Overture Center Has Great Expectations for Its Inaugural Season
Chicago Scenic recently completed the construction and installation of an impressive orchestra riser system for the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The Overture Center is a new state-of-the-art performing arts facility designed and constructed for exceptional acoustics and excellent viewing capabilities.

CSSI Senior Project Manager Ross Hamilton worked with Eric Paultz of J.H. Findorff & Son to complete the project on time and on budget. Also involved in this project were Carpentry Job Lead Luis Salces and Metals Lead Beth Smith. Gabe Segoviano served as the principle draftsman.

The riser system, designed by Kirkegaard and Associates, was custom built to implement structural, acoustical, and viewing standards of the highest quality. The structure is composed of aluminum tubing supported on steel frames, and the platform tops are a combination of half-inch plywood, cardboard, honeycomb material, and steamed beech wood. The trim is European beech and is faced with western maple.

The risers assemble inside a shell that surrounds the orchestra. Their principle purposes are to elevate the members of the orchestra for a clear view of the conductor and to provide a surface that is similar to an actual solid floor, allowing for proper sound resonance. Hamilton said, “This was a very unique piece for us to build because it’s not typical scenery. Between the aluminum and the wood there was a tremendous need for accuracy. The level that we had to take it to was a new challenge for us.”

<<Back to Theater/Live Events
<<Back to Fall 2004 Newsletter