Concert Hall Reflectors

Monday 30 September 2013

Further improvements to the Royal College of Music’s Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall have taken place over the summer.

Following the acclaimed renovation of the Hall in 2008, visitors may now notice a subtle addition above the stage: a chequerboard of reflective panels have been added to the lighting bars, designed to enhance the clarity of sound for the performers on the stage. 

The installation is designed to blend into the fabric of the Concert Hall, with the panels counteracting the focussing effect of the barrel vaulting, but without losing the bloom of the acoustic. Some testing of the panels will take place during this term to optimise their positioning for the range of performances that take place in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall through the year.

RCM Piano Supervisor and Technician Chris Moulton says “The new reflective panels in the Concert Hall have made a huge difference. Listening to the pianos when tuning on the platform is a far more pleasant experience. I’m looking forward to the first Piano Concerto to see how much difference it’s made as an audience member”.

The project was successfully completed following detailed work by international acoustic consultants ARUP and Head of Estates Matthew Nicholl with input from across the RCM.