Lyric Opera of Chicago Launches SoundShirt Technology

The opera company is the first to offer an immersive technology that brings the power of touch to live opera

Through its SoundShirt pilot program, the Lyric Opera Of Chicago has become the first opera company in the world to bring audiences — especially those who are deaf or hard of hearing — a fully immersive touch sensation of live music.

SoundShirt provides nuanced and physical vibrations of the opera’s music and voices through a comfortable lightweight jacket. 

Designed and built by London-based wearable-technology fashion brand CuteCircuit, SoundShirt and its current software was refined through extensive testing at Lyric during the 2022/23 season.

The season-long pilot program will launch in partnership with the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) at Lyric Opera’s performance of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman on October 1, 2023.

The technology of SoundShirt allows wearers to experience the feeling of music through their upper body through a process known as haptic actuation, which can be felt through controlled vibrations.  

While the orchestra and artists perform in the pit and on stage, microphones capture their sound and transform it into a digital feed to SoundShirts — this closed-circuit audio feed is then transformed into touch data that is broadcast wirelessly to the SoundShirts in real time with the music and voices. 

Additionally, different instruments and voices map to different locations across the body and sleeves of the SoundShirt, which allows for a deepened multisensory experience.

Named one of “The Best Inventions of 2020” by Time magazine, a limited number of SoundShirts will be available at selected opera performances throughout the 2023/24 season.

The SoundShirt performance dates will also feature core accessibility services, including audio description or American Sign Language interpretation.

To purchase tickets for SoundShirt performances, click here. 

“The SoundShirt gave me access to the sound of the performance in a way I have never experienced before, and it honestly made my experience at Lyric even more richly satisfying,” said Rachel Arfa, the first deaf commissioner of MOPD, who was part of testing the technology. Chicago has long been known for its embrace of innovation and for its spirit of inclusiveness, so it is fitting that this technology is being piloted by one of our city’s — and the world’s — most important cultural institutions.”

“I am proud that Lyric Opera of Chicago will be the first opera company in the world to bring this new technology to its live audiences,” added Anthony Freud, Lyric’s general director, president, and CEO. “The SoundShirt reinforces Lyric’s commitment to accessibility and to broadening the impact of our live performances on all audience members.”

A video demonstrating the SoundShirt can be viewed below. 

Made possible by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Innovation Initiative, the SoundShirt program is also supported in part by a grant from the League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd.