Do opera houses use hidden microphones and loudspeakers, or do the performers sing “above” the orchestra?
Hello! Opera singers do not use any form of amplification when singing. They indeed sing “above” the orchestra. Opera singers are heard so well in opera houses because of the acoustics of the acutal house… meaning the very particular way the house is created in order to project sound from the stage to the audience. Mediums of all sorts can be used… wood can be shaped in certain ways, panels placed on ceilings and walls, the interior shape of the walls can be tailored to project sound…etc. Thus, environments catering to live, unamplified musicians are built according to the physics of acoustics and guided by acoustic architecture. Also, if you notice, the orchestra is mostly housed in the “pit.” The walls and lowered nature of this space as compared to the stage allow the singers to project “above” the orchestra because the surroundings of the pit do not allow the sound to travel acoustically in the same ways as on an uninhibited stage. At times when the orchestra is level with th
