Lyric Opera Company, 'first in the world' with this new accessibility initiative

The Lyric Opera of Chicago announced the launch of a new accessibility initiative for its 2023/24 Season: the SoundShirt, a pilot program that brings wearable technology to the opera house for the first time. The SoundShirt allows all audience members, but particularly those who are deaf or hard of hearing, to experience live opera enhanced by real-time vibrations. The pilot program begins with the performance of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman on Sunday, October 1.

SoundShirt wearers experience the feeling of music rendered on their upper body through SoundShirts in real time with the music and voices. Different instruments and voices map to different locations across the body and sleeves of the garment, creating a deepened multisensory experience for opera-goers.

"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," says Anthony Freud, Lyric’s General Director, President & CEO. "The SoundShirt reinforces Lyric’s commitment to accessibility and to broadening the impact of our live performances on all audience members."

The SoundShirt pilot program is presented in partnership with the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). Rachel Arfa, the first deaf commissioner of MOPD, tested the technology last season. "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," she says. "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."

The SoundShirt was invented and produced by London-based CuteCircuit, a wearable-technology fashion brand that has designed in collaboration with Converse and Chanel, among others. The SoundShirt was named one of "The Best Inventions of 2020" by Time magazine. To better interpret the unique qualities of live opera and musical-theater performances, the current SoundShirt software was refined through extensive testing at Lyric during the 2022/23 Season.

A limited number of SoundShirts will be available for use at selected performances of each opera during the season-long pilot program. The SoundShirt performance dates also feature core accessibility services such as audio description or American Sign Language interpretation.

The Flying Dutchman: Sunday, October 1 at 2 p.m.

Jenůfa: Sunday, November 12 at 2 p.m.

The Daughter of the Regiment: Thursday, November 16 at 2 p.m.

Cinderella: Sunday, January 21 at 2 p.m.

Champion: Wednesday, January 31 at 2 p.m. & Saturday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Aida: Sunday, March 17 at 2 p.m.

For more information on the many other accessibility assets on offer at Lyric — including audio-described and American Sign Language-interpreted performances, assistive listening devices, braille and large-print program books, improved wheelchair seating, and more — visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.