Jack Singer Concert Hall Receives Upgrades, Replacements, and the Full Spa Treatment
Time to read: under 3 minutes
As the doors of Arts Commons have been closed, the beloved Jack Singer Concert Hall has received more than its fair share of attention.
“When a pandemic shuts down a performing arts centre, does that mean that the staff has nothing to do?” asks Brian Beaulieu, Production Manager for the Jack Singer Concert Hall. “The answer is not at all! We’ve used that time to undo over 30 years of wear and tear on the Jack Singer Concert Hall. You won’t recognize it when we open the doors again.”
From ridding the backstage, over stage, and under stage spaces of 35 years of clutter, dust, grease, and dirt to a complete overhaul of the interior speaker system – Jack Singer Concert Hall has received the full spa treatment. Even the venerable Carthy organ, which stands majestically behind the stage and above the choir loft, has received a beautiful visual upgrade. The previous lighting system for the Carthy organ was made up of white halogen lights. The new system, made up of much more power efficient LED lights, can light the organ in seven different colours, or mix those colours to create nearly any colour on the spectrum. Each lighting fixture can also be separately controlled, which makes for a huge array of customizability.
You can see it for yourself in the video below.
Logistically, the biggest challenge was the replacement of the speaker system inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall. For the technicians involved, this was a careful balancing act of having a system that would meet the nuanced requirements of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, but also be able to pivot and support a full-scale rock performance. Another important piece that needed to be considered was sightlines within the house, as current, more powerful system designs are large enough to block the view to portions of the stage for some of the seats on the side.
“After much discussion, we decided that the only way for us to meet both of these design challenges was to rebuild our existing system with permanently installed new components, and add a line array system to it for the rock and pop shows when required,” says Jack Jamieson, Head Sound Technician for Arts Commons. “In the end practically everything in the sound system is being changed, with the exception of the microphones, stands, and mic cables. Even the AC power had to be updated in order to accommodate the new larger system.”
A key part of the sound system is a group of speakers known as the cluster that is suspended over the centre of the stage. To accommodate the complex needs of the Hall, a custom framework for this cluster had to be manufactured by Sean Seguin of Hellcat Fabrication & Crane Ltd.
“The new cluster frame design can accommodate the new cabinet designs and also a massive subwoofer array which increases our ability to reproduce low frequencies without significantly impacting available deck space or sightlines,” says Jack.
This may sound like a relatively simple process of replacement, but to support the new system, much of the existing electrical had to also be replaced including transformers, electrical panels, and wiring. Not only has the house speaker system been completely upgraded to improve the experience for the audience, but the stage monitor system has also been fully rebuilt to provide the same improvement for the artists. All of this amounted to a huge undertaking, which has taken the technical crew of the Jack Singer over six months to complete.
“It feels amazing to see it all come together,” says Brian. “We can’t wait to welcome people back to experience what the hall has to offer.”
