Grand Ole Opry
Nashville, Tennessee

Seat Count: 4400
Project Type: Renovation
Original Construction 1974
Renovation complete: 1995
Client: The Nashville Network
A/V Installation: SPLIS
AD Scope: Acoustics and Sound System
Design

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The Grand Ole Opry was established in the 1940's in the fabled Ryman Auditorium. In 1974, the Opry transferred to the new Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland USA, which is now the world’s premier country music venue.

More than 2,000 of the room’s 4,400 seats are located in the steeply raked balcony which wraps more than 170 degrees around the stage. The ceiling is more than 30m above the main floor and is somewhat reflective, with more reflections created by angled brick walls flanking the rear of the balcony. The two primary acoustic concerns were to reduce the excessive ambient noise level and to control the sound energy coming from the performers’ monitors onstage.

The house was originally designed with acoustics for music without sound reinforcement. Panels in the grid above the forestage directed sound from the stage into the audience areas. With the gradual change to fully amplified sound, these panels were directing stage monitor sound into the audience area, reducing intelligibility and compromising response of the sound system. We replaced these panels with acoustically absorptive materials.

The previous sound system had a single central loudspeaker cluster. With the extreme angle of coverage in the room, the cluster could not adequately blanket the side seats without putting tremendous energy on side stage areas. The new design employs four main front loudspeaker clusters in a right-left-right-left configuration. Stereo imaging is provided throughout the house in addition to exceptional vocal clarity. Each seat is in the proper range of a left and right cluster so that there are no holes in the image, and there is no sense of image shift.

THEATRES

'62 Center for Theatre & Dance
Alabama School of Fine Arts
American River College
The Artrix
Asia Society
Courtyard Theatre
Cyprus National Theatre
Dance Theatre Workshop
El Dorado Showroom
Founder's Theatre
The Gatehouse
The Grove Theatre
Hillsong Theatre
Juanita K. Hammons Hall - SMSU
Lawrenceville School
Ledbetter Auditorium
Lincoln Theatre
Lucille Little Theatre
Mahaiwe Theatre
Mattin Center for Arts - Johns Hopkins
The Midland Theatre
New Mexico State University Arts Complex
Norden Farm Arts Centre
Playbox Theatre
Pullo Centre
Regent Theatre
Roundhouse
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Shepherd University
Sight & Sound Theatre
Towson University Center for the Arts
VISUAL and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

CONCERT HALLS, RECITAL HALLS & MUSIC VENUES

The Bailey Performance Center at Kennesaw State University
Benson Hall - Bethel College
Benedicta Arts Center
Binghamton University
Birmingham Town Hall
Butterworth Hall - The University of Warwick
Chancellor's Court Concert Hall
David Rubenstein Atrium
Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
Gallagher-Bluedorn Davis Recital Hall
Gallagher-Bluedorn Jebe Organ Hall
Grand Ole Opry
Hard Rock Live! Orlando
Illinois State University Performing Arts Center
Jarvis Conservatory
Kleinhans Music Hall
Great Concert Hall of the Tatarstan Republic, Kazan, Russia
Lou & Jack Finney Concert Hall - Texas A&M Commerce
MacPhail Center for the Arts
Mercersburg Performing & Visual Arts Center
Meyerson Symphony Center
Minnesota Shubert Art & Education Center
Monterey Peninsula College
New World Symphony
Ocean Music Venue
Peabody Conservatory
Performance Space for the 21st Century
Russell Hall Music Building
Ryman Auditorium
South Dakota State University Performing Arts
Steel Stacks Performing Arts Center
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Recital Hall
Ted Mann Concert Hall - University of Minnesota
University of Baltimore Student Center
University of California Davis - Music Building
University of Tennessee - Music Building
Victoria Concert Hall
Woodward Opera House

MUSEUMS

American Folk Art Museum
Center of Science & Industry (COSI)
US Marine Corps Museum
VISUAL and the George Bernard Shaw Theatre

OUTDOOR

Challenge America Amphitheatre
Moonlight Amphitheatre
Performance Steps Tallahassee
PNC Bank Arts Center
Starlight Theatre

HISTORIC RENOVATIONS

Birmingham Town Hall
Butterworth Hall - The University of Warwick

Jarvis Conservatory

Lincoln Theatre
Loews Metropolitan for Brooklyn Tabernacle
Mahaiwe Theatre
Ohio Theatre
Peabody Conservatory
Regent Theatre
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Ryman Auditorium
Southern Theatre
Stanley Theatre of Utica
Victoria Concert Hall
Woodward Opera House

UNIVERSITY & EDUCATIONAL

Alabama School of Fine Arts
American River College
Bethel College - Benson Hall
Blair Academy - Armstrong Hipkins Center
Binghamton University
Brairwood High School - Barker Auditorium
Brown Center - Maryland Institute College of Art
Calvary Christian Academy
College of Saint Benedict - Benedicta Arts Center
Columbia State Community College - Ledbetter Auditorium
East Asian Library
Francis Parker School
Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
Horace Mann School - The Gross Theatre
llinois State University Performing Arts Center
Jarvis Conservatory
Juanita K. Hammons Hall - SMSU
John's Hopkins University - Mattin Center
Kennesaw State University
Knight High School
King Edward VI Music School
LaJoya Performing Arts Center
Lawrenceville School
Maryland Institute College of Art
Monterey Peninsula College
New Mexico State University Arts Complex
Peabody Conservatory
Russell Hall Music Building
Shepherd University
South Dakota State University Performing Arts
St. Georges School - Madiera Hall
Taunton School
Texas A&M Commerce - Finney Concert Hall
Towson University Center for the Arts
Transylvania University - Lucille Little Theatre
University College Worcester
University of Baltimore Student Center
University of Birmingham - Chancellor's Court Concert Hall
University of California Davis - Music Building
University of Minnesota - Ted Mann Concert Hall
University School
University of Tennessee - Music Building
University of Warwick - Butterworth Hall
Williams College - '62 Center
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

VISUALIZATIONS

Butterworth Hall - Warwick Arts Center
Chancellor's Court Concert Hall
New World Symphony
Room in the Round


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