Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney, Australia

Object Type
Concert Halls
Opera Houses

Client
Sydney Opera House, Australia

Architects
Scott Carver, Sydney

Seats
1500

Completion
2018

Expertises
Room Acoustics
Electronic Room Acoustics

The Joan Sutherland Theatre, which is the actual opera hall at the Sydney Opera House, was officially reopened on Decem-ber 31, 2017. During the extremely short reconstruction time of seven months, a wide range of measures was implemented. Only with a precise planning in combination with round-the-clock shifts was it possible to minimize the construction time, which was essential for Opera Australia and the Australian Ballet.

The orchestra pit modifications planned by Müller-BBM Building Solutions and the utilization of the latest features of an electronic room acoustics system ensure an entirely new sound experience both for the orchestra and the audience. Maximizing the pit opening as well as optimizing the wall and ceiling claddings of the extreme pit overhang substantially improved the musicians‘ auditive perception and the acoustics in the auditorium. An essential component here is the innovative utilization of the electronic room acoustics system Vivace which generates a clear, transparent orchestra sound as well as impressively vibrant room acoustics in the entire hall. At the same time, the musi-cians in the covered part of the orchestra pit now benefit from im-proved acoustic conditions, i.e. they are able to hear their own instruments as well as other members of the orchestra much bet-ter without any adverse sound level increase.

Image Copyright
1 Jasper Wilde, unsplash.com
2 MBBM-BSO
3 MBBM-BSO