Renowned German Opera House Builds On Networked Lawo AoIP Infrastructure

Opened in 1873 as a municipal theater, Düsseldorf Opera, twinned with the Duisburg Opera House under the umbrella 'Deutsche Oper am Rhein', is one of the most prestigious addresses on the German opera scene.

Its repertoire spans opera, operetta, musical and ballet. The theatrical union of the two houses boasts the largest opera ensemble in Germany and two symphony orchestras: the Duisburg Philharmonic and the Düsseldorf Symphony.

As part of the highly anticipated migration towards an IP-based audio infrastructure, three IP-native Lawo mc²56 audio production consoles sharing a common A__UHD Core audio engine, plus Lawo A__line stageboxes, have been installed in Düsseldorf. One mc²56 with 32 faders is used in the audio control room, and one 16-fader mixer in the in-house production studio. The third mc²56, again a 16-fader model, is intended for mobile use, while a16-fader extender is available for ad-hoc console expansion. The integration with the existing DANTE networks for sound reinforcement, stage monitoring and the foyer is handled by a Lawo Power Core with 6 DANTE interfaces. This infrastructure provides the performance, capacity and flexibility needed for modern and future-oriented opera productions.

The engineering company BWKI (Bühnenplanung Walter Kottke Ingenieure GmbH), which specializes in stage planning, was entrusted with planning for this project; the technical execution was handled by the system integrator Industrial Arts GmbH. The installation was completed at the end of 2021, and the new system has since been operated in parallel with the existing installation, allowing the sound department to fine-tune its workflows and configurations at its own pace. The new infrastructure will be used exclusively at the start of the upcoming seasons.

www.lawo.com