Center Acoustics Are Sound, Consultant Says : But Some Design Revisions Are Being Considered

Despite criticism that acoustics at the Orange County Performing Arts Center aren’t all they should be, acoustics consultant Dennis Paoletti on Thursday said “no major changes” are planned in the hall’s acoustic design. “We’re fine-tuning it constantly, of course,” he said. “But we believe it works exceptionally well. We’re more than happy with it.”

However, certain design revisions are under consideration, according to Center operations director Philip Mosbo. One involves the restrooms, which are all on one side of Segerstrom Hall, necessitating a “long walk for many patrons,” Mosbo said. “This is especially difficult for those in the upper, less expensive, tiers--which means many senior citizens. But we’re working on that.”

Their comments came during and after a visit to the Center on Thursday morning by about 400 stage designers, managers and educators from around the world who are in Southern California through Saturday for the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology’s national conference in Anaheim.

It was the first mass meeting of theater specialists ever held at the 18-month-old, $73.3-million complex in Costa Mesa. Most of those in attendance were seeing it for the first time and appeared to be impressed.

“It’s truly beautiful, especially the asymmetrical seating configuration,” said Alexander Vasilev, a scenic designer from Moscow who is familiar with Europe’s greatest old halls--not to mention his own home base, the Bolshoi.

Gazing at the four-tiered auditorium from another part of the stage were Ma Wenhai, a scenic designer for Beijing’s Central Academy of Drama who teaches at Duke University, and his wife, Zhai Shuqing, a design student at Carnegie-Mellon University.

“To us, it is very much a new and innovative design,” said Ma. “It looks great.”

“It’s not a perfect hall--no hall has been or can be,” operations director Mosbo told the visitors. He and other speakers from the Center launched then into a glowing report on their “unique accomplishments,” focusing especially on acoustics.

Architect John von Szeliski recalled the months of using scale models and laser beams in Costa Mesa and in New Zealand (where acoustics specialist Harold Marshall has a testing center) to try out sound and other design elements. Such “highly sophisticated, mathematical” testing was the most intensive and innovative ever applied to a center of this kind, he said.

Acoustics consultant Paoletti said the hall’s 3,000-seat asymmetrical, staggered-tier design has won worldwide recognition. The design, he said, permits the greater use of tier walls and ceiling reflectors for ensuring proper acoustics.

“Acoustics requirements took precedence over the overall architecture,” Paoletti said. The board wanted the best possible sound for a hall this size.”

The speakers acknowledged that there have been complaints about the acoustics. Paoletti recalled that music critics had asked whether singers in the Opera Pacific production of “Aida” in January were using microphones. Denying that mikes were used, Paoletti said he thinks the critics may have been confused because “levels of reverberation can be high in the hall and quite loud.”

As if to prove the point, Paoletti and Mosbo left their mikes and spoke from the stage with those at the far end of the hall, and no one seemed to have any problem hearing.

Judging acoustics is “strictly subjective,” Mosbo said. “No two people at the very same concert will agree.”

“Even artistic experts don’t agree,” he added, referring to recent comments by William Hall, conductor of Master Chorale of Orange County, who has been highly critical of the acoustics, and Pacific Chorale conductor John Alexander, who has had relatively few complaints.