FOUR SEASONS CENTRE

The first venue in Canada built specifically for opera and ballet performances.

The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts was inaugurated in 2006 and is the first venue in Canada built specifically for the unique requirements of opera and ballet performances. The $180 million venue was designed by Toronto’s world-renowned Diamond Schmitt Architects with acoustics by Robert Essert of London's Sound Space Design. Audio and video systems were designed by Engineering Harmonics of Toronto.

MacLean Media Systems was engaged to supply the audio and video systems and manage the complex logistics of the installations. In addition to fibre-optic signal distribution and high-definition video systems, the 2000-seat R. Fraser Elliott Hall was to house 150 Meyer Sound loudspeakers, which are totally concealed from sight.  The system was designed to be a natural-sounding extension of the room’s superlative acoustics.

The challenging size and scope of the systems was compounded by working in one of the most pristine acoustic environments in the world. The mandate to achieve a Noise Criterion rating of NC1 underlined every activity in the construction process. Everything from conduit routing in and out of the audience chamber to the final system gain structure was scrutinized in order to support a concert hall, which would be, in practical terms, without background noise.

As a team, we had a clear understanding of the extreme requirements of the end result – and the world-class expectations of the users.  We used that perspective to guide our work over the vast and complex course of this three-year project.  Key to the success of the project was our focus on details as well as our coordination and supportive collaboration with project engineers, the general and electrical contractors and many of the other sub-trades involved in the project.