Coronado Performing Arts Center's - Acoustic Sound Shell Installation

The Coronado's acoustical sound shell, exquisitely beautiful, has marked the venue as a top-tier performing arts center for 23 years since its 2001 reopening, which transformed a 1920s "Movie Palace" into a performing arts center.
Custom-built for the Coronado by Wenger Corporation, the Shell was the largest of its kind at the time and remains a permanent feature of the Coronado Performing Arts Center. Its current replacement value, including specialized decorative hand-painted artwork, is estimated at $600K.
Excellence, affordability, and community are hallmarks of the Coronado. The Acoustic Sound Shell is vital for the acoustic quality of performances, especially orchestral and choral music. This includes shows by the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, holiday concerts by regional high school choirs, and the RPS 205 All City Music Festival.
More than a sound reflector, the Acoustic Shell enhances the venue's accessibility for community events, providing a magnificent setting for graduations, ceremonies, and celebrations. It's a place where the community gathers to honor educational accomplishments, cultural heritage, and, in recent years, to observe family members become new U.S. citizens during several annual Naturalization Ceremonies. The shell is not only exceptionally beautiful for these events but also offers a cost-effective alternative to constructing elaborate backdrops, which would require extensive stage labor and special equipment rental.
Engineered to fold into three tall garage stalls on the stage's rear wall, the Coronado’s shell can be assembled in under two hours by three stage professionals using hydraulic lifts, with stage lighting integrated into the ceiling panels.
The shell is assembled and stored more than thirty times each year.