San Francisco Opera’s new Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theatre features a Meyer
Sound Constellation® acoustic system, custom designed to provide the showcase
venue with a range of acoustic environments to support the adventurous exploration
of operatic programming for new audiences.

San Francisco Opera (SF Opera) is the first opera company to rely upon
Constellation. Located in the newly renovated Diane B. Wilsey Centre for Opera, the
299-seat Atrium Theatre is designed for multiple configurations, providing both
performer and audience members with a very personal approach to opera.
Constellation’s unique ability to shape acoustics on demand allows SF Opera to
expand from traditional theatre-style seating to cabaret settings with cafe tables
and in-the-round performances, or even edgier configurations.

The newly christened Wilsey Centre for Opera is the result of a $21 million
renovation of the fourth floor and basement of the Beaux-Arts style Veterans
Building, a historic Civic Centre landmark that recently completed an extensive
seismic retrofit. After six decades as the first home of the San Francisco Museum of
Modern Art, the Veterans Building fourth floor sat for many years as an underused
and neglected space for occasional City Hall offices and law library. SF Opera
selected the award-winning architectural firm Mark Cavagnero Associates to
transform the venue into a state-of-the-art theatre and education/rehearsal studio.

The results are a stunning realization of SF Opera’s goals to consolidate many of its
operations into one location adjacent to the Opera House: instead of darkness, light
floods in from refurbished glass ceilings, elegant columns that had been walled off
now stand tall and gleaming, and the dormant galleries have been restored to
feature exhibitions of SF Opera’s rich archival collection. In addition to the Atrium
Theatre, the 38,000-square-foot Wilsey Centre is home to the Bryan Education and
Rehearsal Studio, the Anderson Norby Costume Studio, the Braby San Francisco
Opera Archive, and a variety of administrative and support offices.

Constellation uses proprietary technology to virtually adjust the shape of the venue,
enabling composers, conductors, and artists to create the venue best suited to the
desired experience.

At the press of a button, theatre acoustics shift from dry black box to opera house,
chamber music hall, cathedral, or any number of other options. Constellation
augments the artistic experience for artists and audiences alike: the system’s
whole-room approach to room acoustics helps performers hear each other and
audiences to experience optimal acoustics from any seat in the house.

The D-Mitri® digital audio platform provides the backbone for Constellation, and
hosts the patented VRAS™ acoustical algorithm. This works in conjunction with 24
widely distributed microphones and 75 small, self-powered loudspeakers mounted
discreetly within the theatre walls and ceiling. San Francisco-based Arup provided
acoustical and AV consulting services, with Kurt Graffy leading the team. Santa
Rosa, Calif.-based PCD installed the system.