National Arts Centre

Design fulfills contemporary artistic expectations

Engineering Harmonics designed performance sound systems and integrated them seamlessly into a new removable overhead forestage reflector and orchestra shell to support amplified works across a variety of genres in the 2,065-seat Southam Hall that was originally built for opera and ballet, now revisioned for symphonic performances.

EH also designed performance sound systems for several new venues as well as the 710-seat thrust-stage Asper Theatre that is convertible to proscenium mode, inventively incorporating lateral movement in the array rigging to accommodate differing stage widths.

Details

Canada’s premiere marquee, the National Arts Centre includes the beautifully redesigned Southam Hall and Babs Asper Theatre, in addition to several smaller venues and transparent public spaces.

Services

Performance sound, video and communications systems consulting, design, contract administration and commissioning.

Outcome

The renewal of its 50-year old production facilities has restored the NAC to international standards for artistic expectations, safety and patron experience.

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Testimonials

We retained Engineering Harmonics because we respect them and we respect the quality of their work—both the results they had obtained on their previous projects and the process they employed in achieving those results.

Bob Essert

Principal, Sound Space Vision

When I first went into the Rogers Centre, I was surprised at just how good the house system sounded.

Marc Laliberté

Cirque du Soleil, Sound Designer for the 2015 Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony

We have some very traditional teachers in our program who literally could not imagine how they were going to be able to teach without a blackboard and chalk. If we hadn’t had Andrew Kozak on board we never would have been able to get our teachers to understand how they can teach better with this technology.

Joanne Power

Policy and Planning Officer, Dean’s Office, Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine

Within an hour they knew where my knowledge stopped and where theirs had to start — and they were very, very gracious about it, even though they play on the world stage. They brought world-class knowledge and home-town service to the project.