Sydney Symphony Orchestra Helps Launch ‘Sottovoce,’ the First Real-Time Performance Management System
By Afton MarkayThe Australian startup Sottovoce has developed a ground-breaking hardware and software solution of the same name to primarily serve the performing arts industry by providing real-time noise exposure data for
musicians.
Pioneered by sound designer and audio engineer Des O’Neill and Grammy award-winning studio engineer and software developer Tony David Cray, Sottovoce aims to reduce noise induced hearing loss by providing this innovative solution to each musician and performing arts organization. “Aria Tags” record and provide real-time insights that will guide enhancements in auditory health and safety practices in the performing arts industry.
Sottovoce reinforces the importance of occupational hearing health in orchestras. Studies show professional musicians are more likely to develop noise-induced hearing loss to suffer tinnitus than the general population. With no medical cure, monitoring and prevention are the only solutions. The urgency was reinforced by the landmark Goldscheider vs Royal Opera House 2019 ruling, which awarded £750,000 to a musician and confirmed orchestras are legally accountable for preventing hearing damage.
As one of the early adopters of Sottovoce, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra helped shape the platform’s design and some of its bespoke features. Elissa Seed, Production Manager of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra explained in a press release, “The Tags are tiny, placed to monitor each musician, and invisible to audiences. The heat map helps us deploy our resources effectively, whether that’s telling musicians to use their own PPE or to use other mitigation methods. Having all this information on the cloud, accessible from any computer, device or phone at any time is incredibly convenient.”
The importance of tackling noise exposure as an industry issue was a central theme at the “Orchestras NOW!” conference in Wrocław, Poland in Sept. of this year. Experts from the BBC Philharmonic, ARUP, and The Medical College of NCU in Bydgoszcz joined Cray in a panel discussion exploring how orchestras can better support musician wellbeing. Sottovoce was recently showcased internationally at the League of American Orchestras Conference in Salt Lake City and the ABO Conference in the UK in early 2025. The product was recognized with an Australian Good Design Award in 2024.
Read Related Stories
