Music Department Now Live Streaming Concerts from Ophelia Parrish
Expanded capabilities recently installed in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall are giving the Music Department the ability to reach a worldwide audience and have made Truman an innovator among Missouri universities.
Live streaming video and audio of concerts in the performance hall are now available after three years of collaboration between Truman IT Services and music faculty members. The feature debuted Dec. 1 when the Wind Symphony I concert was streamed live. Parents, alumni, friends and prospective students of the University were able to log on and watch the concert, with viewers coming from as far away as Japan.
The concept of streaming concerts from Ophelia Parrish is a natural progression of the facility’s capabilities. When it was renovated in 2003, Ophelia Parrish was designed with a recording area. While video was not originally part of the plan, by adding that feature the Music Department now has the ability to document and assess student performances in addition to streaming concerts to a much wider audience than the 500-seat venue can hold. Truman is the first university in Missouri to offer live streaming concerts.
Jay Bulen, chair of the Department of Music, said plans are currently underway to determine what events taking place in the performance hall will be streamed live, but between concerts, student recitals and performance master classes, he anticipates the system being used several times each week.
Keeping costs low was not the only advantage of using in-house staff to upgrade Ophelia Parrish. Three of the IT Services staff members who worked on the project were also Truman music alumni.
“I was aware of the department’s desire to stream these events and, as a former trombone player at Truman, I knew it could be very valuable for a prospective music student, or a music student wanting to share with family who could not attend,” web developer Greg Marshall said.
The ability to live stream events is the first step in a series of improvements planned for Ophelia Parrish. Bulen said the existing sound quality of live-streamed events is excellent, and should only get better with the installation of high-quality hanging microphones. Also, a control room is being built and will feature a custom console for the mixing board, audio recording computer and video recording system.
While the current video capture system is low-resolution, eventually the plan is to include a high-resolution system to be used for archiving performances and for preparation of audition recordings.
Live stream performances are available through the Truman Music Department webpage at music.truman.edu/livestream.asp.
Live streaming video and audio of concerts in the performance hall are now available after three years of collaboration between Truman IT Services and music faculty members. The feature debuted Dec. 1 when the Wind Symphony I concert was streamed live. Parents, alumni, friends and prospective students of the University were able to log on and watch the concert, with viewers coming from as far away as Japan.
The concept of streaming concerts from Ophelia Parrish is a natural progression of the facility’s capabilities. When it was renovated in 2003, Ophelia Parrish was designed with a recording area. While video was not originally part of the plan, by adding that feature the Music Department now has the ability to document and assess student performances in addition to streaming concerts to a much wider audience than the 500-seat venue can hold. Truman is the first university in Missouri to offer live streaming concerts.
Jay Bulen, chair of the Department of Music, said plans are currently underway to determine what events taking place in the performance hall will be streamed live, but between concerts, student recitals and performance master classes, he anticipates the system being used several times each week.
Keeping costs low was not the only advantage of using in-house staff to upgrade Ophelia Parrish. Three of the IT Services staff members who worked on the project were also Truman music alumni.
“I was aware of the department’s desire to stream these events and, as a former trombone player at Truman, I knew it could be very valuable for a prospective music student, or a music student wanting to share with family who could not attend,” web developer Greg Marshall said.
The ability to live stream events is the first step in a series of improvements planned for Ophelia Parrish. Bulen said the existing sound quality of live-streamed events is excellent, and should only get better with the installation of high-quality hanging microphones. Also, a control room is being built and will feature a custom console for the mixing board, audio recording computer and video recording system.
While the current video capture system is low-resolution, eventually the plan is to include a high-resolution system to be used for archiving performances and for preparation of audition recordings.
Live stream performances are available through the Truman Music Department webpage at music.truman.edu/livestream.asp.
