Enhancing the strength of symphonic orchestra in an opera house

Abstract Nowadays, historical opera houses are also employed for symphonic music, especially in a country like Italy where they are far more widespread than concert halls. The aim of the work presented here is to modify the acoustic conditions of an opera house by introducing an overhead reflector array and removing drapes from the stage, so to meet the requirements for an orchestral performance. The design process and the shape optimisation of the canopy layout were developed with a Geometrical Acoustic (GA++) model. In-situ acoustic measurements were used to calibrate the model, to adjust the tilt angles of the panels and to validate the software–aided design. Combining theoretical studies with practical needs, the results of this work give the opportunity to investigate the consequences of placing a reflector array in an opera house. A multi-decay analysis on measured impulse responses shows that the reflector array enhances the acoustic coupling between the stage house and the main hall. Finally, the blending effect on the orchestral sections caused by the reflector array was estimated through a simulation employing calibrated virtual instruments.