Patrons to concerts organised by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra can expect an improved sound quality from now on, thanks to the orchestra's latest investment in acoustic technology.

Through an investment of €70,000, the orchestra is acquiring acoustic diffuser shells manufactured by Portuguese acoustic panel specialists Jocavi and supplied by local audio-visual equipment provider Digital Magic.

The first public performance featuring these shells will be the Eroica concert the MPO is organising on 11 March at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, before performing the same concert in Austria later that month - at Vienna's famed Musikverein on the 16th and in Klagenfurt's Konzerthaus a day later.

Such technology will not be required in Austria, as the MPO specifically needs them to compensate for one of Malta's limitations: the lack of a purpose-built concert hall.

None of the spaces the orchestra can perform in specifically address its acoustic needs, including its own venue, the Robert Samut Hall in Floriana.

Robert Samut Hall, a former Methodist church, which is used as the orchestra's rehearsal space and as a venue for small concerts with a maximum seating capacity of around 200, does not provide ideal acoustic conditions for rehearsals and performances alike.

Similar limitations can be found in the venues the orchestra typically uses for larger concerts, including the Mediterranean Conference Centre and the Teatru Manoel.

It is for this reason that the MPO has opted for a portable acoustic shell, which can help recreate, as much as possible, the acoustics of a concert hall.

The shell is made up of a curved array of specially-designed acoustic panels, which help the sound from one area of the stage reach another, while also reflecting this sound to the audience.

The panels are made up of birch wood, so that they may impart a warmth to the sound that only natural wood can. Birch is strong but relatively light, allowing the shell to be easily moved from the rehearsal space to concert venues and back.