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Remembering Frank Gehry and the New World Center

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Remembering Frank Gehry and the New World Center

 

 

Introduction to a discussion of Frank Gehry and the creation of the New World Center.   2:03 min.  Panelists: Howard Herring, Clyde Scott, John Stuart, Raymond Elman.  Post-Production:  Lee Skye.  Music: New World Symphony,  Recorded via Zoom:  1/9/26, Miami.

 

HOWARD HERRING is the President and CEO of the New World Symphony (NWS).  A native of Oklahoma, and a pianist by training, he was selected to lead the New World Symphony in 2001, with the charge of revitalizing the institution’s national and international profile. In January 2011, the New World Symphony opened a new musical laboratory (the New World Center) designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry. The program-driven building was designed to explore digital technology, establishing the New World Center (NWC) as the most technologically advanced performance center in the world.

The New World Symphony is where the future of orchestral music is envisioned, cultivated and shared

As NWS envisions a strong and secure future for classical music, the institution helps to redefine, reaffirm, express and share its traditions with as many people as possible.  To this end, NWS has created the WALLCAST®. New World Symphony WALLCAST® concerts enable the public to experience select events throughout the season at SoundScape Park in Miami Beach, through a striking use of visual and audio technology on the soaring, 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the New World Center.  Each WALLCAST® concert is free to the public and does not require a ticket.  The park can accommodate up to 3,000 people, and many of the attendees bring beach chairs and blankets, share picnic dinners, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the New World Symphony with friends and family – an innovative approach to audience development.

CLYDE SCOTT is a director and projection designer based in Miami Beach, FL.  In the early 2000s he joined the staff of the New World Symphony and in the following years worked closely with architect Frank Gehry and Gehry Partners on the unprecedented integration of HD video and projection technology into the New World Center.   He currently serves as Senior VP and Creative Director of New World Symphony Media.

Mr. Scott has directed over 100 live multi-camera HD and 4KUHD simulcasts featuring prominent artists such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Esa-Pekka Salonen, James Conlon, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Christian Tetzlaff, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yuja Wang, Eighth Blackbird, and Bruce Hornsby.

JOHN STUART, AIA, Distinguished University Professor in Architecture and Associate Dean for Cultural and Community Engagement at Florida International University’s (FIU) College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts (CARTA) is an architectural historian and a visual artist developing collaborative research projects on complexity, community, identity, technology, the environment and public space, with funding from Van Alen Institute, The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Science Foundation, The National Endowment for the Humanities, and The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

Stuart attended Brown University, Princeton University, and Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

 

Visit the New World Symphony website to learn about the NWS performance calendar and to schedule a tour of the New World Center.

The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 30 seconds and 8 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

SERENDIPITY:   4:49 min.

In the 2006 documentary by the great Sydney Pollack, “Sketches of Frank Gehry,” Gehry says that he doesn’t have to bid on projects anymore. How did you get him to be the architect for the New World Center?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:   1:25 min.

Also in the Sydney Pollack movie, Frank Gehry is mostly seen wearing a rumpled t-shirt, and seems very unpretentious. How was it to work with him?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE BRAND:  7:32 min.

It’s well known that Frank Gehry had an unusual approach to imagining the shapes of structures. Did you have the opportunity to witness his creative process?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE BRAND:   4:38 min.

When you were working with Michael Tilson Thomas to envision the New World Symphony through the year 2030, did you include how the building could be used to visually enhance the music?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:   3:22 min.

John, are you aware of other architects who have been inspired by the New World Center and tried to develop similar ideas?

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:   2:46 min.

Given the juxtaposition of unusual shapes and materials that Gehry utilized, were there any leaks or structural problems at the New World Center?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE BRAND:   2:56 min.

Tell us about the process for perfecting the acoustics in the New World Center.

 

CRITICAL THINKING:   2:35 min.

Did you ever have to adjust the acoustic baffles after they were initially set?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:   1:08 min.

The sound adjust process sounds very tedious. Were there moments of frustration?

 

COLLABORATION:   1:20 min.

Was the landscape architect part of Gehry’s team?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE BRAND:   2:34 min.

We were seated inside the NWC for the first WALLCAST of the 2025-26 season, and were surprised to see that the orchestra was going to play the first piece out in the park.

 

CREATES A UNIQUE BRAND:   3:33 min.

When there is a WALLCAST, it’s always a toss-up for us regarding whether we would prefer to sit inside the concert hall or out in the park.

 

CRITICAL THINKING:   1:56 min.

I was surprised to see architect Philip Johnson as a talking head in Sydney Pollack’s movie about Frank Gehry because their styles are almost polar opposites.