The Lyric Opera Orchestra Shell

Location
Chicago, Illinois

Owner
The Lyric Opera of Chicago

Team
Acoustics - Threshold
Architect - Studio Gang
Structural Engineer - Thornton Tomasetti

Schedule
Completed 2014

Nearing its 60th anniversary, the Lyric commissioned Studio Gang Architects to design an orchestra shell showcasing both its orchestra and its future. Concerts by the orchestra and recitals by musical luminaries are a growing portion of the Lyric’s programming, so the timing was perfect.

Appreciating the sculpture of musical instruments but not mimicking them, the shell departs from literal interpretations and imparts a logic of its own, exaggerating its curves where diffusion is useful and calming them where gentler forms are needed to convey strength and detail out to the audience and back to the musicians. The shaping is rendered in oak-veneered plywood only a half-inch thick, stiffened with plywood gussets tied back to a steel frame, leveraging every bit of the structure to serve the acoustic goals, a remarkable contrast to the norms of orchestra shell design.

The final product celebrates the Lyric’s technical and aesthetic individuality along with its commitment to musical quality, and was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “an acoustic marvel” upon its debut at the anniversary gala in 2014.