J O H N O ' K E E F E
B.A.Sc. M.Sc. P.Eng. FIOA
Mr. O'Keefe became one of four principals in Aercoustics Engineering Limited in 1992. The partners parted amiably in 2015.
Over the years he has been responsible for optimizing the acoustics of some of Canada’s finest performing arts centres including the Vancouver Orpheum (refurbished home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra); The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat, Alberta; plus Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts (new opera house), the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Koerner Hall as well as the Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Plus various projects in the United States, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean.
Music and theatre schools he has completed include:
He was awarded the 2007 Schreyer Award for engineering innovation by Canadian Consulting Engineers (CCE) for his work on the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre. The Schreyer Award is Canada’s highest distinction for any form of engineering. He also won a CCE Award of Merit in 1996 for the acoustic renovation of the Vancouver Orpheum, the 2011 version of the same award for the Acoustical Renovation of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and a Canadian Acoustical Association’s Directors’ Award in 2000 for an academic paper relating to the Orpheum project.
He has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Design and now with the same university's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
John is one of the very few acousticians in the world who actively combines both the professional and academic aspects of the work. He has designed or renovated more than 30 performing arts venues and published over 35 papers. His work, both academic and professional, is recognised around the world. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics (UK). In 2013 he was co-chair of the International Symposium on Acoustics (ISRA), hosting 150 of the world’s best acousticians in his home town of Toronto, Canada.
His musical interests include his work as a bass choral singer, guitarist and as past President of Toronto’s Ensemble Noir.
Representative Projects
Orpheum Theatre Renovation, Vancouver
Queen Elizabeth Theatre Renovation, Vancouver
Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts, Toronto
Benjamin and Marion Schuster Hall, Dayton
Paul Davenport Theatre, University of Western Ontario
Soulpepper/George Brown College Renovation, Toronto
Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto
Simon Fraser University School for Contemporary Arts
Benjamin and Marion Schuster Hall, Wright University, Dayton
Paul Davenport Theatre, University of Western Ontario
Memberships
Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics, UK
Professional Engineers of Ontario
Acoustical Society of America
Canadian Acoustical Association
Education
B.A.Sc., Electrical Engineering, University of Toronto, 1981
M.Sc., Sound and Vibration Studies, Southampton University, 1985
john@okeefeacoustics.com