Visions of Da Vinci - CCO

Mike Heffron
Jan 7, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Jan 9, 2020

The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra marked its 45th anniversary in 2019. To celebrate the occasion, the CCO welcomed in exciting guest soloists from around the world and debuted their 2019 Summermusik series with a visual experience honoring the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death.

The Project

In 2018, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra saw a dramatic 50% increase in subscriptions. For their 45th anniversary they wanted to impress their new member with a one-of-a-kind performance honoring Leonardo Da Vinci. The show was one night only and hosted at the Cincinnati School of Creative & Performing Arts' Corbett Theater. Working within the limitations of the space and without distracting from the music taking center stage, the CCO desired a visual experience incorporating the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci to accompany the performance.

The Solution

Liquid Video Solutions based in Cincinnati was chosen for the project. Work began in late 2018 to provide the spectacular visual show this performance deserved. The physical room of the theater could not be altered in anyway and the set up time for the show was limited to only 24 hours before curtain call.

Because of these requirements, projection mapping was selected as the best solution. A three projector system was devised and designed to showcase displays on each of the stage wings and on a screen located above the orchestra. To fit the space, two displays had to be in a vertical portrait format and one in horizontal landscape. This presented an extra obstacle for the content design team. LVS designers got to work analyzing the selection of Da Vinci classics selected for the show. Using the highest resolution images available, custom animations were created to bring these artworks to life right in front of the audience. These video pieces were then formatted to fit the unique aspect designs and calibrated for the surfaces they would be projected on. LVS technicians manually conducted the projection show using Dataon WatchOut and a Show Sage media server. 75,000 lumens of light power dazzled the audience on that memorable evening honoring one of the greatest artists to have ever lived.