Above and below: The UK’s
Nevill Holt Opera, which is
dedicated to emerging talent
DESIGN AND ACOUSTICS
SOUND SPACE VISION
New voices
I n 2018, theater design and acoustics
consultancy Sound Space Vision (SSV)
opened two opera houses which are
polar opposites in location, size, shape,
cultural context and artistic production:
Nevill Holt Opera (NHO) in central England and
the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong.
NHO, England’s newest opera house,
is nestled inside the courtyard of the
17th century listed stable block of an
eponymous private estate in Leicestershire.
NHO’s annual summer opera festival is
dedicated to the development of young
British operatic talent.
SSV was tasked by the client to design,
along with Stirling Prize-winning architect
Witherford Watson Mann, an opera house that
would encourage emerging artists, providing
them with a space and sound that was supportive
and nurturing. SSV delivered a theater and
seating layout, production infrastructure,
an orchestra pit, and acoustics versatile enough
to allow for a wide operatic repertoire suitable
for young musicians and singers.
Old and new
The venue is modest in size but had to be
ingenious in its technical fit-out. The stable yard’s
original stone walls, lintels and window frames
were retained, and combined with new wood
construction and finishes to create a welcoming
and tastefully elegant atmosphere. This is
highlighted by natural light coming from the
hall’s center roof light. The space has been
designed to offer warm, enveloping acoustics
and excellent sightlines from every one of its
397 seats. NHO has been widely praised by
critics, for example the Daily Telegraph
described it as “an indisputable triumph”.
Hong Kong’s newest opera house, the
Xiqu Centre, involved a different set of
requirements. It is the flagship building
of the city’s 17-hectare (170,000m2) West
Kowloon Cultural District, which is still under
construction. The Xiqu Centre, which is the first
of the buildings to open in the district, is devoted
Opera houses are delicate buildings to design,
but Sound Space Vision’s appreciation of the
very different needs of its two clients has helped
achieve their one shared goal – to train, develop
and celebrate the next generation of artists
114 AUDITORIA 2019 VOLUME ONE