UPM-1P front fills draw you into a field of sound coming right from center stage."
One of the first major concerts using the new system was a benefit featuring Eastman alumnus Chuck Mangione honoring saxophonist Gerry Niewood, another alum (and member of Magione's band) killed in a 2009 plane crash.
"Of course we had many Eastman faculty in the audience, and they are all very critical and refined listeners," recalls Corcimiglia. "They were coming out with smiles on their faces, saying the sound was absolutely transparent. Some asked me if the system was really turned on! I assured them it was."
The school is now preparing for the 2010 Rochester International Jazz Festival, when headliners Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock and Jeff Beck will perform with the Meyer Sound system. "So far, we haven't turned it up that loud," he noted. "But we can't wait."
The University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company. The Eastman Theater opened in 1922, initially as a center for music, dance and silent films with orchestral and organ accompaniment. In 2010, following the most recent phase of architectural, acoustical and technology upgrades, the concert venue was renamed Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre in recognition of $10 million in funding from the company. Kodak Hall also is home to the Eastman Opera Theatre and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
For more information, please visit www.meyersound.com .
