Why dedicate a career to perfecting the sound quality within enclosed spaces? For William Chu, it wasn’t a planned path, but a compelling curiosity that drew him into the specialized world of acoustic design after college. Now, as the acoustician for InConcert Sierra’s new Crown Point Venues complex in Grass Valley’s Whispering Pines, Chu is using his expertise to create a concert hall where every note will resonate with precision and clarity.
As a kid growing up in the Queens area of New York City, Chu studied violin and piano at the Manhattan School of Music. While performing in youth orchestras, William played in numerous performance venues in New York, as well as in other U.S. and overseas cities, experiencing good and bad acoustics in various concert halls. He thus became quite conscious of the sound within a performance space, especially spaces with poor acoustics.
Because of his interest in sound and building design, he thought he’d go into architecture and attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he earned a building science degree. While at Rensselaer, he took a new acoustics course taught by the founder of one of the largest acoustical consulting firms in the U.S. This expert wanted to start a master’s program and asked William to apply for the program. It was one of only a few programs for acoustics in the U.S. attracting people from a variety of backgrounds. William completed the program and earned a Master of Science in building sciences with a specialty in architectural acoustics.
While wrapping up his graduate degree, William and a classmate entered a student competition and he received first place from the Acoustical Society of America, whose members are academics, researchers and practitioners. He then met a California acoustician who hired him and became William’s mentor. William worked for that acoustics firm for fourteen years, during which time they worked on the Soraya Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge, the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, and the Geffen Playhouse, among other big projects.
He subsequently worked for Acentech, a descendant of one of the earliest renowned acoustical consulting firms. During that time, in addition to concert halls, he designed acoustics for all sorts of projects including classrooms, lecture halls, auditoriums, hospitals, laboratories, collaborative office spaces and animal shelters.
A number of years ago, William met Bill Dohn, a prominent California acoustician, and two years ago they formed a partnership, Chu and Dohn Associates. Both are members of the National Council of Acoustical Consultants, the society for working acousticians. They were referred to InConcert Sierra and the rest will be history.
Crafting the acoustics to “tune” a concert hall involves many crucial details and decisions. Traditionally, concert halls have a rectangular, shoebox design, but William must take into account the hall’s footprint, the number of musicians, and the audience size. He examines the hall’s volume, ceiling height, and then determines how to shape the surfaces to optimize sound. Even the materials on the seating—whether sound-absorbing or reflective—are considered. The hall functions like an instrument, with tunable elements. Adjustable features like movable banners, stage shells, or curtains can further refine the sound. Ensuring a noise-free environment is essential, so air must flow silently through registers with sound traps and acoustically designed aerodynamic systems.
The core principle of concert hall acoustics is ensuring that musicians can hear each other on stage. A well-designed performance environment is just as vital for the performers as it is for the audience. Stage surfaces and reflectors serve both groups, but their primary purpose is to support the musicians. The beauty and magic of music arise when the musicians can clearly hear, communicate, and respond to one another, fostering a seamless and collaborative performance.
In acoustics, as in many things, having a theory is one thing, but making it practical is another. The project must be both functional and feasible, with all solutions considered as a whole. The design of acoustical elements does not exist in a vacuum, just as sound doesn’t travel in a vacuum. The acoustics of ICS’s new concert hall must harmonize with the lighting, seating, size, wall finishes, flooring, and every other element. All professionals involved—acoustician, lighting designer, theater designer—are competing for the same space and must collaborate to achieve the desired outcome. It’s no easy task, but William is fully prepared to ensure the concert hall’s sound is exceptional, creating a remarkable community performance venue for ICS.
If you would like to see InConcert Sierra’s new building being constructed in Grass Valley’s Whispering Pines Business Park, you can sign up for a tour at https://crownpointvenues.com/.
Hindi Greenberg is the president of the board of InConcert Sierra in Grass Valley, CA.