Stormen Concert House, the new home of the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra, has
added a d:facto™ Vocal Microphone to its extensive stock of DPA microphones – all
of which are regularly used for both recording and amplification purposes.
The new d:facto™ Vocal Microphone, which was supplied with a handle and an
adapter to fit the concert hall’s Shure wireless system, is proving so popular with
visiting singers that Stormen is hoping to add more in the near future.
Located in the Norwegian town of Bodø, Stormen Concert Hall was designed by
British architects DRDH and officially opened in November 2014. It replaces an
older venue that was only ever intended as a temporary solution, although it
actually stood for 23 years before the new building was commissioned. The concert
hall has three different auditoria – a main hall with 940 seats, a small hall with 240
seats and a chamber hall with 60 seats. It also has a club venue with standing
capacity for 460. The main hall features a comprehensive system for transforming
the stage and acoustics, making it suitable for either symphonic musical
performances or theatre.
Sound engineer Havard Christensen, who is Head of Stage Engineering at Stormen,
was site manager during the construction phase and worked closely with Arup
Theatre Consulting, which specified all sound, visual and communication systems.
Stormen’s stock of DPA includes over 20 d:dicate™ Recording Microphones, 20-plus
d:vote™ Instrument Microphones, four d:screet™ SC4098 Podium Microphones and
over 30 d:fine™ Headset Microphones, all of which were supplied by DPA’s
Norwegian distributor, Lyd-Systemer.
“We have invested heavily in d:dicate™ condenser microphones because they are
so versatile,’ Christensen says. “They are used for many different purposes
including drum overheads, percussion, horns, strings, woodwinds, piano, choir and
speech. We have also invested in 10 tube stands, which are very popular when we
want to minimize the visual impact of the sound equipment on stage.’
Stormen’s d:vote™ Instrument Microphones are mainly used for strings but also
come into their own when the concert hall’s wireless system is in use. This
versatility similarly applies to the concert hall’s stock of d:fine™ Headset
Microphones, which were also chosen for their sound quality and ease of use.
Since opening, Stormen has hosted many concerts covering all musical genres from
pop and rock through to classical. It also hosts theatre and dance performances and
is occasionally used as a conference venue. Among the artists who have performed
there are Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Sivert Høyem,
Trondheim Symfoniorkester/Krzysztof Urbanski, Dara O’Briain, the Emerson
Quartet, KORK, Veronica Maggio, Brit Floyd, Gregory Porter and La Folia
Barockorchester.
“We are very pleased with the sound quality we’re achieving in all three auditoria
and particularly pleased with our choice of DPA microphones, “Christensen says.
“Anders Faafeng from Lyd-Systemer was an indispensable resource and his detailed
knowledge and experience with DPA products was very important when it came to
helping us choose the right microphones for our needs.’
