The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music’s Kimball Recital Hall, completed in 1969, has been busy with updates over the summer, with many of those changes sure to be very visual to both patrons and students/faculty alike.
The most striking is the new maple wooden stage flooring that replaced flooring that is believed to be original to the building built nearly 50 years ago.
“I think the plan was to get the floor replaced long before I got here, but replacing the floor and the pit was one of my top priorities when I started working,” said Kimball Recital Hall Production Manager/Technical Director Jason Hibbard. “I submitted the request for an estimate way back in the fall of 2013, and I had worked closely with Project Manager Dan Watkins at Facilities Planning and Construction since then.
“Some aspects of floor project were a unique challenge for the contractors, specifically the metal tracks that our acoustical walls pivot on…one intrepid craftsman spent a whole week painstakingly routing the recently installed boards to accept the original tracks. The end result is fantastic. The installers and finishers (RJ Flooring) did an exceptional job.
But even though this visual change will be profound this fall, it’s been a two-year process of updates, according to Facilities and Equipment Associate Mark Nealeigh that have included:
* installing a new classroom A/V system used for teaching large section classes
* refurnishing the audience seating with new cushions and upholstery
* replacing all the carpet in the auditorium and lower lobby
* installing new HVAC components to reduce the variation in humidity and temperature
* updating the recording microphones
* installing new carpet on the floor and walls of the orchestra pit, replacing the original carpet dating back to 1969. The pit cover and structure was also replaced with a new, custom-built cover.
* renovating the patron restrooms in the lower lobby to update the fixtures and styling to a more modern look. Both restrooms will be fitted with new changing tables and ADA compliant toilet stalls.
“Kimball Recital Hall has been at the heart of what we do daily at the Glenn Korff School of Music for almost fifty years, and we hope that through careful stewardship it continues to be our performing home for many decades to come,” said Glenn Korff School of Music Interim Director Peter M. Lefferts. “The investment in refurbishments and improvements that it has enjoyed over the last few years make it an even better space for both performers and audiences to make and experience music, theatre, and dance.”
In addition, to further enhance the webcasting that has been taking place inside Kimball Recital Hall the past two years, two more cameras are being added.
“The additions for webcast include two new remotely controlled high-definition cameras that can be positioned anywhere on stage,” said Information Technology Associate Jeff O’Brien. “By positioning these cameras on the stage it gives our viewers a more immersive experience. In solo/small group settings we will have better close-ups and playing shots, and in large groups we will be able to embed cameras within the ensemble allowing viewers a truly unique perspective. These cameras also allow us to feature our faculty and student conductors in action.”
Kimball Recital Hall was dedicated in 1971 with a three-day series of auspicious concerts including a recital by Eugene Istomin, a performance by the Chicago Symphony String Quartet and a performance by Robert Baker on the new Miskell Memorial Organ. Boris Goldovsky was present for the School of Music's presentation of Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief, and Robert Shaw conducted the University Singers and the University Orchestra in Poulenc's Gloria.
“The replacement of the stage has been a special project,” Hibbard said. “To me, the stage is not just a floor. It becomes something more when the lights go out and the performers come on…for those precious few moments, the stage becomes a sacred place, and I’m proud to have all of our GKSOM faculty and students perform on it for the next 50 years!”