At the Seattle Symphony, drills, hammers and saws have replaced the music of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven this summer.
The symphony is in the midst of a $20 million renovation of the Benaroya Hall interior, specifically the area where concert-goers congregate before a performance or during intermission. Built in 1998, the downtown Seattle venue is approaching its 30th anniversary.
The organization plans to open the facility to the public year-round for coffee, lunch and pre-show dining with food by catering company Sodexo Live and noted Seattle chef Ethan Stowell.
Maria Yang, the symphony’s acting CEO and chief development officer, led KNKX on a tour of the construction site.
Interview Highlights
On redesigning the Grand Lobby
I can't say how many times I've been here for concerts and see people just pass right through the lobby and go to their seats. I would love to see, when we reopen this space, for people to really explore and enjoy the lobby space. What you see now is a row of chairs along the perimeter of the lobby, and they certainly all get used, but it doesn't exactly encourage conversation and gathering. So a big part of what we're doing to this space is adding that intentional seating.
On what patrons can expect
We shared [plans] with the volunteer and front-of-house team, and I remember a few people coming up to me afterwards, and just saying, “I've worked here every week for so many years, for decades, and everything that I have thought of over the years, like, ‘oh, this could be improved’, or ‘maybe we should do this differently’, or ‘we should do this,’ you've captured all of it in the project.”
How the renovations will hold up
I think we have taken a real look at what audiences want and we did a lot of that research before we even started designing and dreaming. Of course I think the most important part of a successful organization is being able to adapt, so this won't be the last change that we make to the hall, for sure.
Opening night for the Seattle Symphony is Sept. 19. The symphony will also host a community open house on Oct. 18 at Benaroya Hall with musical performances and storytelling.
