New Room Acoustics for the Mozart Hall of the Alte Oper Frankfurt

The Hertie Foundation, Müller-BBM and Fraunhofer IDMT pave the way for innovative technology and artificial intelligence at the Alte Oper

The Alte Oper Frankfurt is breaking new ground in acoustics by enhancing the Mozart Hall with innovative technologies and artificial intelligence. The aim is to create excellent, variable and tailor-made acoustics for the venue’s smaller hall – enabling both artists and audiences to experience music with even greater intensity. To achieve this, the Alte Oper collaborates with Müller-BBM, a technology company that sets international standards with its electronic acoustic systems in renowned concert halls and opera houses, including the Sydney Opera House. In addition to implementing the already proven Vivace room acoustics system, the Alte Oper is venturing into new territory: within a joint research project with the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, new applications of artificial intelligence for acoustic control are being tested and put into practice for the first time. The Hertie Foundation, based in Frankfurt, served as the initiator of the AI-based control concept and is financially enabling this unique research project.

The foundation for the acoustic enhancements in the Mozart Hall is a nearly two-year collection of room-acoustic data supported by extensive test measurements. The system is scheduled to be inaugurated and put into operation in September 2027, at the beginning of the 2027/28 season. Pianist Kit Armstrong made the first contribution to the data collection on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, during a non-public workshop concert with an invited test audience.

With Kit Armstrong, the Alte Oper has gained an engaged ambassador for the project. For him, music has always stood in close relation not only to other arts but also to the natural sciences and mathematics. He has also explored the potential of new technologies and artificial intelligence in depth.

Dr. Markus Fein, Artistic and Managing Director of the Alte Oper, explains the possibilities of the new acoustics:

“The Grand Hall of the Alte Oper ranks – as touring musicians from around the world repeatedly confirm – among the best concert halls acoustically in Europe. We now want to create a similarly perfect acoustic environment for the Mozart Hall, which seats more than 700 people; to do this, we are not only implementing structural improvements but also relying on innovative technologies and artificial intelligence. With the room acoustics system developed by Müller-BBM, we will add more reverberation, warmth and depth to the hall’s sound; and with the AI-controlled adjustment capabilities developed by Fraunhofer IDMT, we can tailor the hall precisely to the acoustic requirements of each event: from chamber music to jazz, from readings to congress formats. These new technological possibilities ensure consistently perfect sound, even when acoustical conditions in the hall or on stage change. This benefits not only the audience but also the artists.

The pioneering role afforded to us through the Fraunhofer IDMT research project aligns perfectly with our ambition to prepare the Alte Oper for the concert hall of the future by our anniversary in 2030. I extend my sincere thanks to the Hertie Foundation for not only supporting this path but making it possible.”

Kit Armstrong is also open to the interplay of technology and artificial intelligence: “I love new experiences and am curious by nature. I have already experimented with AI systems that respond to my playing and gained exciting insights in the process. It is important to me that AI is used in ways that enrich many fields, including our world of music. I am all the more pleased to be involved now at the starting point of the project, to accompany the development of the new system over the next two years, and to be able to try out the results myself in September 2027.”

“The Hertie Foundation sees itself as an initiator of innovations that sustainably foster social and cultural development,” says Annette Schavan, Chair of the Foundation’s Board, which is supporting the Alte Oper within a five-year funding partnership. “By supporting this project, we aim to help ensure that the Alte Oper Frankfurt remains a place where music, science and technology interact in a special way. Linking music with its integrative role and technological progress is, for us, a forward-looking model that can resonate far beyond the boundaries of Frankfurt.”

The Vivace Room Acoustics System

Marcus Blome, Managing Director of Müller-BBM Acoustic Solutions GmbH, on the acoustic redesign of the Mozart Hall: “With the Vivace system, which Müller-BBM has continuously developed over the past 25 years and deployed in internationally renowned venues, we will be able to control the room acoustics of the Mozart Hall with such precision that they can be optimally adapted to any conceivable musical situation – from chamber-music string quartets to complex productions of contemporary music. Electronic acoustics expand the hall’s sound palette and usage possibilities, opening up new perspectives for artistic design.

We are delighted to be part of this project, particularly in terms of the technical cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute and the new opportunities that the use of artificial intelligence offers for such systems.”

AI-based Control of the Acoustic System – a Research Project by Fraunhofer IDMT

As part of the research project funded by the Hertie Foundation, Fraunhofer IDMT is developing an AI-based system for acoustic analysis that continuously captures the sound conditions in the Mozart Hall and automatically detects changes. Such changes occur, for example, when musicians rehearse in an empty hall with a previously selected electronic acoustic setting. When the audience enters for the concert, the conditions shift noticeably – the sound becomes “drier.” For performers, this can significantly influence the playing experience.

Normally, room acoustics are measured using special, distinctly audible test signals. Since this is not practical during a performance, the challenge is to determine changes solely on the basis of the natural sounds in the room. If successful, electronic room acoustics systems can be controlled so that sound remains stable and balanced for both audience and musicians – regardless of changing conditions in the hall.

Christoph Sladeczek, Head of Smart Acoustic Solutions at Fraunhofer IDMT, explains: “In this project, we are combining our long-standing experience in spatial sound reproduction for large stages – such as the Bregenz Seebühne or Zurich Opera House – with our expertise in AI-based analysis of acoustic data. Thanks to the funding from the Hertie Foundation and the technological support from Müller-BBM, we aim to lift the acoustics of the Mozart Hall to a new level.”