What it Takes to Build Choir Risers
What it Takes to Build Choir Risers
July 25, 2019
There are a lot of schools and worship facilities that have choirs. When a facility like this has a choir, they also need to have risers for them. Choir risers help to improve sightlines for both the audience and for members of the choir. You also need to determine if you will have a standing or seated arrangement and secure the equipment that best fits your planned performance. Many times, the choir risers can be built to fit your specific needs or space.
When considering how to get risers, it’s best to buy them as opposed to building them yourself. Choral risers from a reputable manufacturer are going to be much safer and look more professional than ones that are homemade.
There are a few different components that make up a choir riser and this blog post will cover each of them in detail. A good manufacturer will be able to make sure that all these pieces work together to optimize your performances from start to finish.
Tiered Platform
A portable choir riser system is built on the basis of a support structure and some type of walking surface. As with every type of riser, it is important to start with a very solid and sturdy base. Depending on your configuration and selected style, there are a few different ways that this can be done. One some choir risers, the decks and supports are mounted together and the unit just folds up and is able to be rolled to where it needs to go. On others, the decks are removed from the supports and the supports are folded up and carried away using a separate cart. Pictures of both of these standing choir riser styles are posted below.
The platform can also have any number of levels, though 3 or 4 is usually the most common. It can also have different depths. Shorter depths, as shown in the image above, are used as standing choir risers. Wider depths, as shown in the photo below are used for seated choirs. These wider depths allow room for the chair. These seated choir risers are also of the demountable variety, meaning the deck is able to be removed from the supports.
Guardrails
Back and side guardrails provide an added level of safety to your risers. When they’re built by a reputable manufacturer, the rails will be built specifically for the platforms so that you can be confident in the safety of your performers.
Chairstops & Hardclosures
As the name suggests, chairstops are used with seated choir risers where chairs are involved. They go at the back edges of the riser to prevent the chair from accidentally slipping off.
Hardclosures can go on the front and side of the risers. They also go between tiers to give the riser a more finished look and provide a chairstop. The photo above shows hardclosures being using between the tiers. When using hardclosures that double as a chairstop, additional chairstops aren’t needed.
Conclusion
There are a lot of different types of choir risers and things that go into making them. Buying your risers from a reputable manufacturer will ensure that all the components of the riser will work together seamlessly and that it will work perfectly for your performance needs whether you’re a touring group or you perform in a single facility like a school or worship facility.
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