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Russell Johnson (acoustician)

January 07, 2023

For other people named Russell Johnson, see Russell Johnson (disambiguation).

Frederick Russell Johnson (September 14, 1923 – August 7, 2007) was an architect and acoustical expert. Johnson was the founder of Artec Consultants Incorporated in 1970. Nicknamed the "guardian of the ear" by Jean Nouvel in 1998 and an "acoustic guru" by others,[1][2] Johnson was best known for works that included technical designs for the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas, Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Centre in the Square in Canada, Pikes Peak Center in Colorado, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Canada and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Florida.

Russell Johnson
Born
Frederick Russell Johnson

September 14, 1923
Berwick, Pennsylvania
EducationCarnegie Mellon University; Yale
OccupationArchitect

During his lifetime Johnson advanced the field of acoustic design and theater planning by developing adjustable sonic reflectors hanging from the ceiling of his halls to adjust sound depending upon the performer. The reflectors combined with a traditional shoebox shape design are considered trademarks of his firm.[3] Since 1970 Artec has collaborated in the designs for some of the most renowned concert halls, opera houses, theatres, and other performance spaces of the 20th century and have created technical designs for over 21,000 projects worldwide including the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Sala São Paulo in Brazil, Culture and Congress Center in Switzerland, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and Symphony Hall in England.

In 2004, Time Magazine referred to Johnson as a "legendary" acoustician and his design of the acclaimed Esplanade complex—Theatres on the Bay (concert hall plus opera theatre) in Singapore as "one of the best anywhere".[4] Johnson was published for decades in the New York Times for his many concert hall designs. He was also praised in many publications that included the Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Wired Magazine, Variety, and the Los Angeles Times.[2][5][6][7][8][9]

Career

After Yale, Johnson entered the field of acoustics and theatre planning. From 1954 to 1970, he worked for Bolt, Beranek and Newman in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The firm was the country's first large commercial acoustical consulting firm and was founded by physicists trained at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked there as founder and principal consultant of the Theatre Consulting Division, and as technical coordinator for concert hall and opera house design, including acoustics. In 1970, Johnson decided to start his own firm, initially called 'Russell Johnson & Associates', and later renamed Artec Consultants Inc.

Some of the early acclaimed facilities on which Johnson worked include the Orchestra Shell Renovation, Derngate Centre, Grand Theatre de Quebec, Centennial Concert Hall, Crouse-Hinds Concert Theater, Hamilton Place in Canada, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and Place des Arts.

As chairman Johnson also led Artec on projects such as the Harpa (concert hall) in Reykjavík, the Winspear Centre in Edmonton, Domaine Forget in Charlevoix and acoustical upgrade of the Roy Thomson Hall.[10] He also revolutionized the profession with adjustable acoustic equipment that could create different acoustic environments for different performance types.

In addition, he studied the history of concert hall design and concluded that the best halls were built between about 1840 and 1905. After this time demand arose for concert halls that could serve multiple purposes, hosting symphonies as well as music theater, choral societies and lectures. Smaller auditoriums gave way to venues that could hold 3,000 to 4,000 people. These trends, Johnson believed, led to acoustical nightmares. Therefore, he persuaded many owners and architects to return to the basic shape and dimensions of beloved older halls like the Musikverein in Vienna, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Symphony Hall in Boston; all-of-which are shoebox-shaped and relatively small.

Johnson's talents helped make him the go-to person for acoustic design and at time led to his having also worked in collaboration with some of great architects of the world including Cesar Pelli, Jean Nouvel, I.M. Pei, Moshe Safdie, Barton Myers, Bing Thom, Michael Wilford, Eberhard Zeidler, Fred Lebensold, Sir James Stirling, Robert Venturi, and Rafael Viñoly.

Projects The following is a list of well known concert halls and projects Johnson created:

One of the last halls masterminded by the Johnson was the César Pelli-designed Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.[11]

Honours

Johnson was the recipient of several prestigious honours:

Death

On August 9, 2007, Johnson died in his New York City apartment. A funeral service was held in Berwick, Pennsylvania on August 18. A Memorial service was held in The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City on November 7, 2007.

