BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In the 15 years since Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks first opened with a show by boogie-woogie blues singer Marsha Ball, audiences have consistently grown, drawn by the stunning venue and superior talent.
Now, the Levitt plans to add superlative sound to that experience.
ArtsQuest, which operates the pavilion built against the historic Bethlehem SteelStacks, today, April 23, announced a major upgrade to the venue's sound system.
The new sound system will debut with the Levitt Pavilion’s 2026 summer season on May 15.ArtsQuest
The new state-of-the-art system replaces a public address system developed 25 years ago and will "deliver improved sound quality, broader coverage and an enhanced experience overall for performers and audiences," ArtsQuest said in a release.
It "elevates free concerts and live events with touring-quality audio for artists and audiences alike," ArtsQuest said.
That "will ensure that every performance — from concerts to summer movies on the lawn — meets modern production standards," the release said.
The new sound system, installed in partnership with Bauder Audio Systems of Horsham, Montgomery County, will debut with the Levitt Pavilion’s 2026 summer season on May 15.
The season, which will include nearly 50 free concerts, movies, community events and performances, annually draws more than 50,000 people to the Levitt Pavilion.
'All aligned to make it happen'
ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan said the upgrade comes as “the whole SteelStacks campus now 15-plus years old" and ArtsQuest is "looking at different things about how do we continue to stay modern and on the edge and new and fresh?
“So … it combined with the biggest piece for a nonprofit operation here at SteelStacks, which is the funding. It all aligned to make it happen this summer.”
“We believe free shows should deliver the same level of production quality as ticketed events, and this new system allows us to provide that for our artists, our audiences and our community."Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Executive Director Cory Stevens
Funding for the program will come from Northampton County's hotel tax grant program through the county Community & Economic Development Department.
Longtime donors Chuck and Cindy Yeoman also contributed to the project.
The cost of the system was not revealed.
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Executive Director Cory Stevens said the new sound system "is a significant investment for the Levitt Pavilion and for everyone who experiences live music and entertainment at SteelStacks.”
“We believe free shows should deliver the same level of production quality as ticketed events, and this new system allows us to provide that for our artists, our audiences and our community," Stevens said.
'Meet and exceed those expectations'
The previous PA system was nearing 25 years old, "so it already was kind of old when it came to us when Levitt first opened," Stevens said.
“The nature of running a non-profit is you work with what you’ve got," he said. "But the sound quality was dipping a little bit."
The system operated below the volume levels typically required by modern touring productions and required ongoing maintenance with mismatched components, ArtsQuest said in a release.
“Technologies in this area have continued to increase and gotten phenomenally better. It was a piece that we’d been hearing from tours, too. It was something that they were looking for."ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan
As a result, ArtsQuest often had to supplement the system for larger shows, adding complexity and cost to productions.
“Technologies in this area have continued to increase and gotten phenomenally better," Brogan said. "It was a piece that we’d been hearing from tours, too. It was something that they were looking for."
Stevens agreed.
“A lot of times, bands would have to add some of their own sound equipment to amplify some of the stuff that we were doing on the stage," he said.
"So this is going to be easier for a lot of newer artists who are coming through that require certain specifications.
“We took a look at that and figured if we make this investment now, it’s going to be a lot easier for the artists coming to the Levitt stage."
ArtsQuest Production Manager Scott Dean said that "with the previous system, we were constantly working around limitations such as aging equipment to gaps in performance compared to what touring artists expect today.”
“This upgrade removes those barriers and ensures the Levitt stage can meet and exceed those expectations.”
'Connecting artists to audiences'
Since those early years of the Levitt, audiences have gotten progressively larger.
The lawn was designed to comfortably fit 2,500 people on chairs or blankets. But as familiarity with the quality with the venue and the talent it offers has grown, so have the audiences.
Each Levitt concert these days not only fills the lawn, but the contingent sidewalks along First Street through the campus and even across the street onto the Town Square in front of ArtsQuest Center.
"That’s community support for this music venue. And I think that’s the way the Levitt built community — that lawn concept where everyone is together under the same night sky has really drawn audiences even beyond what we conceived."ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan
“We say that often — the benches, the road and First Street was an architectural stroke of brilliance to allow for a larger lawn," Brogan said.
