On December 30th and 31st, the Felice Brothers played a pair of packed concerts for the grand opening of Assembly—the former site of St. Joseph’s Catholic School, now reimagined as Kingston, NY’s newest live events space. The venue is the latest venture of event promoters Drew Frankel and Peter Himberger of Impact Concerts in a string of projects designed to inject fresh energy into the arts and music culture of the Hudson Valley. Impact Concerts partnered with local developers CB Developers to create a center for small to mid-sized events such as live music, dance, theater, and film screenings. To ensure that Assembly could boast a sound quality that matched the vision for the space, Assembly founders brought on acoustic consulting and media systems engineering firm WSDG.
Impact Concerts have been curating concerts and live events in the Hudson Valley and Catskills area since 2017. The concept for Assembly was the result of seeing a void in 450-capacity event spaces that could offer the quality of experience that Frankel and Himberger wanted to provide. “The greater Hudson Valley has really needed a venue like this for a long time,” explained Frankel. “The pandemic shuttered many of the older mid-sized venues and as a result there’s been very little that can hold events of this size at the kind of quality we think they deserve.”
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"Impact hosts a wide variety of events that encapsulate the arts culture here in the Hudson Valley, from concerts and comedy to live theater, film screenings, and community events,” added Himberger. “The opportunity was there to envision a space that could support all of these while also raising the bar for what such a space could achieve in the future.”
That made it, according to Himberger, a natural step to partner with WSDG and integrators DNR Laboratories to push the boundaries of high-quality sound in the space.
The WSDG Design team, consisting of founder, John Storyk, partners Joshua Morris and Jonathan Bickoff, and project manager Adam Paiva, was tasked with developing a comprehensive plan of acoustic treatments for the interior of the venue that would optimize it as a performance and event space. As Hudson Valley natives themselves, the team recognized the opportunity to elevate live performance experiences for an arts and music community that they knew very well. “Assembly is a great example of how the area has been investing in revitalizing its performing arts community with high-quality events spaces that rival anything, anywhere,” said Morris. “These projects are very close to our hearts as locals, ones in which we can really participate not only as consultants but as patrons too, so it makes it extra special for us to be involved and deliver what we know is possible as acoustic designers.”
This process included detailed acoustic measurement of the space and developing an appropriate treatment package that would create the desired acoustic effect while also matching the historic interior aesthetics of the space and respecting the project budget. Improvements to the existing windows were also designed to control noise transmission outdoors towards the surrounding neighbors. “When we first saw the space, it looked amazing but we knew that it would suffer from some of the acoustic issues expected in a historic 110 year old assembly hall,” said Paiva. “The goal was to keep that aesthetic, but make it sound like a modern high caliber rock & roll music venue. We collaborated closely with the design and ownership team to carefully select an acoustic treatment plan that enhanced the aesthetics and historic feel, and worked together with the sound system to deliver a world class sound experience.”
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In addition to acoustic treatments, WSDG also partnered with DNR Laboratories to design and install a d&B audiotechnik Y-series line array with V-GSUBS. The system also includes stage monitoring consisting of d&B MAX2 wedges and a C7 drum sub. The entire system is operated by a pair of 48 input dLIve systems. “At the heart of the operation are a pair of Allen & Heath dLive consoles with dedicated stage racks for FOH and monitors,” explained DNR Laboratories Donnie Gamsjager. “A custom-made 56-channel transformer three-way splitter—designed specifically for this project by Entertainment Manufacturing Group—ensures true tour-grade practices are held. The system is supported by a full Dante and Cat6a-based infrastructure, with robust, custom IO plates placed in strategic locations across stage, house, and work areas. And while our setup runs on a seamless Dante-based digital network perfect for touring, we’ve got a proven analog backup in place to ensure smooth operation even in the event of network issues.
“We worked closely with the Assembly team, the builder, and WSDG to nail a solution that honors the ‘live rock vibe’, while also respecting the historic charm of the venue.”
The opening concerts at Assembly were a potent demonstration of the new venue’s capabilities—receiving rave reviews from both attendees and performers alike. With a packed calendar of events leading into 2025, the new venue is off to a running start. “It was only the first show and I already felt that familiar warmth that all good rooms have,” shared James Felice, post-performance. “I am joyfully anticipating the thrum of bands and artists and music and joyful celebration that this warm and good room will host for years to come!”
“The level of excitement around Assembly is more than we could have ever hoped for, truly,” added Frankel. “There’s so many possibilities opened up to us now as events planners, and we’re very grateful for all of the partners who participated in bringing Assembly to life.”