References

  1. ^ "Water music: The Lucerne Festival - News & Advice, Travel". The Independent. 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  2. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (2007-08-10). "Russell Johnson, Who Transformed the Sound in Concert Halls, Dies at 83 - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  3. ^ ARTHUR KAPTAINIS, Freelance September 3, 2011 (2011-09-03). "Concert hall architect is open minded". Montrealgazette.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ James, Jamie (2004-06-28). . TIME. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  5. ^ Ginell, Richard S. (2006-09-18). "Variety Reviews - Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall Inaugural Concert - Music Reviews - - Review by Richard S. Ginell". Variety.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  6. ^ Glanz, James (2000-04-18). "Art + Physics = Beautiful Music - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  7. ^ Paul Bennett (2002-05-27). "All Blobs Lead to Rome". Wired.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  8. ^ Jepson, Barbara (2005-03-24). "Acoustical Tales: What Concert Halls Get Wrong". WSJ.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  9. ^ "Rattled of Symphony Hall: Birmingham's bid for new greatness included balletic endeavour, Olympic attempts, and brave new temples of culture. Then the city council changed its tune. Nick Cohen reports - Life & Style". The Independent. 1994-03-09. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  10. ^ Woo, Elaine (2007-08-10). "Russell Johnson, 83; innovative acoustician for classical music venues - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  11. ^ "/ Arts - American Composers Festival; Orange County, California". Ft.com. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  12. ^ "Russell Johnson Biography". Russelljohnsonlegacy.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.

