Renovation Sound System Install in First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, NC

Founded in 1824, First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, North Carolina serves a congregation of over 2,700, with 3 pastors and a staff of 40. Its beautiful, historic sanctuary, built in 1928, seats 1,560 and features an organ with more than 6,800 pipes.

In 2012, the church embarked on a $15 million renovation to its sanctuary and an adjoining building, including a major upgrade to the sanctuary sound system. For the A/V upgrade, First Presbyterian called on systems integrator Audio & Light of Greeensboro and system designer Curtis Kasefang of Theatre Consultants Collaborative, based in Chapel Hill, NC. The renovation took two years to complete; the first post-renovation service was held Sunday, December 21, 2014. 

Designed in the Southern French Gothic style, the sanctuary is in the traditional form of a cross. It presents a 160-foot-long center aisle and an 85-foot ceiling with lots of angles, as well as dual lofts with pews, a rear balcony that is 33 feet above the floor, multiple alcoves, a pair of 64-foot-long transepts, and plenty of glass and hard surfaces. The choir sits in pews that are perpendicular between the pulpit and lectern areas. The room is stunning but the acoustics are complex.

For the new system, TCC's Kasefang chose the same Renkus-Heinz Iconyx-series digitally steerable column arrays that Everhart had previously recommended. The system starts with a pair of Renkus-Heinz IC32-R-II loudspeakers (featuring 32 4-inch coaxial transducers, each with three high-frequency tweeters) whose beams are configured to handle the main floor seating. A pair of IC16-R-II columns is configured to cover the back seats and rear balcony, while a second pair of IC16-R-IIs cover the altar area. Two IC8-R-IIs cover the lofts.