Overview and preliminary results from a study of stage acoustics for chamber orchestras

This paper describes an ongoing project that examines the on-stage acoustic conditions of major Australia purpose-built concert halls in relation to their use for chamber music performance. During a national tour in 2015, members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra made subjective assessments. Acoustic measurements in these auditoria are being undertaken using the same stage configuration as the performances, with both a traditional omnidirectional receiver and with a 32-channel spherical microphone array (Eigenmike). At the time of writing, measurements have been completed in six halls. This paper presents these initial results and considers both traditional omnidirectional parameters and also the spatial response on stage in the auditoria. The results of the subjective study have been previously reported, but are summarized briefly and then discussed in this paper in relation to the objective measurements. Further auditorium measurements are planned; nevertheless, these early results indicate some notable and interesting relationships between the objective measurements and subjective musician assessments.