September 6, 2010
The Hult Center
The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is Eugene's showcase performance venue, with the 2,500-seat Silva Concert Hall and the 550-seat Soreng Theater. Built in 1982, the Hult is unusually warm and engaging for a structure made largely of steel and glass; from the angled peaks of its roof to the towering timbers inside its lobby, the Hult directly references the Northwestern landscape.
A whimsical basketweave ceiling inside the Silva once caused Lyle Lovett to comment, as he looked up from the stage: "This is like waking up under a lawn chair."
The Silva, unfortunately, suffers from mediocre acoustics; the hall was designed as an all-pupose venue with flat sound that was to be amplified by an electronic sound syste, which has never proved satisfactory for anything but rock 'n' roll. The best sound for classical music is often found, curiously, in the cheap nosebleed seats of the upper balcony and along the side walls; the sound in the expensive orchestra seats can sometimes be dreadful.
In the basement find the Jacobs Gallery, an art gallery featuring changing exhibitions of regional and local artists.
Photo: Hult Center, 2006
all text and images © 2005-06 by Bob Keefer
no reproduction allowed in any form without written permission