"Who knew we needed an even larger lawn, right? We thought we were building a large-enough lawn."
But he said, “we’ve been doing bigger and bigger shows, and so many larger shows than we had initially intended it to be, back in 2009, 2010, when we were designing it.
“But that’s community support for this music venue. And I think that’s the way the Levitt built community — that lawn concept where everyone is together under the same night sky has really drawn audiences even beyond what we conceived.
"We talk about it being one of the largest ‘listening rooms’ some nights in the Lehigh Valley in this outdoor space.
"We want to make this investment to continue to give people a tremendous experience as they come out to a Levitt show.
“And so to have a great sound system to deliver that is the most important piece of connecting artists to audiences here at the Levitt.”
Better sound quality, less equipment
The new audio system features a full L-Acoustics ecosystem, widely regarded as an industry standard for touring and live event production.
The configuration also includes advanced amplification and processing technology designed to deliver consistent, high-quality sound across the entire Levitt lawn.
“It’s increasing our capabilities to bring in higher-caliber artists in the sense that we won’t have to rent as much equipment that are needed for some of the larger tours that are coming through."Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Executive Director Cory Stevens
"The old system was kind of just sort of blasting out into the middle, and so the sides of the lawn there, where we have separate sections, they might be getting a sub-par experience," Stevens said.
"And so the solution was to just crank everything up and make it like it was blasting everybody off the lawn.
“With this new sound system, we’re actually able to push the sound out more to the sides of the lawn — certainly out to those areas across First Street.
"So that anybody who’s there, regardless of the size of the crowd, can enjoy world-class sound.
“And one thing that was pointed out to me about this new system is that we can actually have it sound cleaner and clearer without necessarily being louder.
“It’s actually able to deliver a better-quality sound without necessarily just jacking up the volume.”
Additionally, Stevens said, the system is able to "individually control the fringe zones along the lawn."
"So part of what makes that sound a little bit clearer and crisper without necessarily jacking up the volume is that we can actually focus in on a certain part and adjust the settings as needed," he said.
An irony — and additional benefit — of the new system is that "it’s delivering a better-quality sound with it being less equipment," Stevens said.
So setup is faster and easier setup for visiting sound engineers, and "it’s taking up less real estate on the stage, so it’s more space for artists to put their stuff and move around," Stevens said.
“It’s increasing our capabilities to bring in higher-caliber artists in the sense that we won’t have to rent as much equipment that are needed for some of the larger tours that are coming through.
“Basically we’re going to have way more control and it’s just a little bit less real estate in terms of how clunky some of these sub-woofer and things can be.”
'Make sure we're a centerpiece'
Brogan said the new system was piloted at the paid-ticket Levitt concert by the band Cake show last fall.
"And a number people left that show saying, ‘Wow, this is the best I’ve ever heard a show sound here,’" Brogan said.
"Which was music to our ears — pun intended — that we were going in this direction.”
“This was an investment that’s going to last 10, 15 years and really set us up for excellent sound quality in the future.”Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Executive Director Cory Stevens
Bauder Audio Systems Production Manager Brian Naab said, “This project was about delivering a system that meets the expectations of today’s touring artists while improving the experience for every guest on the lawn.”
The new system also includes manufacturer-backed warranties ranging from five to 10 years, ensuring reliability for years to come, ArtsQuest said.
“This was an investment that ... really set us up for excellent sound quality in the future,” Stevens said.
Stevens, who took his position as SteelStacks Executive Director in January, said that he first considered a job with ArtsQuest when he was at a Levitt Pavilion show, “seeing the steel stacks behind the stage and taking in the atmosphere."
"So if I hadn’t gone to that first Levitt show, it’s quite possible I wouldn’t be working at ArtsQuest today," he said.
“It’s a very cool full-circle moment for me to be leading the charge of where Levitt’s going over the next couple years.”
Brogan said that,"across the board, whether it’s opening the [ArtsQuest's planned] Creative Factory or this upgrade to the Levitt Pavilion, we are really trying to continue to bring great guest experiences here in South Bethlehem.
“As the whole marketplace continues to develop and thrive, we want to make sure we’re a centerpiece to that.”
