With two of the Netherlands biggest orchestras – the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest (the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra) and the Nederlands Kamerorkest (Netherlands Chamber Orchestra) – moving their rehearsal and performance space to a former church in east Amsterdam, a Yamaha DXR12 loudspeaker solution was selected to provide the new space with a high performance vocal PA system.
The two orchestras work closely together, between them playing to audiences of over 200,000 people in Holland and other countries every year. The musicians also perform in classrooms and hospitals, community centres and other leisure facilities, with the aim being to bring high quality music to those who are unable to attend concerts, including the young, elderly, disabled, unwell and incarcerated.
Renamed the NedPhO-Koepel (NedPhO-Dome), the Gerardus Majella church was sympathetically modified and soundproofed, with the project designed and specified by architects Zaanen Spanjers and consulting engineers Peutz.
A key part of the project was to deliver high quality audio in the main space, beneath the building’s 35m high dome. In addition to radically reducing the reverb time, a high quality vocal and background music PA was needed for the 250-seat performance and rehearsal venue. Amsterdam’s Audio Electronics Mattijsen (AEM) chose four Yamaha DXR12 active loudspeakers and an MG124C mixer.
“They needed a PA which would be very user-friendly, sound great and deliver excellent coverage. But it also had to be very compact, to ensure the loudspeakers did not visually dominate the room,” commented Jan Prins of Yamaha Commercial Audio’s Benelux branch.
As well as the system delivering high quality sound at all volume levels, the 12 channel MC124C mixer provides straightforward control for microphones and pre-recorded music, making it very easy for any member of staff to use.
“The system is proving a complete success and we are really pleased that Yamaha has been able to contribute to making a well-equipped, fantastic sounding home for both orchestras and a new venue of cultural excellence for the whole Netherlands,” Jan concludes.
