A test conducted in Cincinnati "shows noise from a typical game" at MLS expansion club FC Cincinnati's upcoming stadium will be "'readily audible by the audience and performers' and will interfere with performances and rehearsals in Music Hall's Springer Auditorium," according to Sharon Coolidge of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. FC Cincinnati is "building a 26,000-seat stadium in the West End, just blocks from Music Hall, where the city's symphony, orchestra and other performances are held on Saturday nights -- when soccer games would sometimes be going on simultaneously." The Cincinnati Arts Association and Music Hall's performing resident companies "commissioned the study." A final report, which is "expected to include solutions, is expected before the end of the month." Residents of the West End and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods have "also expressed concern about noise." The team currently plays games at the Univ. of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, which is "next to several performance, rehearsal and classroom buildings for the school's College Conservatory of Music." FC Cincinnati President & GM Jeff Berding said he has "never received a single call of complaint from anyone from UC or CCM regarding noise disruption." Stadium renderings of the new venue "show a canopy over seating, which is meant to muffle noise" (CINCINNATI.com, 2/4).
