Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest (the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, or NedPhO) and Nederlands Kamerorkest (Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, or NKO) work closely together, between them playing to audiences of over 200,000 people in Holland and other countries every year.
Deeply involved in the country's cultural and social environment, under the name NedPhO GO! musicians also perform in classrooms and hospitals, community centres and other leisure facilities. The aim is to bring high quality music to those who are unable to attend concerts, including the young, elderly, disabled, unwell and incarcerated.
Recently, both orchestras had to find a new home in which to rehearse and stage smaller concerts. They found the ideal location in the former Gerardus Majella church in east Amsterdam. Renamed the NedPhO-Koepel (NedPhO-Dome), the church was sympathetically modified and soundproofed, the project designed and specified by architects Zaanen Spanjers and consulting engineers Peutz.
As well as the provision of offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal studios, a music library and other facilities, 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," says 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 Prins concludes.
(Jim Evans)
