Transforming Sydney’s Landmark Verbrugghen Hall

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, part of the University of Sydney and one of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious music schools, has completed a major audio upgrade to its heritage-listed Verbrugghen Hall. Founded in 1915 by Belgian conductor and violinist Henri Verbrugghen, the Conservatorium is housed in the Greenway Building — a historic landmark within Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, designed by colonial architect Francis Greenway. Originally constructed as stables for Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1821, the building was later converted into the Conservatorium, with extensive renovations in 2001 to accommodate its growing programs.

Verbrugghen Hall, a 528-seat concert venue renowned for its exceptional acoustics, traditionally required little amplification for orchestral performances. However, the legacy PA system, installed at the turn of the century, was increasingly unable to meet modern demands, particularly for speech and contemporary amplified performances. The challenge was to deliver high intelligibility across the audience while preserving the hall’s architectural integrity and avoiding excessive acoustic excitation. Additionally, system components had to be lightweight — under 150kg / 331lb per hang point — and visually discreet to maintain the hall’s Gothic aesthetic and historic features, including its century-old pipe organ.

“As we explored options for a permanent installation, Alcons emerged as one of the few systems capable of meeting the quirks and constraints of the space”, Jarrad Salmon, Technical Production Manager

To address these requirements, David Betterridge of Loud And Clear Sales, in collaboration with Drew Bisset Designs, proposed a left/right Alcons Audio LR7/LR7B system covering the full audience area; The system to be supplemented with VR5 front fills and BF362 bass extensions for performances requiring additional low-end support. “The modelling in Ease Focus suggested very even coverage, with excellent frequency response across all audience areas. As long as we could position the arrays precisely, the system would perform as intended,” commented Betterridge. Close collaboration with venue staff and specialist engineering ensured that hang points were installed exactly where needed, respecting both structural limitations and sightlines.

The system was installed and commissioned and has already exceeded expectations. Jarrad Salmon, Technical Production Manager at the Conservatorium, said:

“As a classical hall originally designed for orchestral music, Verbrugghen Hall presents a distinct set of challenges for the growing number of events requiring live sound reinforcement. The space is highly reverberant and was built long before modern production standards were considered, making it difficult to achieve clarity and coverage without compromising the venue’s structural integrity, sightlines, or limited stage space.”

The first experience of the Hall’s team with an Alcons system came during an external client’s event, and they were immediately impressed by the system’s speech intelligibility and overall performance.

Salmon continues: “As we explored options for a permanent installation, Alcons emerged as one of the few systems capable of meeting the quirks and constraints of the space, while remaining within budget. Post-sales support from Loud and Clear has been outstanding, further reinforcing our confidence in the investment.”

The installation represents a fusion of heritage architecture and modern audio engineering, delivering a system that is as unobtrusive visually as it is powerful sonically. Performers and audiences alike can now experience every nuance of music and speech with unprecedented clarity, while the hall’s historic character remains fully intact.

More information on Sydney Conservatorium of Music

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