The Jacob Music Center located in San Diego, California is one of the well known performance art centers in the city of San Diego. Originally known as the Fox Theatre when it was built in 1929, This venue was built and designed with the focus on the architectural style of Gothic Revival. Noted to be a luxury theater due to its elaborate design and decor, This performance hall has witnessed numerous changes through the years. In the year 1984, the structure was handed over to the San Diego Symphony, which marked the end of its long history as an office building and the beginning of its more illustrious career as an events venue. The Jacobs Music Center is home to numerous musical events in the form of symphonies, as well as community programs, in addition to its role in the field of music education, providing the platform for youth orchestras to perform, including the San Diego Youth Symphony, in addition to housing the conservatory that assists in the advancement of youth musicians. Beyond the symphony, it hosts other events, from Broadway shows to jazz and silent film screenings, enriching San Diego's cultural landscape.
The Symphony Towers in downtown San Diego which is currently the second tallest building in San Diego county (Behind One America Plaza) was built around the center in 1989. The center features an enormous pipe organ that is built into five walled chambers and was recently restored to its original splendor. It had a seating capacity of 2,248 when it opened in 1929. The center was designed by Weeks and Day.
On February 23, 2022, the San Diego Symphony announced that Copley Symphony Hall at Jacobs Music Center would be renovated for acoustic improvements and a major stage remodel including a choral terrace. A year later in early 2023, it was announced that the San Diego Symphony would be returning to the center in a November 4 grand reopening concert.[2]
The date was pushed back and it eventually was held on 28 September 2024. Marking a very important point in the history of the venue. The $125 million renovation undertaken over a period of three years ensured that the venue, despite being renovated , retained its architectural history. By the renovations being done, The Jacob Music Center has cemented its place in San Diego and the music world. As part of the renovations and transformation the main hall within the Jacob Music Center was renamed the Miller Family Theatre at Jacobs Music Center[3].
Renovations
New side viewing seatsDay of Music, San Diego Youth Symphony
On February 23, 2022, the San Diego Symphony announced that Copley Symphony Hall at Jacobs Music Center would be renovated. The historic Jacob Music Center was renovated in a three year, $125 million project that was finished around September 2024. The renovation was led by architectural firm HGA, in partnership with Akustiks acoustic consultant, as well as theater planners Schuler Shook. In an effort to retain the venue's rich historic integrity and feel. This renovation effected changes to the stage and audience seating areas, including the introduction of a choral terrace located behind the orchestra, which in addition to supporting performances of large scale symphonic repertoire with chorus like Mahler's Symphonies No. 2 and 3,[4] acts as a seating area when not being occupied by a choir, allowing people to view the orchestra from the back and adding seating.
Acoustic canopy
During the renovation a variety of enhanced audience seating, as well as altered main floor seating areas, greatly improved viewing opportunities across the hall. Chairs were also added to the sides of the stage and the top to allow for more seating and view. In an effort to better satisfy acoustic requirements, the renovation included a permanent orchestra enclosure, risers, a tunable acoustic canopy, and other variable acoustics elements that enable the hall to accommodate a variety of musical programs and ensemble configurations, as well as improve sound clarity and balance for both the musicians and the audience. The acoustic canopy can be moved to better suite the type of ensemble. The acoustic canopy consists of 20 custom-designed, acoustically reflective composite FRP panels. The 15 panels can be precisely and independently adjusted in three dimensions – height, tilt (upstage/downstage) and roll (stage left/stage right). The five downstage panels can be raised and lowered at their fixed orientation. Together with the canopy, another acoustical element is crucial for expanding the hall’s programming versatility. [5]
Acoustic wall paneling.
Variable acoustic curtains rigged in multiple locations – behind the stage and along the hall’s sides and rear. Made from heavy velour with 100% fullness, these motorized curtains are predominantly concealed behind decorative, acoustically transparent woven wire screens designed to highlight finer details of the hall’s interior while balancing its heavier architectural components. State-of-the-art sound, lighting, and video systems have been provided. This includes the installation of a state-of-the-art audio system designed by L-Acoustics, featuring multi-zone speakers controlled by a processor. Although hidden, the renovation introduced new and improved musicians' lounges and dressing rooms, artist suites, a music library, and climate-controlled instrument storage. In the course of the reconstruction, the HVAC life safety system upgrade increases the amount of air and filtration and fresh air within the hall, and decreases the amount of ambient noise from mechanical systems within the performance space. Beneath the stage is an innovative piano elevator, enabling grand pianos to be transported with care to a specially designed room.
Wide view
The secret room is closely managed in terms of temperature and humidity, creating an optimal environment to preserve the delicate wood and parts of these pianos. The innovative design of the room ensures smooth and rapid transportation of pianos by artists and staff, including preservation of the life of these pianos as well as the exceptional sound quality demanded within the concert hall. In this process, original design components of plaster and chandeliers were restored and incorporated to retain the historic charm of this facility with enhanced functionality, making Jacobs Music Center one of the leading cultural destinations in the world. In total, the project encompassed the reimagining of 70,545 square feet of space, including performance space and back of house support spaces, as well as audience and front of house amenities. The reconfigured 22,787-square-foot audience chamber includes 862 seats on the main level with 894 seats in the balcony. The redesign created 75 additional seats available through a new opportunity above the stage in the choral terrace, for a total of 1,831 seats.[6]
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