New rehearsal room for the orchestra of Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland 

On 17 March 2023, the new orchestra rehearsal space of philharmonie zuidnederland in the Theresiakerk in Maastricht was officially opened!

The stage at the centre of the church is surrounded by orchestra walls featuring diffusing and reflecting elements, inspired by the renowned Muziekgebouw Frits Philips Eindhoven at the orchestra’s request. Sound reflectors are also suspended to the left and right of the stage, helping to direct the sound of the rear string sections back and forth across the orchestra.

Another key challenge was to reduce the reverberation time from more than 4 seconds to almost 2 seconds. All the side aisles have been enclosed and treated with sound-absorbing materials, while the backs of the orchestra walls are also sound-absorbing. Particularly distinctive are the acoustic ‘baffles’ above the orchestra, which break up and absorb sound without closing off the stage from above.

The result is a transparent and direct exchange of sound, with a diffuse reverberant field in the background.

The acoustic provisions were designed by Level Acoustics & Vibration (Eindhoven, NL) and realised in collaboration with Bureau FRANKEN, Does it Hertz / ShowTex, StaPoTech and DID interieurmakers.