Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
There’s a small and quiet group in Asheville working toward building a new performing arts center in Asheville. The Asheville Area Center for the Performing Arts Inc. flies completely under the radar, but the nonprofit has cash, an executive director and a vision of a state-of-the-art performing arts center for downtown Asheville. Here’s the latest news from the group:
Kirkegaard Associates of Chicago, Illinois, has been selected as the acoustic designer for the new Performance Center. The firm was chosen following a nationwide search leading to nine qualified finalists. Larry Kirkegaard (pictured) and his associate Joseph Myers will team on the project design.
Larry Kirkegaard has been a pioneering figure in the field of architectural acoustics for decades, helping to redefine the relationship between music and architecture. He has achieved professional recognition from the Acoustical Society of America, American Institute of Architects, United States Institute for Theatre Technology, and conductors and musicians from around the world.
Mr. Kirkegaard’s expertise, combined with deep personal interest in music, art and drama, provides sensitivity to the complex functional relationships and program requirements of concert and recital halls, theatres, opera houses, and multipurpose halls. With his consulting and lecturing activities he has traveled extensively throughout the world to investigate new developments in the fields of music and architecture. He has collaborated with William Rawn and Associates on a number of notable projects, including the Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and the Music Center at Strathmore in Maryland.
Joseph Myers will serve as the Principal Consultant for the Performance Center’s acoustic design. During his 20-plus years with Kirkegaard Associates, Myers has contributed extensively to many multipurpose halls: Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin; Cerritos Center near Los Angeles; Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina; Blumenthal Center in Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, Hawaii. His international work includes projects in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, studies in Ecuador and Singapore, and a renovation program in Taiwan.
Kirkegaard Associates has consulted on a significant number of the world’s premier performing arts facilities designed or renovated over the last forty years. The collaboration between Kirkegaard and our design architect William Rawn Associates will produce a top-quality design for the new Performance Center.
