L'Aquila Temporary Concert Hall

摘要

At 3 am on April 6, 2009, a major earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the provincial capital of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy, about 100 km northeast of Rome. More than 90% of the buildings in the most severely damaged historic district collapsed, all residents were evacuated, and the city was completely closed off. Fortunately the earthquake struck in the middle of the night, so large buildings such as universities and offices were unoccupied and there were no people on the streets, and the number of dead, fewer than 300, was lower than one would expect, given the damage to buildings. However, the city's concert hall, a renovated historic cathedral jointly used by L'Aquila's famous Abruzzo Symphony Orchestra and Musical Institute Alfredo Casella, was among the buildings that collapsed, and orchestra members, students, and faculty members were forced to leave town and lost their jobs. When I visited L'Aquila and learned of this loss of the local orchestra, I met with the mayor and proposed constructing a temporary concert hall. The mayor responded that he would secure the land, and if we could raise the construction funds he would absolutely be on board with the project.