Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall
The crown jewel of the Green Music Center is undoubtedly Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall, which opened in September 2012. Designed by architect William Rawn, theatre consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, and acoustician Lawrence Kirkegaard, Weill Hall was designed to replicate the intimacy and acoustics of both Vienna’s Musikverein and Symphony Hall in Boston.
The 1,400 handcrafted seats in Weill Hall were built by the 200-year-old Fancher Chair Company. Made of European steamed beech wood, the chairs feature an open back designed for acoustic-neutrality whether the seat is occupied or empty. Seating in Weill Hall is divided amongst a raked orchestra floor, second floor choral circle, including a choir loft behind the stage, and the third-floor balcony boasting spectacular views of the Sonoma Mountains through large windows on the north and east walls. The variable acoustics of the hall are achieved through the use of motorized fabric banners on the east and west walls. By adjusting these banners, the hall can be fine-tuned to accommodate certain acoustical qualities inherent in various genres of music, most noticeable in unamplified performances.
Weill Hall is aesthetically modeled after Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, including a back wall that can be fully opened onto the beautifully landscaped and terraced Weill Lawn.