Nearly a century after its 1932 opening, Radio City Music Hall is getting a futuristic upgrade. Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced that Sphere Immersive Sound, billed as the most advanced concert audio system in the world, will debut at the legendary venue this fall — marking a major step in the company’s plan to bring the groundbreaking technology from Las Vegas’ Sphere to its broader portfolio of venues.
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The system will make its Radio City debut with the 2025 Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, before rolling out across all concerts and live events at the Music Hall in January 2026. The upgrade, MSGE says, will transform how artists and audiences experience sound in the storied theater.
“The introduction of Sphere Immersive Sound at Radio City is the next evolution in the nearly 100-year legacy of this iconic venue,” said Josephine Vaccarello, evp of live at MSG Entertainment. “It represents a significant investment that will benefit both artists and guests. With Sphere Immersive Sound now at the Beacon Theatre and Sphere in Las Vegas, we’re proud to continue expanding this technology across our venues.”
Originally developed for Sphere in Las Vegas, the 18,600-seat venue known for its giant LED exosphere and fully immersive audio-visual experiences, Sphere Immersive Sound employs next-generation 3D audio beamforming and wave field synthesis to deliver consistent, crystal-clear sound to every seat in the house.
Instead of sound dissipating unevenly through a space, the system precisely directs over 7,000 individually amplified loudspeakers, creating what MSG calls “headphone-quality sound without the headphones.” The result: identical clarity and volume whether a listener is sitting in the front orchestra or the back mezzanine.
Radio City’s signature production — the Christmas Spectacular, returning for its 92nd season — will serve as the system’s inaugural showcase. The Christmas Spectacular has long been a testbed for new entertainment technology, from holographic projections to drone choreography.
“With Sphere Immersive Sound, we can creatively play with music and sound effects to immerse audiences in Christmas like never before,” Jessica Tuttle, evp of productions for MSG Entertainment said. “It allows us to transform the Music Hall into a true holiday wonderland.”
The Radio City installation will also mark the rollout of 3D Differential Beamforming, allowing artists and engineers to digitally sculpt and localize sound within the venue, fine-tuning acoustics for both audience and performers. The rollout will also debut
Intelligent Audio System Synthesis, which integrates non-HOLOPLOT speakers into the Sphere ecosystem, ensuring even sound coverage across the hall — including previously challenging architectural areas.
These advances also open the door for Sphere Immersive Sound to be deployed in a wider range of venues and configurations beyond MSG’s properties, potentially establishing a new industry standard for concert sound.
From its first opening-night concert to generations of Rockettes performances, Radio City Music Hall has been synonymous with New York entertainment. The installation of Sphere Immersive Sound reinforces MSG Entertainment’s commitment to preserving that legacy while pushing it forward.
Tickets for the 2025 Christmas Spectacular are on sale now. The show opens November 6, 2025, with performances running through the holiday season before the venue’s full sound rollout in January.
“Radio City has always been about creating unforgettable moments,” Vaccarello said, “and with Sphere Immersive Sound, those moments will now sound better than ever.”
