J. Christopher Jaffe

J. Christopher Jaffe (October 4, 1927 – May 23, 2013) was recognized for leadership in architectural-acoustic design.^[1]

Work

Jaffe graduated from the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1949 and then went on to graduate studies in theater at Columbia University.^[2][3]

During the course of his work he has consulted on over 250 performance halls, including:^[2]

• Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio
• Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
• Sala Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico City.

In 1958, Jaffe and Paul Kleinman founded Stagecraft Corporation, which later became JaffeHolden Acoustics. The light-weight demountable shells designed by him were the first engineered to use selective transmission of energy into the stage house and stage-house coupling to enhance on-stage and audience-area acoustics. He likewise was among the first to use electroacoustic enhancement systems and is the inventor of the Electronic Reflected-Energy System (ERES). Jaffe left JaffeHolden Acoustics and in 2009 he joined Acentech Studio A, a specialized performing arts consulting group formed by Acentech Incorporated in Cambridge, MA.^[4]

Jaffe has taught acoustics at the Juilliard School, City University of New York, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he is founder of the master’s program in architectural acoustics and remains a Visiting Distinguished Professor. In 1993 he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for business in 1993.^[3] He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2003.^[2] In 2011 he received the Wallace Clement Sabine Medal from the Acoustical Society of America. Jaffe died May 23, 2013 in Norwalk, Connecticut.^[5]

Books authored

• Jaffe, J. Christopher (August 2010). The Acoustics of Performance Halls: Spaces for Music from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl. W.W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-73255-9.

References

1. Holmes, Thom, ed. (2006). The Routledge Guide to Music Technology. New York: Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 1135477876.
2. "RPI Alumni Hall of Fame : J. Christopher Jaffe". Retrieved 2010-01-27.
3. Award statement "Christopher Jaffee Business Leader Ellis Island Award" Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 2010-01-27.
4. "Acentech Partners with Jaffe for Consulting Group". Pro AV Online. 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
5. "Dr. J. Christopher Jaffe Acoustical Design Pioneer". The Hour. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2015.