(11/01/2014) Sporting excellence and the high art of opera presented in a historic setting such is the concept of Opera on Ice in the Arena di Verona. 2013's show had an audience of 12,000 and was also enthusiastically attended by numerous celebrities--including Princess Caroline of Monaco and her son Pierre Casiraghi. All experienced an ice revue featuring some of the world's biggest ice-skating stars (including Carolina Kostner and Evgeni Plushenko) as well as high-class opera singers such as Vittorio Grigolo and Elisa Balbo.
The sound production for the event was the responsibility of Backstage PA, a company based in Mariano Comense just north of Milan. An exciting task, for the 2,000-year-old amphitheater the third largest such arena in the world offers the ideal architectural conditions for evenly dispersed frontal sound reinforcement. In addition to obtaining the right coverage pattern and the high sound pressure levels and differentiated frequency response required, compactness was a key criterion in the choice of loudspeakers. This was because Italian TV's Canale 5 was recording the entire show for transmission on December 25, 2013. We wanted television viewers to see as little as possible of the enclosures, so they could not afford to be too large, says Pino die Constanzo, the managing director of Backstage PA. For this reason, the client stipulated that the system must be powerful and yet compact.
Di Constanzo and his team opted therefore for systems from Electro-Voice. To find a solution capable of delivering homogeneous and yet discreet coverage, Backstage PA conducted exhaustive simulations in the historic amphitheater. The best solution, it emerged, was to divide the area to be covered into two zones. The main PA comprised two hangs of 16 Electro-Voice XLD line-array elements. Two additional hangs of 12 XLD enclosures each provided sidefill to round off the acoustic provision for the audience area.
For the skating rink itself in front of the stage, a further eight Electro-Voice XLD enclosures provided down fill, whilst additional sound pressure in the low frequency range was supplied by Electro-Voice Xsubs. The array elements were powered by 18 Electro-Voice CP3000S amplifiers (driven by six Dx46 controllers), whilst four Electro-Voice CP4000S amplifiers (driven by two DC-One controllers) delivered the requisite power to the subwoofers.
After the show, Pino di Constanzo expressed himself highly satisfied with the choices he and his team had made. The system operated flawlessly and exactly as we had envisioned, he said. The sound specialist from northern Italy was particular taken with a number of details of the setup. The factory presets supplied as standard with the controllers and the FIR filters for the XLDs, which we were able to download free of charge for IRIS-Net, made our work considerably easier. These are sensible and extremely useful features. With a prestige event such as Opera on Ice , the expectations of everyone involved are extremely high. For this reason, di Constanzo was particularly gratified by the positive feedback he received in the immediate aftermath of the gala. Fabio Mastrangelo, the conductor of the 200-strong choir and orchestra, made a point of praising our work, recalls di Constanzo. Riccardo Barbaglios of Canale 5 also expressed his appreciation of the work of the Backstage PA team. I would like to thank the team from Backstage for selecting such unobtrusive and yet powerful enclosures, he said. That made it possible for me to illuminate the stage in an ideal manner. Even the arena's production manager, Paolo De Biasi, who was initially skeptical in view of the modest dimensions of the system, was immediately impressed by the performance of the Electro-Voice systems at the first rehearsal and intends from now on, according to di Constanzo, to rely on Electro-Voice sound reinforcement for similar events in the future.
About Opera on Ice
Opera on Ice is a figure-skating show that has been staged every year since 2011 in the amphitheater in Verona. It combines performances by some of the world's finest ice skaters with high-quality opera music, with the international skating stars (among them Olympic gold medalists as well as world and European champions) accompanied by a choir and orchestra composed of around 200 musicians. The three performances of Opera on Ice proved so popular in Italy that there are plans now to repeat the success in other countries.
About the Arena di Verona
The amphitheater in the north Italian city of Verona was built in around 30 AD and is after the Coliseum in Rome and the amphitheater in Capua the third largest arena in the world surviving from classical times. Originally designed to accommodate 30,000 spectators, the arena was used in the Roman area, among other things, for gladiatorial contests. Since 1913, however, the building has served as a giant outdoor concert hall, which, due not only to its magnificent architecture but also to its first-class acoustics, is regarded as one of the finest venues for classical music in the world.
copyrighted by liveProduction.tv About Backstage PA
Founded in Mariano Comense near Milan in 1986, Backstage PA is one of Italy's leading rental companies. Among the references of the company led by Pino di Costanzo and Daniele Mascheroni are TV productions (for RAI and Canale 5 among others), theatrical productions, conferences, radio broadcasts and events organized by record labels.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
(11/01/2014) Sporting excellence and the high art of opera presented in a historic setting such is the concept of Opera on Ice in the Arena di Verona. 2013's show had an audience of 12,000 and was also enthusiastically attended by numerous celebrities--including Princess Caroline of Monaco and her son Pierre Casiraghi. All experienced an ice revue featuring some of the world's biggest ice-skating stars (including Carolina Kostner and Evgeni Plushenko) as well as high-class opera singers such as Vittorio Grigolo and Elisa Balbo.
