SoundShirt™

We have a very limited supply of 10 to 15 SoundShirts at one performance of each opera. We may offer more in the future. 

You should wear a light top, nothing too baggy or thick. You can wear either short or long sleeves, but nothing sleeveless, please.

You are more than welcome to bring a friend! You may purchase up to two SoundShirt tickets at a time. You may choose to use two SoundShirts or only one. If you need more than two tickets, please call or stop by our box office.

Lyric provides ASL interpreters at select performances of shows sung in English. All operas, regardless of the language in which they are sung, have projected English titles on a screen above or near the stage. Here is a list of performances with ASL interpretation this season.

Usually, SoundShirt wearers will be seated within the first 20 rows on the right side of the house, between aisles 1 and 2.

No. While first and foremost we hope to serve as many people who are deaf or hard of hearing as is possible, we know from testing that audiences who are blind or have vision loss have enjoyed wearing the SoundShirt as an extrasensory experience.

Look for a wardrobe rack holding the SoundShirts near the entrance to aisle 1 on the main floor of the lobby. A Lyric team member will be there to provide you with your SoundShirt and show you to your seat. If someone is not there, they are helping someone else and will return in a moment. Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled performance. You will receive an email with these and other instructions before your performance.

We would never tell someone not to enjoy a glass of wine (or other beverages) at the opera. But please do be careful. The shirts have expensive, custom electronics inside them.

Unfortunately, no. The FDA has stated that electronic devices should be kept six inches away from an implanted medical device, which is not possible with the SoundShirt.

To provide the audio feed, specifically for use with the SoundShirt, microphones are placed over different sections of the orchestra and on the stage to capture the sound of the singers’ voices. The captured audio is sent to a computer where custom software mixes the sound levels. From there, an antenna sends the digital data to one or more zones on each SoundShirt. The vibrations happen in real time with the music. You will sometimes be able to feel unique instrument sections, and other times the sounds will blend together.

Yes it does! The overall lag time of the system is a few milliseconds, which means you are feeling the music just as it is played by the orchestra and singers. When wearing a SoundShirt, we recommend that you occasionally look at the orchestra pit. You will notice the vibrations in the shirt coincide with the conductor's movements. We find it to be exciting and affirming, reminding you that you’re experiencing the show at the same time as everyone else. 

That’s a great question. Our friends at CuteCircuit, who developed the SoundShirt, think it sounds cooler than “jacket.” We agree. 

Absolutely not. The microphones used to capture the sound for our SoundShirt performances are used only for the SoundShirt. The show will continue to be pure and unamplified in the theater.

We are not currently planning to use the SoundShirt beyond opera performances. We’ll reevaluate how best to deploy the SoundShirt each year and through the feedback we receive during this pilot program.