The Program
The Dramatic Voices Program Berlin is an annual event for operatic soloists and ensemble singers preparing for the competitive world of classical music. It offers highly intensive training with a world-class faculty, alongside unmatched performance opportunities on a real stage with a real orchestra.
The Brief
The organizers approached Johannes Schäfer and myself about capturing the final concerts in both audio and video. The core challenge was clear: how do we best capture the singers and the orchestra together in a way that delivers a rich, immersive listening experience — and, at the same time, film each evening cleanly on multiple cameras.
Mic'ing the Orchestra and Stage
For the main orchestral pickup we chose a Decca tree, augmented with spot mics on piano and cembalo, basses, woodwinds and French horn. On stage, an array of six vocal mics ensured that we could always capture the singers cleanly as they moved across the stage during performance.
The Result
It worked like a charm. Listening back to opera with orchestra through a Decca tree is truly audio bliss — the depth, the width, the sense of a real room around the singers. As in past years, we are already looking forward to recording this year's program.
