CALGARY, Alberta, Canada – The opening of the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts at Mount Royal University marks the emergence of a music facility that is a first in Calgary in terms of size and amenities and is also unique to university music education in Canada. Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, Performing Arts/Media Facilities Planning and Design, provided theatre consulting services for the new building featuring the 773-seat Bella Concert Hall.
More details from Auerbach Pollock Friedlander (www.auerbachconsultants.com):
The Bella Concert Hall will be used for a variety of music styles from traditional orchestras, choirs, piano soloists to jazz and popular music – both acoustic and amplified. To achieve this, more than 9,800 square feet of deployable banners and panels were integrated into the hall’s walls and ceiling to adjust the reverberation time from 2.6 seconds all the way down to 1.4 seconds. The design of the concert hall is a modern deconstruction of a rural barn reflecting Alberta’s prairie heritage and landscape. The production elements are contained within visual components of the dramatic architectural features of the room including the variable acoustics, motorized rigging for a left, right, and center line array system which can be concealed within the 48,600-pound acoustic reflector when not in use and theatrical lighting system.
The firm’s scope also included the ensemble studios for rehearsal and performance and the multi-use event spaces. In addition to the public performance venues, The Taylor Center houses flexible teaching and rehearsal studios, percussion studios, student lounges and a purpose-built Early Childhood instructional suite. The new facility uses advanced technology in electrical, heating, and cooling systems which help with the acoustic isolation of the individual rooms and studios offering users the ability to learn, practice, and rehearse undisturbed.
The design team was led by Pfeiffer Partners, Inc. in association with locally-based Sahuri + Partners Architecture, Inc. Acoustical design was provided by The Talaske Group. The Taylor Centre has been designed to LEED Gold specifications.
“The unique business model for the Bella Concert Hall required a close working relationship with MRU and Pfeiffer Partners’ programming team from the very start,” said Auerbach Pollock Friedlander’s Principal in Charge, Steve Pollock. “Considerable shared project experience yielded a plan and design accommodating natural acoustics as well as a full menu of popular entertainment, corporate events and media. It is a true concert hall for a vibrant 21st Century Conservatory of Music.”
Located on the school’s Lincoln Park Campus, the Taylor Centre is part of a six phase expansion program that started in 2001 to meet the needs of increasing student enrollment. Mount Royal University currently has a student population of more than 14,000 full and part time credit students. The project began with a well- conceived business plan with the goal of drawing even more community members to the University through expanded outreach programs with new partnerships and strategies for revenue generation to allow for the Conservatory’s financial independence. The Mount Royal Conservatory’s outreach programming currently serves more than 30,000 students annually ranging from toddlers enrolled in “Music with Your Baby” to Suzuki piano courses for young children on to solo instruction for students of all ages. The capital campaign relied on the resources of the Canadian government as well as private donors, the largest being the Taylor Family, who responded generously to the institution’s visionary business plan.
The Taylor Center’s Grand Opening celebration took place August 26th in the Bella Concert Hall with a special program for invited guests. The Grand Opening was followed by an opening festival from September 19 to October 2, 2015, featuring concerts by orchestral, operatic, choir and solo piano performers.
