Walt Disney Concert Hall - A triumph!

December 13, 2003

Photo: Getty Images

Sixteen years after the project began, the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened on October 23, to almost universal critical raves from audiences, musicians, and the press. The Frank Gehry designed building has already become an architectural icon for the 21st century and is looked to as the major step forward in the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles. Disney Hall opened with three gala nights of distinctly different programming - featuring traditional, modern and popular symphonic music proving the hall's acoustics to be excellent. The warmth and intimacy of the concert hall, its smooth, rounded surfaces of Douglas fir and colorful carpet and seats and the outstanding acoustics along with its shimmering, undulating exterior of stainless steel (already a popular photo-op for tourists) will certainly place it among the world's leading concert halls.

As the theatre design consultant for the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Theatre Projects Consultants was involved from the earliest days of planning and design in 1989. The Connecticut and London offices of TPC worked with the Frank Gehry architects and acousticians, Dr. Minoru Nagata and Yasuhisa Toyota, to determine the shape and configuration of the concert hall, as well as the seating layouts, sightlines, concert platform design and the performance lighting. Throughout the project we monitored changes that occurred in the levels and layout of the seating, using a 3-D CAD program that provided sightline studies from any seat in the hall. Today the LA Philharmonic use these 3-D sightline studies on their website for ticket sales.

The TPC design team was led by Richard Pilbrow with Jerry Godden as Project Manager. Those with major responsibilities included George Ellerington, Stage Engineering; Mark Stroomer, Seating and Sightlines, and David H. Rosenburg, Stage Lighting.

Unique theatrical design elements include the concert platform that is composed of 13 stage lifts, each driven by an individual motor and capable of a wide range of stage configurations. The lifts are operated by wireless computer technology with touch screen control at stage level that can be programmed in advance and controlled by a single operator. Another special feature of the platform is an ingenious mechanically operated stair, that automatically raises and lowers with the lift movement, providing access to the upper platform level. This technology permits the effective staging of everything from the full-strength LA Philharmonic Orchestra to small ensemble groups.

Design of the stage lighting was a particular challenge, since both architect and acousticians wanted a ceiling with as few openings as possible and did not want lighting instruments to be in sight. TPC presented solutions that included a series of glazed holes in the ceiling, where several lights could be focused through a single hole, glazed lighting bridges, and two lighting bridges that can be completely closed off by mechanical doors. There is also extra electrical power provided in the ceiling for additional lighting and rigging strong-points that are available for hanging lighting trusses, screens, or scenic elements.

Disney Hall is already enjoying a full program beyond that of its main occupant, the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. Engineering Harmonics of Toronto designed a sophisticated sound amplification system that has been installed for use with programs other than symphonic music. There is no doubt that the Walt Disney Concert Hall is already both an architectural and cultural landmark in Los Angeles.

A detailed behind-the-scenes view of the creation and technology of the concert hall can be found in a new book just published by Entertainment Technology Press: WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL - The Backstage Story. The book is co-authored by Theatre Projects Chairman Richard Pilbrow and Patricia MacKay, widely respected publisher, editor, writer and journalist.