Pipers Corner School hosted a gala performance of its inaugural production ‘We Will Rock You’ to celebrate the opening of the new theatre. The gala on Saturday 26 November ended a hugely successful four-night run of the production. Michael Holden and Ian Rees dusted off their black tie garb to attend the event.
Performing Arts
A unique festival
A unique festival has just taken place at a special location. Lowestoft lies on the Norfolk / Suffolk border and is Britain’s most easterly town. This makes it the first town in the UK to welcome in the summer solstice each year. This source of inspiration led to the creation of the First Light Festival … Read more
Spiegeltent returns
Norfolk and Norwich Festival It’s festival season again, and the Norfolk and Norwich Festival has just finished. Once again the Adnams Spiegeltent came to town. This unusual venue is part of a tradition stretching back 130 years when large travelling tents would tour around Europe, acting as a home for cabaret and other entertainment. The N&N … Read more
AJA Scholarships
The AJA Scholarship initiative has helped encourage excellence and commitment in young musicians. I has supported award winners to thrive and excel.
Choosing AV Systems
Theatres, concert halls and school music departments all deserve the best possible AV design within available budgets. With a seemingly endless range of equipment available, it is difficult and time-consuming to find the right solution. Getting independent advice can result in a smoother ride for the project as well as savings down the line. At … Read more
Five Highlights from 2022
With the worst of Covid behind us, returning to the office, more hybrid working and face-to-face meetings have led to a raft of new assignments. 2022 also saw two new staff members join the team. 1. New faces Autumn 2022 brought two new faces to AJA – Julez Redding and Ben Hunt. Julez’s background includes … Read more
Hot off the press
Hot off the press, our new company brochure is now available. This 12-page printed A4 publication provides a comprehensive guide to our services. It’s an ideal reference for architects, builders, contractors and anyone who may need our experience now or in the future. Please email us if you would like a free printed copy of … Read more
First ever AJA Scholarships
for 2022, Adrian James Acoustics is proud to announce the first ever winners of our new scholarship scheme. Financial support The AJA Scholarship initiative was launched to encourage excellence and commitment. Promising instrumentalists from across Norfolk can apply for financial support. An advisory panel from Norfolk County Youth Orchestra chooses the award winners alongside Guildhall … Read more
AJA Scholarships
For the past three years Adrian James Acoustics has been behind a scholarship scheme in support local young musicians. To encourage excellence and commitment, promising instrumentalists have been able to apply for an AJA Scholarship. The Friends of Norfolk County Youth Orchestra administers the scheme alongside Guildhall Young Artists Norwich, which provides excellent coaching from … Read more
Five Highlights from 2021
Looking back on 2021, here are five of our highlights of the year. Despite the ongoing pandemic, we have completed multiple projects, as well as taking on a raft of new assignments. We also celebrated three of our staff completing their diplomas this year. Congratulations to George and Martyn, who become Associate Members of the … Read more
Dance studios
AJA recently worked with a local dance company – The Workshop Studios – who offer a wide programme of dance training. The organisation needed expert advice in converting a disused Norwich warehouse into a dance studio complex. Upgrades Our input included baseline noise survey work and 3D modelling to predict the noise emissions from activity … Read more
The Great Hall
We recently visited Kent College Canterbury – an independent school dating from 1885. Founded by Wesleyan Methodists with an initial intake of just five pupils, the campus has grown to cover an impressive 70-acre semi-rural site. In 2016 a second school was opened in Dubai and there are future plans for a presence in Hong … Read more
Residents and Festivals
King’s Lynn is a typical North Norfolk market town. For over 500 years the Tuesday Market Place has been its trading centre. This site also serves as a car park and for three weekends every year hosts the spectacular Festival Too music festival. Large crowds flock to the Market Place to hear a wide variety … Read more
Cinema City – a medieval gem
You may not expect to watch the latest Oscar-winning film in a medieval merchant’s house, but the success of Norwich’s Cinema City is a tribute to how the city keeps its history alive. The building known as Suckling House was named after the family who owned it in the sixteenth century. With some areas dating … Read more
St George’s Hall
St George’s Hall, Liverpool is a magnificent Grade I listed building dating from 1854. It stands next to a smaller Concert Room which was opened two years later. Located on Lime Street in the city centre, this area is part of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site. The Hall was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as one of … Read more
The Atrium, North Walsham
The Atrium is a government-funded “co-location” project to improve arts facilities for students during school hours, along with making these amenities available for use by the wider community at other times. The project transformed an existing site at North Walsham High School by adding a new space, including a 170-seat auditorium. This cinema / theatre … Read more
Into Opera
The inaugural Norfolk Into Opera Festival has recently taken place, and Adrian James Acoustics was delighted to be one of the festival’s sponsors. Three operatic performances and a gala concert were staged in the Octagon Barn, just a stone’s throw from the AJA office. For a few days, this remarkable venue was transformed into an … Read more
Two Awards for AJA
The Association of Noise Consultants has just announced its annual awards for the very best in the field of acoustics, and this year Adrian James Acoustics is delighted to have won two prestigious accolades. Manchester’s Crowne Plaza Hotel was the venue for the ceremony, rounding off a day devoted to conference meetings and presentations. At the evening … Read more
Pipers Corner
Pipers Corner School for girls is nestled in a rural setting overlooking High Wycombe. When the decision was taken to build a new Performing Arts Centre, we were called in to provide both acoustic consultancy and as theatre consultants. The aim was to create a theatre, dance studio and rehearsal rooms as well as a … Read more
AJA and Theatre Consultancy
AJA Founder Adrian James was extensively involved in theatre and concert hall design even before he created Adrian James Acoustics in 1994. He had worked closely with leading theatre consultants in the UK, the Middle East and Hong Kong, as well as other auditoria such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House … Read more
The Roost recording studio
A great recording studio is an environment where sound can be captured as faithfully as possible. When singer-songwriter and blues guitarist David Foster decided to create a studio in the grounds of his home, he called on Adrian James Acoustics as the natural choice for the project. David’s vision was to set up a home … Read more
Wells Maltings
Wells Maltings is an impressive brick and flint building dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. Set in the heart of Wells-next-the-Sea, it is one of nine former malt houses once employing 50 workers in the town. For many years The Maltings was used for community events, but in 2010 it was decided to completely renovate … Read more
Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
The Mikhailovsky Theatre is a magnificent opera and ballet house in the heart of St Petersburg, first opened in 1833. The theatre’s programme is primarily a repertoire of opera and ballet by the resident companies but the theatre also stages concerts by the resident Mikhailovsky Orchestra and by visiting orchestras. As often happens in opera … Read more
The Writers’ Centre at the Dragon Hall
Our Principal Acoustics & Theatre Consultant Ian Rees has worked on numerous projects, but the historic Dragon Hall, Norwich is particularly exciting. This merchant’s hall dates from 1430 and is part of the “Norwich Twelve” – recognised as one of the city’s most important medieval buildings. Now a Writers’ Centre is being established at the … Read more
National Youth Choir at Greshams
We were delighted to hear that the National Youth Choir of Great Britain made good use of the new music school at Greshams, where they were resident for their Spring 2018 course. Several AJA staff turned up for their final concert in the rather less acoustically distinguished St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich, with occasional accompaniment … Read more