Australian Chamber Orchestra

Australian Chamber Orchestra’s new home at Pier 2/3 in the new Sydney Harbour $371.3 million Walsh Bay Arts Precinct is a technologically flexible and acoustically designed venue to enable to ACO to make the most of their new facility with rehearsals, performances, office space and event hire.

Theatreplan started working with ACO in 2015 to assist them in developing a Functional Brief for their venue. Formerly a wool store, the plans were for a 300-seat auditorium, rehearsal room, public spaces, and offices. This included advice on fit-out costs as ACO were to be a tenant of Pier 2/3.

Theatreplan were appointed directly by ACO in October 2016. Theatreplan spent time understanding what mattered to the ACO, their ambitions and specific needs, and from this we provided a new design/performance brief to shape the spaces, facilities and the technology which could service their performance needs, human resources and budget.

Theatreplan designed the Front of House sound system for amplified events and performances to be a full range point source system so the speakers are discreet within the architectural finishes. The main auditorium seating 275 people the Neilson, is a multi-use venue and the technology has been designed to be extremely diverse to give flexibility for classical orchestra, rehearsals as well as amplified music, presentations and film screenings without being too visible all with great sightlines for the audience.

“Theatreplan’s expertise, support and advice across audio, AV, lighting, theatre systems, stage engineering, and all elements of venue design and construction has been of critical importance to the Australian Chamber Orchestra throughout the planning, design, construction, delivery and defect periods for the Orchestra’s award winning, state of the art new home in Pier 2/3 on Sydney Harbour. The Theatreplan team has provided consistently high quality, timely, pragmatic and thorough service to the ACO and assisted our organisation to manage a range of stakeholders and complex challenges throughout the project. We could not be more satisfied with their work and grateful for their support.”
Alexandra Cameron-Fraser
Chief Operating Officer