The Madison (WI) Opera company opened its 2003-04 season Saturday, July 19 with it's annual free community concert, called “Opera in the Park.” An estimated 5,000 concert goers and their families came early and picnicked in Madison’s Garner Park as the sun set and the spotlights gently rose on an exciting summer night in Madison. “This is wonderful,” said concert goer John Daugherty, 43, of McFarland, WI. “It’s what an outdoor concert should be.”

Ann Stanke, general director of Madison Opera, said, “We brought in some of the hottest new voices in opera, and we were pleased that one of the most sought-after young American conductors on today’s opera scene, Steven White, conducted this special event.” In addition to hearing the Madison Symphony Orchestra under White’s direction, and the Madison Opera chorus, those attending were treated to performances by opera Paula Delligatti, soprano; Angela Horn, mezzo; Andrew Richards, tenor and Thomas Barrett, baritone, serenading the crowd with some of opera’s most famous and favorite melodies.

But the highlight of the evening for both concert organizers and concert goers was the addition – for the first time – of a sound reinforcement system. The complete system – including setup, tear down and engineering - was supplied by BAG END Loudspeaker Systems through its leading dealer in the country, Full Compass of Middleton, WI. ”With a concert quality sound system and national touring quality staging and lighting to enhance the experience, ‘Opera in the Park’ provided the kind of setting that really showcased the great young talent that performed,” Stanke said.“ And for the audience, young and old, it was an evening they will not soon forget.”

To assure the best possible sound, BAG END assigned its director of engineering, search and development, Henry Heine, to quarterback the setup and operation of the sound system. “Despite the fact that the event was in an outdoor setting on a grassy hillside, we wanted to provide the best system we knew how to put together, Heine said. “It not only had to cover a widely scattered audience but because of the nature of program, it had to perform very well musically as well.” Heine said. “And judging from the audience reaction, we accomplished that goal.”

To accomplish that Heine and his crew dug into the BAG END arsenal and chose six Crystal mid-range, high-output speaker systems flown in a stereo array for the main speaker arrays. They augmented those with four Opal high-output delay signal speakers on towers. The bottom end was supplied by three BAG END Quartz, quad-18 high-output subwoofers. That’s a total of 12 18-inch subwoofers pumping out bass – enough fire power for a stadium. Heine also used four BAG END Sapphire speaker systems as floor monitors. He mixed the system on a Tascam DM24 mixing console. Also included in the system was a mix of studio quality microphones, supplied by Full Compass.

Obviously Heine accomplished what he set out to do. Reviewer Michael Muckian of “The Capitol Times,” Madison’s daily newspaper, wrote: “The second year of the Madison Opera (outdoor concert) showed significant improvement in areas other than the weather. A new sound system from BAG END Loudspeaker Systems, similar to those used at the outdoor Ravinia Festival (in Chicago), brought richer, more clearly articulated amplification throughout the park. Last year’s muddy audio moments were only a memory.”

Susan Lipp, president of Full Compass, who is a member of the Opera’s board, said, “We believe it’s important to keep opera alive for our young children.” Lipp and her husband, Full Compass CEO, Jonathan Lipp, are active in many philanthropic and charitable causes in the Madison area and the state of Wisconsin. Full Compass is a $55 million a year pro audio retail operation that – through steady, controlled growth and an emphasis on goodwill – is one of the industry leaders. More information on Full Compass can be obtained on the company’s web site: www.fullcompass.com or by calling 800-356-5844.

A major portion of the $100,000 price tag for “Opera in the Park” was underwritten by Bette J. Birkhauser in honor of her late husband Robert R. Birkhauser, founder of Madison based Auto Glass Specialists. It was also sponsored by generous gifts from Madison Gas and Electric Foundation, Marshall Field’s, Target, Holiday Inn and Suites, George’s Chop House, the Capital Times newspaper and Pat and Shirley Kubly.