ABU DHABI: The debut concert of the UAE National Orchestra, staged last month at the Emirates Palace Theatre, marked a significant cultural milestone for the UAE and set a high bar for production standards from the outset. Delivered by Auditoria and produced by Done + Dusted, the performance represented the orchestra’s first public appearance and called for an audio approach capable of supporting an immersive in-room experience alongside full multitrack recording and a broadcast-ready stereo mix prepared for immediate release.

Auditoria worked closely with Done + Dusted and the orchestra to shape a solution that prioritised musical integrity while responding sensitively to the venue’s architectural realities. “This was a special moment,” says Scott Willsallen, Auditoria’s CEO and Sound Designer. “It was an important performance for the Orchestra, and everyone involved wanted to do it justice. The focus stayed on the music, how it sat in the room, how it connected with the audience, and how it could be presented in a way that felt right for the orchestra.”

While Emirates Palace Theatre is widely regarded as a refined performance space, it presents clear constraints for contemporary audio design, with restricted rigging opportunities and a production history often reliant on ground-mounted loudspeaker systems flanking the proscenium. For this performance, there was a shared sense that a conventional approach would not adequately serve the significance of the occasion.

Using Soundvision modelling, Auditoria explored alternative ways of engaging with the space, including positioning the main frontal scene slightly upstage of the proscenium. Surround and overhead loudspeakers were treated as integral components of the design rather than optional enhancements, allowing the orchestra to be presented with a heightened sense of depth and scale throughout the auditorium.

Realising this vision required close collaboration with Pitch Black’s Mark Hammond, who supported the complex rigging requirements while ensuring the original design intent was preserved. “It would have been easy to accept the usual approach,” Willsallen explains. “But for a debut performance like this, that didn’t feel right. The challenge was finding a way to create space and dimension without compromising the theatre itself.”

At Front of House, a DiGiCo Quantum 7 console supported the main orchestral mix, while a dedicated Quantum 7B handled the broadcast mix. Dual-redundant L-Acoustics L-ISA processors provided spatial control, with AVB and AES signal paths employed to ensure system resilience. Orchestral capture was handled using a carefully selected package of Schoeps microphones, supporting both the live mix and multitrack recordings, while dual-redundant QLab systems managed pre-show playback. Reaper recording systems at both FOH and broadcast positions ensured the performance was comprehensively captured.

Beyond the main concert, Auditoria also designed and delivered audio and control systems for the theatre’s pre-function spaces, extending the production philosophy beyond the auditorium to create a cohesive experience from arrival through to performance. “Everything needed to work together,” says Willsallen. “The live mix, the recording, the broadcast feed, they all influence each other. If you don’t design for that early on, it becomes very hard to fix later.”

The performance was met with a highly positive response from the client, musicians and audience alike, and was recorded and mixed on the night for sharing beyond the theatre, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the UAE National Orchestra, supported by a production team focused on care, craft and attention to detail.