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Description:
The Donald and Maureen Green Music Center is a world-class performing arts complex in the heart of Northern California's renowned Wine Country. Located on the campus of Sonoma State University, the Green Music Center consists of multiple performance venues, a music education wing, sprawling outdoor spaces, an on-site restaurant, and much more.
The crown jewel of the Green Music Center is undoubtedly the 1,400-seat Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall which opened in September 2012 and is considered one of the most acoustically superb concert venues in the world.
Designed by architect William Rawn, theatre consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander and acoustician Lawrence Kirkegaard, Weill Hall was designed to replicate the intimacy and acoustics of both Vienna’s Musikverein and Symphony Hall in Boston.
Weill Hall is modeled after Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, including a back wall that can be fully opened onto the beautifully landscaped and terraced Weill Lawn.
The 1,400 handcrafted seats within Weill Hall were built by the 200-year-old Fancher Chair Company. Made of European steamed beech wood, the chairs feature an open back designed for acoustic-neutrality whether the seat is occupied or empty.
Seating in Weill Hall is divided amongst a raked orchestra floor, two upper balconies and a choral ring behind the stage. The third floor balcony boasts spectacular views of the Sonoma Mountains through large windows on the north and east walls.
The variable acoustics of the hall are acheived through the use of motorized fabric banners on the east and west walls. By adjusting these banners, the hall can be fine-tuned for the specific genre of music being performed - from a single vocalist to a full orchestra setting.
About the Speaker:
Kevin Martin, Director of Operations & Logistics, will lead a tour of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall. The Weill Hall is renowned for its acoustics and beauty alike; it and the Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, MA are the only two concert halls in the country with large "barn doors" for summer concerts, increasing the potential audience by a factor of 10. Mr. Martin will discuss their newly-installed PA system which delivers high-quality audio to the outdoors.
Address & Directions:
Green Music Cente
Sonoma State University
1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
map >>>
Directions >>>
From Highway 101
Take The Rohnert Park Expressway exit off 101 and proceed east.
You will pass Snyder Lane and Jasmine Circle before turning right into the campus entrance at Redwood Circle.
The Green Music Center will be on the left; park in the lots to the right.
Look for the courtyard and proceed to the lobby, which is where we will start the tour.
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