We seek out performances that take us to another place and time. Through a visual setting and realistic sound effects, a theatrical performance can do just that. (more…)
Featured Posts |
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- Tweet along to Beethoven
- Jul 28
On Thursday, July 30, 2009 the National Symphony Orchestra will take another step towards the holy grail of audience engagement by live tweeting program notes during a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6. (more…)
We all share an instinctive certainty that live events are somehow “better” experiences than watching the same thing broadcast on television. It may seem difficult to put our finger on exactly why this is, but there is certainly something less satisfying watching a performance on TV (more…)
When we last left the discussion of conference room acoustics, we were investigating “listening fatigue,” which is a phenomenon through which our brains actually tire of distinguishing one word from the next in a difficult acoustic environment. (more…)
- A View from the Stage
- Jul 17
In his blog post entitled “Who Doesn’t Like Timeliness and Big Audiences” arts consultant and Chicago-area resident Drew McManus related his experience during the rare opportunity to listen to a recent concert at the Pritzker Pavilion seated in the choral terrace. (more…)
It’s the big moment. You’re about to step up to the microphone. You’ve rehearsed. You feel ready, but butterflies creep in as your mind lingers to past experiences when the sound environment threw you off. (more…)
In high school drama class, one of the key instructions you were probably given was to “always face the audience when you are delivering your lines”. An interesting stage direction, perhaps, but when you attend a professional drama production (more…)
One of the more embarrassing moments in one’s professional life can be that split second when-with a rush of sudden alertness-you tense your shoulders, jerk your head upwards, and realize… (more…)
Imagine that you can stretch, condense, and shape a concert hall at will to alter the sound excitement heard by the audience. When designing an indoor concert hall, doing so changes the sound characteristics, and that’s the point. But what if the walls and ceiling of a concert hall are not available (more…)
