The centre has a 150-seat concert hall with highly-regarded acoustics, and a performance and recording space suitable for chamber ensembles, choirs and solo performers. Numerous soloists and ensembles have enjoyed the acoustics and inspiring atmosphere of the stage of the Arvo Pärt Centre: the soloists David James, Anja Lechner and Anne Akiko Meyers, and the ensembles Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Vox Clamantis, amongst others.
The acoustics of the concert hall at the centre were designed by the prestigious Spanish acoustician Higini Arau (Arau Acustica). With its bright sound, the concert hall is ideal for chamber music and brings out even the quietest of sounds. The cosy solid oak interior of the chamber concert hall seats up to 150. All chairs are removable, and the total floor area of the hall, including the stage, is 222 m².
The concert hall at the Arvo Pärt Centre is characterised by an exceptionally clear sound, which demands a high level of skill from the performers. The concert hall creates an intimate atmosphere: it feels like you are performing for each person individually.
David James, countertenor
Concert hall details
Number of seats: 150
Stage area: 43.8 m2
Ground floor area: 178.2 m2
Ceiling: the concrete ceiling is 9.8 m at the highest point, 7 m at the lowest point, and the lower edge of the acoustic ceiling is at 4.8 m.
Acoustical parameters
Background noise: LAeq =23.2 dB(A)
Reverberation Time: Tmid=1.72 s
Early Decay Time: EDTmid/Tmid = 0.95 s
Bass Ratio: Tlow/Tmid = 0.99
Brightness: Thigh/Tmid = 1.10
Clarity C80: C80 = 0.46
Strength G = 11.2 dB
Source: R&D Akustika
The concert hall at the Arvo Pärt Centre is a chamber concert hall with excellent acoustics. Its sound leaves a much greater impression than one might think at first glance. The physically perceptible calmness is extraordinary and not experienced in most other places. The small and compact control room adjacent to the stage adds value, making recording projects very easy and pleasant.
Tanel Klesment, sound director
Instruments
• Steinway D Spirio | r (Hamburg), 2019, 442 Hz (on stage)
• Estonia L210 (210 cm, 6’10 ”), 2016, 440 Hz (by prior arrangement)
• Steinway K-132 (Hamburg), 2019, 442 Hz (by prior arrangement)
• 88-key Una Corda (David Klavins’ workshop, 2014) (by prior arrangement)
• Harmonium, 440 Hz (by prior arrangement)
Control room
The concert hall includes a compact control room, which has both visual and video, as well as tie-line, connections to the hall.
Additional rooms and catering
Recording teams have at their disposal three comfortable private lounges (green rooms) and a spacious creative space with a beautiful view of the forest, which can be adapted for post-production if necessary. All auxiliary spaces have video feeds from the concert hall, and a fibre connection assures reliable connectivity for broadcasting, remote recording and more.
The café at the Arvo Pärt Centre offers savoury and sweet snacks prepared on site, as well as a lunch menu. During recording sessions, you can order warm meals of your choice, including special menus (vegan, vegetarian, lactose-free etc.).
Location
The Arvo Pärt Centre is located in Laulasmaa, in a pine forest by the sea only a 40-minute drive from Estonia’s capital, Tallinn. Located nearby is La Spa, which offers accommodations and a variety of leisure options. In addition to La Spa’s à la carte restaurant ‘Wicca’, the café ‘Ott ja Matilda’ offers a very cosy and homely approach to eating out.
The picturesque small Lohusalu marina, Niitvälja Golf Centre course and Keila-Joa manor house and park, with a nature trail, are all in the vicinity of the Laulasmaa. More exclusive accommodations can be found at the manor house Schloss Fall in Keila-Joa, together with the à la carte Cher Ami, a museum and a wine cellar. Further west, you can visit the Padise Monastery and Visitor Centre, the only fully preserved Cistercian monastery in Northern Europe.