An obituary published 6/5 in the Post Star (Norwalk, Conn.) reports the death of acoustician J. Christopher Jaffe at his Norwalk home on May 23. Born in 1927 in Brooklyn, Jaffe attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering, a Master of Arts in theater from Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from Rensselaer. “A pioneer in the field of acoustical design, in 1958 he founded Stagecraft Corporation, which later became Jaffe Acoustics.” Among the more than 250 performance venues for which he provided acoustical designs and renovations were the Hollywood Bowl, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Center Kennedy, Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Cleveland’s Severance Hall, the Tokyo International Forum, and the Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City. Jaffe had worked most recently as a principal consultant with Acentech in Cambridge, Mass. He taught acoustics at The Juilliard School, the City University of New York, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he founded the master’s program in architectural acoustics. Jaffe’s honors included the American Institute of Architects’ Award for Collaborative Achievement and the Wallace Clement Sabine Medal from the Acoustical Society of America. A memorial service will be held at 5 pm on June 27 in the concert hall at Norwalk Town Hall.
Posted June 11, 2013
