Classical music ‘speakeasy’ one of Chicago’s best kept secrets
Chicago’s Guarneri Hall has been providing classical music aficionados with a unique concert venue and recording studio since it opened in 2018.
The only problem is, a chunk of the Windy City may not know it’s there.
Guarneri Hall is tucked away on the third floor of a 16-floor office building in the Loop, or Chicago’s central business district, according to NPR affiliate WBEZ. The radio station points out that the location, as well as the unique acoustics in the venue, make it a fantastic place for classical musicians and fans alike.
Stefan Hersh, artistic director for Guarneri Hall, worked with world-renowned acoustics experts to create the performance hall, WBEZ reported. Everything from acoustic panels to the tapering of walls was designed with sound in mind.
“Room geometry, this asymmetry of a room, is integral to containing certain frequencies, and especially what are called standing waves, which really disrupt everything that we would want to hear in a room,” Hersh said.
Quality soundproofing also blocks street noise, including the rumble of an elevated train a couple of hundred yards away.
Five years into Guarneri Hall’s existence, a new concert series aims to draw in more than the usual classical music crowd. The series, run by Nova Linea Musica, belies the hall’s unassuming appearance and 60-person capacity.
The series kicks off Oct. 23 with a sold-out performance by the renowned Dover Quartet, who played Carnegie Hall in April.
Hersh, himself a violinist, is ecstatic.
“I kind of sit here pinching myself, because I had a fairly good career as a performer myself,” Hersh told WBEZ. “But now I’m actually getting to work with the level well above where I was.”
Dover Quartet members, from left, Joel Link, Julianne Lee, Camden Shaw and Bryan Lee are pictured. (Credit: Roy Cox)
The group behind Nova Linea Musica, which launched over the summer, is also thrilled to have its inaugural concert series in the unique venue.
“It’s a classical speakeasy,” Desirée Ruhstrat, Nova Linea Musica’s artistic director, told WBEZ. “(The sound) just seems so close to you, no matter where you are. You can hear somebody breathe, you can hear when the bow touches the string and you can hear these intimate sounds that aren’t things that project in a concert hall.”