School of Music opens the W. W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall with premier ensemble performances on Oct. 12

Join Dean Tayloe Harding and USC School of Music faculty, staff, and students for the Grand Opening of the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall in the new Darla Moore School of Business. The anticipated event features music by Carolina's premier ensembles: USC Wind Ensemble, USC Chamber Orchestra, USC Concert Choir and Opera at USC.

The free event takes place Sunday, October 12 at 4:00 p.m. in the Darla Moore School of Business, Level 1 (1014 Greene St). A reception follows the performance in the Sonoco Pavilion. Valet parking is available on Greene St.

Guests will also enjoy musical treats before and after the main performance event. A wide variety of student ensembles will play around the lobby area beginning at 3:15, after the concert, and during the reception. Suzuki Strings students will play during intermission.

The W. W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall is a result of a partnership between the USC School of Music and the Darla Moore School of Business. The mid-size 500-seat hall adds more flexibility to meet the performance needs of music students, faculty and guest artists. The School of Music will use the hall on weekends and after 5:00 on weekdays for performances requiring more seating than the 200-seat recital hall, but less than the 2,000-seat Koger Center for the Arts. The Business School will use the space as a lecture hall during the week.

The new Darla Moore School of Business building was designed by Raphael Viñoly Architects of New York and sets a new standard for innovation and energy efficiency in higher-education facilities. The firm has completed critically acclaimed civic projects and private and institutional commissions. Viñoly won an international competition in 1989 to design the Tokyo International Forum, the largest and most important cultural complex in Japan. In addition, he designed the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

JaffeHolden designed the acoustics and AV/IT for the multi-use hall to accommodate both music and lectures. The different uses require an adjustable acoustic system to vary the resonance in the room. Retractable acoustical banners on the walls absorb sound for lectures and jazz bands and when retracted increase the reverberance in the room so that classical music sounds rich, full and warm. JaffeHolden has been the acoustical designer for USC having completed both the school of music and the Koger Center. JaffeHolden has been in business since 1967 and has designed the acoustics for notable facilities such as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Severance Hall and Carnegie Hall.