Can You Describe The Concert Hall In The Sydney Opera House?

        Very impressive is the 2,690-seat Concert Hall with its sculptured white-birch ceiling rising 90 feet (27 meters) above. Here one may hear symphonies, chamber music, choral productions or popular music. The Concert Hall is also used for conventions. There are translation facilities for up to five languages. Since these facilities employ a radio system, no plugs or wires connecting the headphones are needed.

        Suspended well above the platform are 21 large acrylic doughnut-shaped "acoustic clouds." These reflect some of the sound back down to the stage, giving the orchestra its own private acoustical system without interfering with the sound directed to the audience.

        The $400,000 Grand Organ, which is still under construction, provides a dramatic backdrop to the stage. It will be the largest mechanical-action organ in the world, with 10,500 pipes. Only 100 of the burnished tin pipes and 24 bronze bells will be visible from the audience. The organ will be 30 feet (9 meters) above the floor, and will be 50 feet (15 meters) high. The organist will have to watch the conductor on closed-circuit television.

        There are smaller theatres too. The Drama Theatre, seating 544, has an adaptable stage. Its front part can be lowered to form an orchestra pit, alternative entrance for actors or an extra seating area. The stage also has two concentric turntables so that scenes can be changed in a matter of seconds. Or, the actors can simply walk from one set to the other as if going from the one location to the other. As with all auditoriums, the stage lighting can be programmed to turn on and off automatically. Up to 200 light changes can be stored on computer tape for use whenever any performance is to be repeated.