Caramoor | |
 East elevation of Rosen House, 2008 | |
  | |
| Location | Katonah, New York |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | White Plains |
| Coordinates | 41°14′20″N 73°38′49″W / 41.23889°N 73.64694°W |
| Area | 81 acres (33 ha)[1] |
| Built | 1929–39[1] |
| Architect | Christian Rosborg, Mott B. Schmidt |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000548 |
| Added to NRHP | March 25, 2001 |
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a former estate near Katonah, New York United States, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. Today it serves as a live music venue for symphonic, opera, chamber, American roots, and jazz, performances. The estate and its historic home are legacies of their original owners, Walter and Lucie Rosen.[2] The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is held there every summer. It also runs educational programs, and can be rented for events such as: weddings, pre and post-concert receptions, meetings and retreats, corporate and cultivation dinners, and photo and film shoots.
The Rosens built the estate and Tuscan-style villa gradually during the 1930s, importing many architectural and decorative items from Europe.[3] The informal musical performances they hosted evolved into the beginning of Caramoor's current offerings in 1945, and their collection of Renaissance-era and Chinese artworks, some rare, is on display throughout the estate. Lucie Rosen later donated it to the private organization that runs it today. In 2001 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2015, Caramoor Center hired Acoustic Distinctions for an acoustic study to inform and support a $1M renovation of the historical Rosen House Music Room. Honoring the legacy of the Rosen Family’s creation of a unique haven for culture, artists and the arts in the early 20th Century, the music room to this day hosts a variety of events. Performances include live music performances of small ensembles with piano accompaniment, an annual cabaret show with full lighting and educational field trips for school children interested in percussion and music composition. The room seats between 150-220 patrons. Some performances utilize amplification systems.
Acoustic Distinction’s team attended several on-site meetings and collected sound measurements during multiple performances in the room. The team analyzed data to evaluate the Music Room’s acoustical attributes and provided programming assistance to architects and engineers. Achievable acoustic design criteria within practical, cost-effective design and construction means were established. Design input was provided for room design in conjunction with installation of new seating and risers. Appropriate noise control and sound isolation and separations were verified pertaining to changes to the toilet rooms and courtyard winterization.
Recommendations included the addition of retractable acoustic curtains to enable the room to be adjusted or ‘tuned’ to the type and size of the performing ensemble.
- ^ a b Shaver, Peter (October 25, 2000). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Caramoor". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ Glinsky, Albert (2000). Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. pp. 288. ISBN 0-252-02582-2.
- ^ Ames, Lynne (October 19, 1997). "The View From: Katonah; For Costume Fanciers, Regal Fantasy Fashions". New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2010.