Emory University News Release

Release date: May 31, 2002
Contact: Sally Corbett, Director of Public Relations News and Information, Arts,
at 404-727-6678 or sacorbe@emory.edu

Concert Hall to be Named for Cherry Logan Emerson

Cherry Logan Emerson of Atlanta has provided more than $1 million in support of the state-of-the-art concert hall under construction in the Donna and Marvin Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory University. Emerson, the university's most generous living benefactor, is an especially strong supporter of the arts and humanities in Emory College.

Emerson's passion for music at Emory has been expressed in many ways, ranging from active concert-going to the funding of a music professorship. Emerson is a long-standing member of Emory's Friends of Music and recently endowed the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta's annual Emerson Series as well as the Mary L. Emerson Chair of Piano Studies. Cherry Logan Emerson Concert Hall will open to the public Feb. 1, 2003 during the building's dedication ceremony, which also marks the start of the four-month Schwartz Center Opening Festival.

"For the arts at Emory this gift by Cherry is like an unforgettable encore following a masterful performance. We are so appreciative of his enthusiasm and generosity. It is especially fitting to name this hall after him, since we know he and his wife Mary will attend our concerts every chance they get," stated Senior Associate Dean Rosemary Magee, executive director of Emory's arts center project and arts steering committee.

Cherry Emerson is a 1938 graduate of Emory College and 1939 graduate of Emory's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He is a third generation scientist credited with numerous patents and products developed principally by Emerson and Cumming, the chemical engineering firm he co-founded and operated for 35 years.

His interest in the arts began in childhood. He sold Coca-Cola to construction workers who built the Morningside neighborhood during summers in his youth to finance the purchase of the used Steinway piano he plays to this day. He studied piano under composer Alfredo Barili, the renowned Italian immigrant who founded Atlanta's classical music scene. Emerson commissioned a biography on this noted figure.

Emerson's outpouring of generosity toward Emory does not stop with the arts. He has also supported a science professorship, science lecture series and the establishment of a scientific computational center at Emory. The university golf team has also benefited from his generosity. A year ago, Emory honored Emerson by naming a new science building Cherry Logan Emerson Hall. "Cherry's commitment to his two lifelong passions, art and science, is a model for Emory students. Our most popular double major happens to be chemistry and music," says Magee.

Emerson Concert Hall, the largest performance space in the Schwartz Center, will be home to more than a dozen Department of Music ensembles for students and three resident professional ensembles. It will also be the primary venue for Emory's major annual music series, including: Candler Classical Series, Journeys (non-Western music), SoundScapes (contemporary music), Jazz Fest (three-day festival each Feb.), and Faculty Recital. The hall will eventually feature an organ by Dan Jaeckel for which fundraising is ongoing.

To support the Schwartz Center campaign with a donation, the public may call 404-727-5557. For performing arts at Emory tickets, the number is 404-727-5050.

Background on Design of Cherry Logan Emerson Concert Hall

Emerson Concert Hall was designed through collaboration between architect Michael Dennis, the acousticians of Kirkegaard and Associates, Theater Projects, and members of Emory's Arts Center project team. The hall's overall design and its acoustical elements are intended to combine to make performance sound quality as perfect as possible. Its architecture is based on the historically significant designs of the Musikverein Concert Hall in Vienna, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Concert Hall and Boston Symphony Hall. Its stage can seat a 100-member symphony and its choral balcony can expand with risers for a 190-member chorus. This classic, shoe-box design has proven most effective for instrumental as well as choral music. The 64 by 146 foot (9,344 square feet) hall stands 60 feet tall and has seating for up to 825 guests.

The shape of the multifaceted stucco and concrete wall and ceiling panels, based on contemporary acoustic theory, forces correct absorption and deflection of sound waves. The walls range from 12 to over 36 inches thick in order to meet acoustic needs. Fifty-six concrete panels make up the 1.3 million pound ceiling.

Hanging banners and "toasters," which are the fixed panels protruding from the grooves in the ceiling, can be adjusted to provide appropriate acoustics for any level or type of performance. The touch of a button enables the movement of the banners and toasters thereby altering the acoustics depending on concert.

Schroeder Diffusers are used in the hall to produce a wide surface for sound to deflect from while avoiding excess absorption. These timber modules, placed on the rear wall of the hall, provide a diffuse sound.

The hall's construction materials have undergone a variety of tests and reviews. Double-paned glass windows, multiple layers of plaster on most walls, an underground ventilation system and air ducts lined with special insulation will buffer environmental sounds. Unlike many halls, the base of the ceiling in Emerson Concert Hall is lined with thirty windows; this clerestory makes a bright and appealing space for academic activities in daytime such as lectures and rehearsals. The selection of the hall's chairs, down to the fabric and wood used, was determined by the materials' ability to provide the correct sound quality no matter what the audience size.

The Schwartz Center is inspired by Italianate design. The color scheme of Emerson Concert Hall is a Tuscan palate including deep red, terracotta and white.

The areas surrounding the hall have been designed to minimize or deflect sound outside the Hall. The light and sound locks (inner passageways) at each entrance to the hall serve to minimize unwanted light and sound. To successfully limit unwanted noise and vibration from reaching the hall, the flooring "floats" on top of the concrete. The public may preview the concert hall interior by visiting the Schwartz Center website online at www.schwartzcenter.emory.edu.