We can have up to 100 musicians on stage some nights, and then pivot to a film score performance or ballet. We need flexibility, fidelity, and consistency across genres and formats, and Meyer Sound delivers that.”
Sienna PeckExecutive Producer, Festival Napa Valley
Each summer, Festival Napa Valley transforms the sun-drenched landscape of California wine country into a sweeping celebration of classical music, opera, jazz, and dance. The 2025 festival, held from July 3 to 21, featured 63 events across its main stage and satellite venues, offering an expansive yet intimate experience for artists and audiences alike. For the third year, Meyer Sound systems supported diverse performances with clear, balanced sound in every seat and on every lawn.
At the heart of the festival is the main stage at Charles Krug Winery, where longtime FOH engineer Brad Madix, with system deployment support from Sound Image, a Clair Global brand, led the implementation of a low-profile system built around LEOPARD compact linear line array loudspeakers and 2100‑LFC low-frequency control elements in cardioid configuration, supported by ULTRA‑X20 compact point source loudspeakers for front fill and out fill.
Madix notes that the system was designed with intention and restraint. “We’re outdoors, in a flat field, with no reverberant space like you’d have in a concert hall,” he says. “We’re not trying to be loud here; we just need to project sound far enough for the back lawn while keeping things sounding natural for everyone in the seated area. The Meyer Sound system let us do exactly that. The result is even, high-fidelity coverage that feels true to the performance, no matter where you’re sitting.”
Maintaining this natural acoustic impression in an outdoor environment requires subtlety and control. “We’re mixing quietly, with a lot of open condenser mics onstage, and still maintaining clarity and gain-before-feedback,” he adds. “It’s a sensitive environment, and this system lets us be precise without being invasive.”
That focus on transparency extends to the musicians’ experience onstage. Festival executive producer Sienna Peck, a classically trained violinist, has worked closely with Meyer Sound and Sound Image to reimagine how amplified classical music can support—not interfere with—the artistry of live performance.
“I came to Festival Napa Valley as a player first, and when we moved from an acoustically treated hall to an outdoor stage, it completely changed the playing experience,” she explains. “This year we moved away from traditional wedges and adopted a distributed monitoring approach with ULTRA-X20s and ULTRA-X23s. The goal was to give musicians the feeling of being in a hall again—to help them trust their instincts and just make music.”
Peck says the new distributed side fill approach offered a more cohesive and intuitive acoustic experience for the musicians. “The musicians are so happy,” she continues. “We’re getting compliments from both the stage and the audience about the clarity and fidelity of the sound.”
That power and precision proved essential across a diverse slate of events, including some of the festival’s most ambitious performances to date: Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment by France’s Versailles Royal Opera—their North American debut—as well as a performance by the Pacific Symphony with pianist Tianxu An, a film series honoring Ennio Morricone, and a presentation of Walt Disney’s Fantasia with a live orchestra.
“We can have up to 100 musicians on stage some nights, and then pivot to a film score performance or ballet,” says Peck. “We need flexibility, fidelity, and consistency across genres and formats, and Meyer Sound delivers that.”
The festival’s marquee event, the Arts for All Gala held at Nickel & Nickel Winery, featured a headline performance by Jon Batiste. That stage was supported by a system built around ULTRA‑X80 versatile point source loudspeakers and 2100‑LFC low-frequency control elements, configured in a cardioid arrangement. ULTRA‑X40 loudspeakers provided outfill coverage, with an additional ULTRA‑X40 delivering front-center down fill and a pair of UPJ-1P loudspeakers covering side fills. This high-output yet tightly controlled setup supported the dramatic dynamics of Batiste’s genre-blending set.
“His synth player hit some deep lows during soundcheck, and the whole tent just started vibrating,” recalls Peck. “It was one of those unforgettable live moments that reminded everyone what great sound can do.”