Salzburg Festival Elevates Performances with ETC Lighting

Salzburg Festival, recognized as the world’s most important festival for classical music and performing arts, ran from July 19 to August 31, with over 200 scheduled events. This year’s performances included the play The Magic Mountain, the opera Don Giovanni, and the iconic production of Everyman (Jedermann), all illuminated by cutting-edge ETC lighting technology.

Last year, the Salzburg Festival made significant investments in modern LED lighting systems. “We’re focused on reducing energy consumption to shrink our ecological footprint,” said Hubert Schwaiger, Head of Lighting at the Salzburg Festival. Among the selected lighting solutions were systems from ETC, provided by Austrian ETC partner Preworks.

One of the key installations is the High End Systems SolaFrame Studio fixtures, now used at the “Haus für Mozart” venue. “This space has flawless acoustics,” said Schwaiger, “so it’s crucial to eliminate any unwanted noise.” Replacing the previous moving lights with fanless, silent High End Systems SolaFrame Studio fixtures from ETC was a game-changer. “Now, the audience can enjoy the performances without any disruption from the sound of lighting equipment,” Schwaiger added.

The Salzburg Festival’s extensive program is staged across three different venues. Among these, the "Großes Festspielhaus" stands out as a true gem. “It’s a diamond,” Schwaiger said of the historic venue, which boasts monumental dimensions and state-of-the-art technical capabilities: the stage measures 100 meters in width, 25 meters in depth, with a proscenium height of 9 meters and a width of 30 meters. The vast orchestra pit accommodates up to 110 musicians. Schwaiger noted, “Given the sheer scale, lighting plays a crucial role, presenting a challenge for every performance.”

To meet these annual challenges, Schwaiger relies on ETC lighting systems. In addition to the silent SolaFrame fixtures, the festival uses SourceFour LED, SourceFour PAR, SolaFrame 3000, ColorSource PAR Deep Blue, and several consoles, including Eos Ti, Gio, Gio @5, and Ion Xe 20. The world-renowned venue also employs ETC power control solutions and Gateway networking systems to ensure seamless power control.