You experience the history of this place in the lobby; historic photos adorn the walls of what is now the Jacobs Music Center.
It began its life in 1929 as the Fox Theater, one of the grand movie palaces of the day. It has been San Diego Symphony’s home since 1985.
"I just couldn’t contain myself," said Symphony Music Director Maestro Rafael Payare. He said he screamed when he first walked in.
“You look around and you think what — how we have been waiting for it and actually being able to have it … I had to (scream) and then I apologized because I think people got scared, but that’s alright," Payare said with a laugh.
The $125-million renovation of this 95-year-old building began after the pandemic hit, and now, some three years later, it’s just about ready to welcome audiences once again.
“Watching it emerge, and knowing that all of the details that I do, to really see them come to life is an experience that I never expected to be able to have and that is just truly a gift," said Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer.
Seeing this place come to life took the work of hundreds of people. The result of that work was laid out in a tour for the media on Tuesday.
We saw places that the public doesn’t usually see, like a new musicians' lounge backstage, proper storage space for instruments, and a hidden door that looks like part of the wall when closed. It's where the conductor would emerge on stage.
“It is with this legion of people that has made this happen … you know the dreamers, the designers, the practical, the engineers," Gilmer said.
Architects and sound engineers were also there for the tour. One of them was Paul Scarbrough, who is a principal with the sound design firm Akustics, LLC.
“We specialize in the design of concert halls, theaters, opera houses, music schools and museums," Scarbrough said.
Scarbrough is officially known as an acoustician. He said the acoustics here are now some of the best in the world.
That’s been achieved by utilizing state-of-the-art, adjustable acoustic panels above the stage, and movable wall pieces behind the screen mesh that surrounds the stage and the house walls.
“Now there’s more acoustical breathing room around the ensemble and that volume is much better connected to the volume of the auditorium, so it acts more like a single acoustic," Scarbrough said.
We got to hear those acoustics during a rehearsal on Tuesday night. The sound in the balcony was clear and crisp, a foretaste of what is to come for generations of audiences in what Rafael Payare said will be one of the finest concert halls on the planet.
The official opening of the Jacobs Music Center will be on Sept. 28.