External links

  • (memorial website)
  • Artec Consultants

January 07, 2023
russell, johnson, acoustician, other, people, named, russell, johnson, russell, johnson, disambiguation, frederick, russell, johnson, september, 1923, august, 2007, architect, acoustical, expert, johnson, founder, artec, consultants, incorporated, 1970, nickna. For other people named Russell Johnson see Russell Johnson disambiguation Frederick Russell Johnson September 14 1923 August 7 2007 was an architect and acoustical expert Johnson was the founder of Artec Consultants Incorporated in 1970 Nicknamed the guardian of the ear by Jean Nouvel in 1998 and an acoustic guru by others 1 2 Johnson was best known for works that included technical designs for the Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas Texas Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York New Jersey Performing Arts Center Centre in the Square in Canada Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Canada and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Florida Russell JohnsonBornFrederick Russell JohnsonSeptember 14 1923Berwick PennsylvaniaEducationCarnegie Mellon University YaleOccupationArchitectDuring his lifetime Johnson advanced the field of acoustic design and theater planning by developing adjustable sonic reflectors hanging from the ceiling of his halls to adjust sound depending upon the performer The reflectors combined with a traditional shoebox shape design are considered trademarks of his firm 3 Since 1970 Artec has collaborated in the designs for some of the most renowned concert halls opera houses theatres and other performance spaces of the 20th century and have created technical designs for over 21 000 projects worldwide including the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Sala Sao Paulo in Brazil Culture and Congress Center in Switzerland the Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center and Symphony Hall in England In 2004 Time Magazine referred to Johnson as a legendary acoustician and his design of the acclaimed Esplanade complex Theatres on the Bay concert hall plus opera theatre in Singapore as one of the best anywhere 4 Johnson was published for decades in the New York Times for his many concert hall designs He was also praised in many publications that included the Wall Street Journal The Independent Wired Magazine Variety and the Los Angeles Times 2 5 6 7 8 9 Contents 1 Career 1 1 Honours 2 Death 3 References 4 External linksCareer EditAfter Yale Johnson entered the field of acoustics and theatre planning From 1954 to 1970 he worked for Bolt Beranek and Newman in Cambridge Massachusetts The firm was the country s first large commercial acoustical consulting firm and was founded by physicists trained at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology He worked there as founder and principal consultant of the Theatre Consulting Division and as technical coordinator for concert hall and opera house design including acoustics In 1970 Johnson decided to start his own firm initially called Russell Johnson amp Associates and later renamed Artec Consultants Inc Some of the early acclaimed facilities on which Johnson worked include the Orchestra Shell Renovation Derngate Centre Grand Theatre de Quebec Centennial Concert Hall Crouse Hinds Concert Theater Hamilton Place in Canada Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Place des Arts As chairman Johnson also led Artec on projects such as the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavik the Winspear Centre in Edmonton Domaine Forget in Charlevoix and acoustical upgrade of the Roy Thomson Hall 10 He also revolutionized the profession with adjustable acoustic equipment that could create different acoustic environments for different performance types In addition he studied the history of concert hall design and concluded that the best halls were built between about 1840 and 1905 After this time demand arose for concert halls that could serve multiple purposes hosting symphonies as well as music theater choral societies and lectures Smaller auditoriums gave way to venues that could hold 3 000 to 4 000 people These trends Johnson believed led to acoustical nightmares Therefore he persuaded many owners and architects to return to the basic shape and dimensions of beloved older halls like the Musikverein in Vienna the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Symphony Hall in Boston all of which are shoebox shaped and relatively small Johnson s talents helped make him the go to person for acoustic design and at time led to his having also worked in collaboration with some of great architects of the world including Cesar Pelli Jean Nouvel I M Pei Moshe Safdie Barton Myers Bing Thom Michael Wilford Eberhard Zeidler Fred Lebensold Sir James Stirling Robert Venturi and Rafael Vinoly Projects The following is a list of well known concert halls and projects Johnson created The Palladium Carmel Indiana USA Orchestra Shell Renovation Derngate Centre Grand Theatre de Quebec Centennial Concert Hall Crouse Hinds Concert Theater Hamilton Place in Canada Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Place des Arts in Montreal Canada Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York New Jersey Performing Arts Center Centre in the Square in Canada Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Canada along with Bing Thom Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Florida Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami with Cesar Pelli Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Philadelphia Sala Sao Paulo Brazil Culture and Congress Center Lucerne Switzerland Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas with I M Pei Symphony Hall Birmingham England Esplanade Theatres on the Bay Theatres on the Bay Singapore Roy Thomson Hall renovation Toronto Ontario Canada Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Appleton Wisconsin USA Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa MesaOne of the last halls masterminded by the Johnson was the Cesar Pelli designed Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa 11 Honours Edit Johnson was the recipient of several prestigious honours United States Institute for Theatre Technology Award for lifelong commitment to excellence in architectural acoustics and theatre planning for performing arts spaces 1996 Wallace Clement Sabine Medal from the Acoustical Society of America in recognition of his lifetime contribution to advancing the knowledge of architectural acoustics 1997 the International Citation of Merit from the International Society of Performing Arts 1998 12 Death EditOn August 9 2007 Johnson died in his New York City apartment A funeral service was held in Berwick Pennsylvania on August 18 A Memorial service was held in The Allen Room Frederick P Rose Hall Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center New York City on November 7 2007 References Edit Water music The Lucerne Festival News amp Advice Travel The Independent 2008 05 31 Retrieved 2011 10 22 a b Martin Douglas 2007 08 10 Russell Johnson Who Transformed the Sound in Concert Halls Dies at 83 New York Times Nytimes com Retrieved 2011 10 22 ARTHUR KAPTAINIS Freelance September 3 2011 2011 09 03 Concert hall architect is open minded Montrealgazette com Retrieved 2011 10 22 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link James Jamie 2004 06 28 Asia Classical music s new superpower TIME Archived from the original on October 29 2010 Retrieved 2011 10 22 Ginell Richard S 2006 09 18 Variety Reviews Renee amp Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall Inaugural Concert Music Reviews Review by Richard S Ginell Variety com Retrieved 2011 10 22 Glanz James 2000 04 18 Art Physics Beautiful Music New York Times Nytimes com Retrieved 2011 10 22 Paul Bennett 2002 05 27 All Blobs Lead to Rome Wired com Retrieved 2011 10 22 Jepson Barbara 2005 03 24 Acoustical Tales What Concert Halls Get Wrong WSJ com Retrieved 2011 10 22 Rattled of Symphony Hall Birmingham s bid for new greatness included balletic endeavour Olympic attempts and brave new temples of culture Then the city council changed its tune Nick Cohen reports Life amp Style The Independent 1994 03 09 Retrieved 2011 10 22 Woo Elaine 2007 08 10 Russell Johnson 83 innovative acoustician for classical music venues Los Angeles Times Articles latimes com Retrieved 2011 10 22 Arts American Composers Festival Orange County California Ft com 2008 02 14 Retrieved 2011 10 22 Russell Johnson Biography Russelljohnsonlegacy com Retrieved 2011 10 22 External links Edit memorial website Artec Consultants Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Russell Johnson acoustician amp oldid 1113462638, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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