Spiffy Recital Hall Excites, Invites
Julia Filiberti 鈥�12, student of Eun Ae Baik-Kim, plays Rachmaninoff鈥檚 Prelude Op. 3, No. 2 in C# Minor in the new Rubendall Recital Hall during a noonday concert. Professor Robert Pound calls the multimedia additions to the hall 鈥渢ransformative鈥� and describes the sound system as 鈥渢op notch, world class, phenomenal.鈥�
By Mary Kate Skehan '12
When Dieter Rollfinke arrived at Dickinson in 1964, what is now the Weiss Center for the Arts served as the college gym. In 1983, the space next to the old swimming pool became Rubendall Recital Hall, named for former president Howard 鈥淏ud鈥� Rubendall 鈥�31. Now, nearly 30 years later, that space has been radically transformed again.
The latest renovation in October dramatically upgrades the recital hall not only for musicians but also audience members like Rollfinke, professor emeritus of German and music enthusiast. He refers to Rubendall now as 鈥渁 magnificent concert hall.鈥�
On Rollfinke鈥檚 first visit last fall to the newly renovated Rubendall, he wasn鈥檛 sure what to expect. 鈥淎t first it felt a little cold,鈥� Rollfinke remembers, 鈥渂ut the minute the music started I was blown away. I never thought it would be such a difference.鈥�
Rollfinke, one of the music department鈥檚 most devoted fans, has frequented Rubendall since his retirement in 2004. He notes that since the Rubendall renovations were officially unveiled on Oct. 11, he has seen more students attending concerts. He adds that the new performance space also has been host to more contemporary-music performances.
Ken Shultes 鈥�89, associate vice president for campus operations and director of facilities management, calls the renovation 鈥渁 total gut-and-rebuild project.鈥� Two stainless-steel doors topped with a lighted sign now welcome visitors into Rubendall. The hall features soundproof walls, new wooden seating and a refinished stage floor, as well as new stage dividers.
New lights and ceiling-mounted data projectors allow for dynamic multimedia performances. Tall, thin windows invite natural light into the hall without hampering sound quality. Panels along the wall illustrate an abstract aerial view of campus in soothing beige tones. The Rubendall that now greets visitors is virtually unrecognizable, and musicians report that the improvements also dramatically change the experience of performing.
There is a 鈥渉uge, huge difference鈥� in sound clarity, explains Robert Pound, associate professor of music and director of the Dickinson Orchestra. Sound would 鈥渏ust sit鈥� in the old hall, while the new one lends performances a clearer and more directed edge, he says. 鈥淚t feels like going to a concert hall.鈥�
Not only can the audience hear each player and note more clearly, but performers also can hear themselves better from the newly remodeled stage. And when students can hear themselves better, Pound explains, they develop a better understanding of the balance and dynamics of performance. The new Rubendall is not just an aesthetic enhancement, it鈥檚 also an important pedagogical tool, according to the composer.
Performance-studies major George Bowerman 鈥�12 concurs. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 striking is the sense of control one has over the type of sounds, the colors.鈥� Bowerman, an accomplished pianist, chose Dickinson because of the outstanding music faculty, but he was always 鈥渧ery aware that the space was preventing the music from being fully realized.鈥� Notes that had been 鈥渕uddy鈥� have now achieved a new clarity of sound. Before renovation, Rubendall had not reflected the exceptional work of the department, he explains.
Bowerman also notes that the acoustics of the remodeled hall produce higher-quality recordings, vital for any student who, like Bowerman, dreams of pursuing graduate study in his instrument. An improved sound system and sound booth also enhance recording.
Both Bowerman and Pound emphasize that performers in Rubendall鈥攆rom artists-in-residence to participants in monthly noonday concerts鈥攑roduce a consistently high quality of work. The renovations to Rubendall give full justice to the performances.
鈥淲e now have a performance space we鈥檙e proud to show,鈥� says Pound. Bowerman agrees: 鈥淭his really says something about how seriously Dickinson takes [music] performance.鈥�
Published April 3, 2012