The city of Wroclaw is a proud, splendid, cosmopolitan and rich in history, culture microcosm in Central Europe, where I was prioviledged to study at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. Where my extended family still lives there and I try to vitit each year as my duties would me allow. If you would like to learn more I address you to: Norman Davis/Roger Moorhouse and their 2002 book Microcosm Portrait of a Central European City
Soon after Poland has joined European Union, the city has been strongly supported with EU funding, for education, culture and infrastructure, etc. One of such project was the costruction of National Center of Music in Wroclaw, superseeding the Old Filhalmonia, funded in 70' by Warsaw on the ruins, with capacity and quality suitable for small town.
The new hall, is partially sunk into the ground with 5 floors underground, this in line with traditional city surroundings of buildings height of no more than 6 foors above ground.
Thus, in 2002 the city created a consortium consiting of Architecs, Building, Music Experts, Financing and Business, and sent scouting teams onto the world to find best, most advanced and most successfull Music Theathers. One of such centers was the Lucern Culture and Congress Centre in Luzern, Switzerland. Vision there concepted by Jean Nouvel, with its ultimate accustic hall covered with an adjustable Sound Reflector by Russel Johnson of Manhattan School of Music based in NYC.
Organizers decided to visit Luzern Culture and Congress Center and meet there with the Centre Operators and Architects, with Russel Johnson with his accoustic Experts from the United States, representatives from the City of Wroclaw, and the EU funders, to discuss issues and topics starting from musicians,
Construction,
Structural, Physics,
Accustics,
HVAC and even backroom installations including an exclusive
Le Piaf restaurant
.All of these participants were called to Luzern early May 2005 with 5 full days filled program. conference rooms were reserved in the Congress center, however all of particpants would speak in 2 or 3 languages, but we had in the room English, French, German and Polish at the same time, and questions required knowledge of not general languages but specific business, management, physic, Art and engineering, all symultaneusly translated, which required the translating person to interpret all those issues from technical knowledge as well as with the linguistic one.
The whole organizational duties of this "conference" in Switzerland was placed on the Polish Embassy officials in that country. Thus the diplomatic corps was spread to serch for suitable translator, who would be capable to overcome the challenges and ironed them out with certain authority.
At the time, I was running my company out of my office in Zug. The company was registered as a member of the Swiss-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, thus our name had an international character. On the other hand, myself was elected as a member of the Board to the Polish National Museum in Rapperswil and again I was known to the diplomatic Corp at the embassy.
Polish Ambassador in
Bern, called me with requirement if I could accomodate my schedules and dedicate a whole business week for the benefit of all concerned. My agreement sealed the fate of negotiations which closed all open questions, in the end. Resulting that Architects, Sound Reflector (called by many "moving ceiling" adjusting the concert hall accustics to small or to large audience) was to be incorporated into the polish architectural plans. Recommendation of Russell Johnston was soon announced as a great success and a first qualitative advantage first not only in Poland but also a first in other countries.
Manhattan School of Music 2002 Sound Reflector in Luzern moving up when the audience is "full", moving down when the audience is more "cameral".
Please note that the Concert Hall in Luzern is much smaller than the Concert Hall in Wroclaw, which stems from the size of its audience, while Wroclaw has a million residents while Luzern is a small University City of about 50 k residents.
