Owatonna, Minnesota opened its expansive, 317,000-square-foot high school to its first students in September 2023, after a three-year, $126 million construction project. Wenger Corporation joined with other Owatonna businesses and organizations in making this new school possible. 

Auditorium 

In the new Wenger Performing Arts Center, a Diva® Acoustical Shell with Lieto™ LED light fixtures illuminate the stage. The Diva shell beautifully enhances sound projection to the audience while also improving acoustical responsiveness for the performers. The STRATA® Pit Filler ensures the safety of performers and equipment while providing flexibility for diverse productions, enabling seamless transitions between orchestra pit and stage configurations.  

In the wings, the J.R. Clancy rigging systems automate the control of the Diva shell ceilings, and electrics using PowerAssist® and PowerLift® hoists operated by a programmable Vantis™ Pendant Controller. The performance space also includes a J.R. Clancy counterweight rigging system that offers students the valuable opportunity to gain experience in both manual and automated rigging systems.   

“The new auditorium is a thing of beauty. We now have an orchestra pit that will make doing musicals far easier, rigging with line sets that will make loading in shows much easier, and easy–to–use control systems,” said Erik Eitrheim, Language Arts Teacher, Theater Department Director, and Manager of the Wenger Performing Arts Center at OHS. “The students, local public schools, and the community as a whole will get a lot of use out of this space.”   

Music Suite 

In the Harry Wenger Music Suite, Wenger’s revolutionary Virtual Acoustic Environment (VAEÒ) technology was installed in the choir and ensemble rooms to improve acoustical response and accelerate learning. These innovative systems use an array of microphones and speakers, along with digital signal processing technology, to mimic the acoustics of a broad range of venues and enable performers to hear what they will sound like.

The choir room and the band room are also outfitted with custom StageTek® risers and Signature® choral risers. Each rehearsal room is equipped with Wenger Nota® posture chairs, Bravo™ music stands, and Mobile Folio Cabinets. In the Band and Orchestra rooms UltraStor® Cabinets and Music Library Systems can be found for instrument and sheet music organization.   

Lining the hallways in the music suite are UltraStor Instrument Cabinets, Folio Cabinets for music storage and SoundLok® Sound-Isolation Practice Rooms with VAE Technology.   

“From the beautiful cherry floors to the chairs, stands, risers and  the storage lockers that keep the clutter of cases out of the rehearsal rooms, to the natural light and high ceilings in our teaching spaces, these are all things that create a vibrant and positive environment for music making, which is why we’re here,” said Pete Guenther, OHS Band Director. 

“In the first week of the music suite being ‘live’, we had multiple students come to our area to use the practice rooms and ensemble rooms. Students are accessing the practice rooms when they have completed their work, have study hall, or if their ensemble has shared time,” stated Sandra Justice, OHS Orchestra Director. “My heart is full seeing kids using the space as it is intended.”