Located at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Centre and owned by the municipality of Tel-Aviv, Israeli Opera is both the principal opera company and busiest hall in the country. As well as hosting visiting productions, the venue is also home to regular shows performed by local orchestras and ensembles.

With an expanding music programme, the existing in-house PA increasingly had to be augmented with rental equipment, prompting the management to undertake a significant upgrade, choosing the new L-Acoustics K3 line array for its sound quality, coverage, compact form factor and ability to adapt to shows ranging from opera to rock.

With the building closed due to the pandemic, Eyal Levi, Head of Light & Sound at Israeli Opera, used the mandated downtime to proceed with the work. To oversee the project, the municipality employed the services of A/V consultant Harel Tabibi, who has previously worked with all major theatres in Israel. Three top A/V suppliers were invited to participate in the tender process, with L-Acoustics official distributor Lightone among them.

‘Having extensive experience of the Israeli sound reinforcement market, we knew L-Acoustics would tick all the boxes – sound quality, system integration and cost,’ says Lightone’s Tal Cohen Arazi. ‘Of course, we were right, as L-Acoustics far-outperformed the other two systems that were demoed, coming out as the clear winner.’

Tabibi worked with David Dohrmann and Willi Klein from L-Acoustics, and Lightone’s Assa Efrat, who also oversaw the installation and tuned the system, to create a system design, using L-Acoustics Soundvision to accommodate the hall’s specific architecture and sightlines. Charmer Group, which had previously worked with Tabibi and the Lightone team on other projects, was chosen as the preferred installation company.

‘Israel Opera house is also one of the most beautiful halls in Israel,’ explains Efrat. ‘Venue management wanted to ensure that both the stage opening, and the side view would be kept clear, so we couldn’t put loudspeaker hangs in the audience sightline. Another request involved seamless integration of the centre and subwoofer cabinets with the translation screens.’

‘Due to the wide variety of shows, we also had to create a dedicated preset for each type of performance,’ adds Tabibi. ‘We did that using two L-Acoustics P1 processors and a Q-Sys platform, which are fully interoperable thanks to a plugin released by L-Acoustics a couple of years ago. This function, combined with the precise design done by the L-Acoustics team and Assa, delivered outstanding results.’

The final system configuration comprises main LR arrays of 11 K3 per side, with seven Kiva II flown centrally, flanked by two hangs of three KS28 subs in cardioid mode. Seven X8 provide front fill, with 13 4XT for under balcony delay. Fourteen amplified controllers, a combination of six LA12X, three LA4X, three LA2iX and two LS10 run the system.

The installation began in December 2020 and was completed by the end of February 2021. After a year-long hiatus, the building opened its doors to the public with a new season of concerts and Israeli music shows, offering visitors performances with the high-quality sound and excellent coverage delivered by the K3 system. ‘I am very happy with how the installation has turned out,’ Tabibi says. ‘Since the opera’s grand reopening, the L-Acoustics system has been bringing Israeli classics alive onstage, delivering audio that sounds clear and loud, and offers perfect coverage across the entire hall.’

‘The quick-thinking and mutual support that brought everyone together on this project enabled them to be the first venue in the world to install the new K3 line array,’ says L-Acoustics Sales Manager, Florian Kunz. ‘Coupled with Israel’s early ability to re-open, the Israeli Opera is now a beacon of great sound and great entertainment.’

‘The new K3 system has elevated the audio in the hall to a new level and fulfils every wish we gave to Harel Tabibi and the Lightone team,’ concludes Levi-Sharon. ‘Their combined expertise, along with that of L-Acoustics, has ensured that the productions we host now have a system that exceeds their requirements, and our audiences are given the best possible experience.’

More: www.l-acoustics.com