Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 2 The Elixir of Love

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 14 reviewed seating layout options with client stakeholder groups, including Lyric’s box of ce, marketing, and development departments; met regularly with architects and acousticians to discuss improvements to the hall; and worked with Lyric’s accessibility consultant, LCM Architects, to review placement and disbursement of accessible seating locations on all levels of the theater. The nal layout has up to 25 accessible wheelchair positions.” Goettsch Partners, the architects responsible for the new seating design, also had an existing relationship with Lyric dating back more than 10 years. Prior projects included the restoration of the of ce building lobby, including historic ornamental plaster, decorative painting, and stone restoration; the two-year project of restoring the cast- iron storefront on four sides of the building; and historic lighting along the block-long grand portico. Leonard Koroski, principal and senior project architect at Goettsch Partners, shared, “It’s always an honor to work on a historic theater, but when you can seamlessly increase seating visibility, accessibility, and lighting improvements as well, that is especially exciting. Existing conditions in historic theaters can be challenging, as building documentation may be limited. Our team invested time upfront to laser-scan and investigate conditions. Once the old seating was removed, geospatial surveys re-checked the new slopes, grades, and concrete work, along with the updated seating layout.” When it came to deciding on the seating, no stone was left unturned, as Smallwood explained: “We had in-depth conversations with four different seating companies. There are hundreds of little decisions that go into nding the perfect seat, and we made sure we found the one that was right for us. It began with ‘long-sit’ tests of many samples: sitting continuously for an hour or more without getting up. This test often distinguishes the winner! Lyric tested chairs from four manufacturers, and ultimately chose seats from Series Seating. Aesthetically, they work perfectly in the theater, and provide comfort for those coming to watch the productions. We wanted to be as ‘green’ as we possibly could throughout the project, too. Series Seating has environmentally responsible manufacturing at its facility in Bogotá, Colombia.” A vital part in recon guring the seating was ensuring that there were no problems with regards to the acoustics, which is why Kirkegaard Associates was asked to be part of the process. The acousticians are another company with close links to Lyric; chief design of cer and principal consultant Joseph Myers is a Lyric subscriber and has been a regular patron since 1988. Myers also played a huge role in the 1990s renovation; for this latest project, he was joined by his colleague, Polyana Frangetto. Myers shared, “The project brief was like a physician’s: ‘First, do no harm.’ Since the new chairs and spacing would unavoidably absorb sound differently than the house’s previous conditions, our job was to ensure that the difference did not cause acoustic problems. Lyric Opera of Chicago Darris Lee Harris Photography