{"id":1327,"date":"2026-02-02T16:20:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/?p=1327"},"modified":"2026-02-03T16:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T16:30:49","slug":"eagan-high-schools-new-transcend-virtual-shell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/eagan-high-schools-new-transcend-virtual-shell\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagan High School’s New Transcend Virtual Shell"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Project<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Eagan High School was chosen as the beta site for Wenger’s new Transcend Stage Virtual Shell.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Location<\/strong>
Eagan, MN<\/p>

Completion
<\/strong>2025<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Description<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Transcend Stage Installation at Eagan High School (Eagan, Minnesota)<\/strong><\/p>

Eagan High School in Minnesota is home to a busy performing arts program, with an auditorium that supports band concerts, choir performances, and frequent school and community events. Like many high schools, Eagan faced the challenge of producing a clear, supportive acoustic environment on stage without the space, labor, or infrastructure demands of a traditional portable shell system.<\/p>

To address these needs, Eagan became an early beta site for Transcend Stage<\/strong>, Wenger\u2019s virtual acoustic shell system.<\/p>

The Challenge: Acoustics and Practical Limitations<\/strong><\/p>

Before Transcend, Eagan\u2019s band and choir programs experienced common auditorium issues:<\/p>

  • Sound onstage was often \u201clost\u201d into the fly space, leaving the ensemble feeling unsupported<\/p><\/li>

  • Balance problems, especially with percussion, were difficult to manage in performance<\/p><\/li>

  • Traditional shell towers and overhead panels required significant setup time and storage space<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

    Band Director Michael Pearson<\/strong> described the stage sound as \u201cdead,\u201d with the house sound often feeling flat even when the ensemble sounded strong up close.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    The Solution: A Virtual Acoustic Shell<\/strong><\/p>

    Transcend Stage is designed to provide the acoustic effect of a full bandshell without requiring heavy movable towers or ceiling panels.<\/p>

    Instead of physical shell pieces, the system uses:<\/p>

    • Suspended microphones<\/strong> to capture the natural ensemble sound<\/p><\/li>

    • A network of overhead and lateral speakers<\/strong> to return sound reflections back across the stage and out to the audience<\/p><\/li>

    • Presets and calibration tools to adjust for different stage configurations\u00a0<\/p><\/li>

    • The goal is to emulate the supportive reflections of a traditional shell while eliminating many logistical barriers.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>

      Impact on Ensemble Sound and Balance<\/strong><\/p>

      For Eagan\u2019s band program, the improvement was immediate.<\/p>

      Pearson noted that percussion balance\u2014often a challenge in school auditoriums\u2014became \u201cabsolutely phenomenal,\u201d with harsh frequencies softened and integrated naturally into the full ensemble sound.<\/p>

      He described the overall effect as comparable to performing in a brand-new auditorium with a full physical shell and ceiling panels:<\/p>

      \u201cIf I had closed my eyes\u2026 I don\u2019t think I could tell any difference.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>

      Audience clarity also improved, with listeners hearing a sound closer to what the director hears on stage.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

      \n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

      Benefits for Choir and Student Confidence<\/strong><\/p>

      The choir program also found unexpected advantages.<\/p>

      Vocal Music Teacher Amy Jo Cherner<\/strong> explained that Transcend allowed singers to feel supported even when spread farther apart, changing how she arranged students on risers.<\/p>

      She noted that, “Transcend also provides more sense of ensemble for the choir; each singer can hear everything. Wherever they are standing, each gets a complete audio story of all the parts around them.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

      \n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

      System Design and Control<\/strong><\/p>

      Transcend Stage installations include professional design, commissioning, and calibration. The system at Eagan uses:<\/p>

      • Column line-array speakers to provide lateral energy across the ensemble<\/p><\/li>

      • Overhead speaker rows to simulate ceiling reflections<\/p><\/li>

      • Wall-mounted subwoofers for low-frequency support\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

        Control is handled through a touchscreen panel with multiple acoustic presets, allowing directors and staff to select different acoustic responses depending on ensemble size and stage setup.\u00a0<\/p>

        A High School-Centered Outcome<\/strong><\/p>

        Eagan High School\u2019s experience reflects a situation many band and choir directors recognize: strong programs performing in multipurpose auditoriums where traditional shell systems are difficult to store, staff, or deploy consistently.<\/p>

        Transcend Stage offered Eagan:<\/p>

        • A more supportive onstage acoustic environment<\/p><\/li>

        • Improved ensemble balance and clarity<\/p><\/li>

        • Faster changeovers and reduced labor demands<\/p><\/li>

        • Greater flexibility for technical production<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

          As Ratzlaff summarized:<\/p>

          \u201cWe\u2019re really happy with it\u2026 I\u2019m sold on Transcend.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
          \"5G0A3552-Edit<\/figure><\/div>
          \"5G0A3384-HDR-Edit-web\"<\/figure><\/div>
          \"5G0A3335web\"<\/figure><\/div>
          \"5G0A3236-HDR-Edit-web\"<\/figure><\/div>
          \"5G0A3057-Editweb\"<\/figure><\/div>
          \"5G0A2971-Editweb\"<\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
          <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Eagan High School is the home to the first Wenger Transcend Stage Virtual Shell, installed in the fall of 2025. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-1327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-secondary","tag-music-education"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1327"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1375,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327\/revisions\/1375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}