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Award-winning acoustics and theatre consultants, Sound Space Design and Anne Minors Performance Consultants have combined to form Sound Space Vision. The move formalises their long-standing working relationship and will continue to build on their success in performance, education and assembly spaces, as well as broadening their reach within the built environment.
Sound Space Vision enhances the rapport between performers and audiences, combining excellent spatial and technical design by AMPC with superb acoustics from SSD. Popular with audiences and operators, their performance environments are held in high esteem by artists. The creative, dynamic team includes specialists in acoustics, lighting, sound, stage engineering, and audio-visual design to provide a complete acoustics and theatre consultancy service that touches all the senses.
Anne Minors Performance Consultants was founded in 1996, and Bob Essert established Sound Space Design in 2002. Together the companies have delivered over 100 performing arts spaces.
AMPC were performance consultants for The Royal Opera House redevelopment; Barbican Theatre BITE Festival; Wigmore Hall; Roundhouse; BT Centre; Godolphin and Latymer School in London; Zorlu Cultural Center in Istanbul; and, Palace of Peace Opera House in Astana, Kazakhstan. Theatres include Hull Truck; The Egg and Bath Theatre Royal; E15 Acting School; Princess Royal Performing Arts Centre; and, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.
SSD were design acousticians on La Maison Symphonique in Montreal, Toronto’s Four Seasons Opera House, Dallas’ Winspear Opera House, Lyric Theatre Belfast, and the upcoming Xiqu Centre for Chinese Opera in Hong Kong, as well as numerous school music and theatre buildings.
AMPC and SSD have collaborated on a string of projects including Koerner Hall an at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Trinity St Paul’s Church for Tafelmusik in Toronto; Zorlu Cultural Center, Istanbul; Palace of Peace Opera House, Astana; Annette Strauss Square, Dallas; King Edward’s School, Birmingham; Garsington Opera Pavilion; Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, University of Sussex; St Peter’s Ancoats for the Hallé Orcehstra in Manchester; Menuhin Hall, Surrey; and, the Royal Academy of Arts, Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), and Friends House in London.
Founders Anne Minors and Bob Essert have each been designing and delivering world-class performing arts spaces for over 30 years across five continents. Anne worked on the auditorium designs for Glyndebourne Opera House, Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall, Singapore Esplanade Concert Hall, Vancouver Chan Centre, and Cerritos Centre for the Performing Arts while Head of Design at Theatre Projects between 1984 and 1995. Bob was at Artec New York for 16 years where he was Director of Acoustics and Deputy Chairman, followed by five years at Arup Acoustics as Associate Director and leader of concert halls. Past projects include Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, Singapore Esplanade, Birmingham CBSO Centre, Vancouver Chan Centre, Florida Kravis Center, Sage Gateshead, Hackney Empire Theatre renovation, Glasgow City Halls redevelopment, Belfast Sonic Arts Centre, and Dublin Helix.
On the joining of the two firms Director Bob Essert is enthusiastic for the future: “We have been collaborating for several years, but now the synergy shared by the two companies creates a unified whole greater than the sum of the parts.”
Anne Minors, Principal Designer adds, “There is an opportunity here to expand our remit in several areas, using our collective experience to add greater value and excellence for our clients.”
18 January 2016