UK - For the first time in its 150-year history, the Royal Albert Hall will play host to a special concert behind closed doors. For the event, which will mark the VE Day 75th anniversary on Bank Holiday, Friday 8 May, international Mezzo Soprano Katherine Jenkins OBE will perform on the Royal Albert Hall stage to an empty auditorium. The half-hour concert will be streamed to audiences around the world via YouTube at 6pm BST and is the first performance of the #RoyalAlbertHome series to come from the Hall itself. It follows on from the singer’s successful at home lockdown concerts which have amassed over 2 million streams to-date. This unique concert is made possible by funding from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, as part of #LondonTogether, and will be introduced with a video message from the Mayor. #LondonTogether invites Londoners to highlight great examples of positive
Europe - On 27 April, L-Acoustics sales manager Tim McCall set out on a journey to ride 2000km from L-Acoustics headquarters in Marcoussis, France, to each of the companies in the group. He will return to Marcoussis on 11 May, in time for when the French Government is due to lift some of the current lockdown restrictions. “The live production business has been hit hard by COVID-19, and individuals in this industry even harder. So to help our global crew family, I will be riding my bike on a trainer (so as not to break strict French lockdown laws),” says McCall. “My virtual route will start at L-Acoustics HQ in Marcoussis before going on to Keskatel and then Wenden, Germany and on to the L-ISA HQ in Highgate, London before heading south and back to Amboise, France before heading home to Marcoussis - a trip of around 2,000km and around 8,000m of climbing.” McCal
USA - Atlona will launch AtlonaComm 20, a month-long virtual tradeshow experience beginning 1 June on Atlona’s website. The online event will offer a schedule of product offerings, training and education experiences, and personalised meeting opportunities for customers, partners and other visitors. AtlonaComm 20 represents Atlona’s proactive response to COVID-19-related event disruption, including the cancellation of InfoComm 2020, as well as general business travel and in-person sales visits. Atlona hatched its plans for an online event back in early March as the magnitude of the rapidly-evolving health crisis unfurled. “We wanted to provide guests with a tradeshow experience that closely resembles the experience of being there,” says Ilya Khayn, CEO of Atlona. “We took a proactive approach in creating a virtual, interactive event to share our latest innovat
UK - PLASA is calling for UK-based entertainment industry professionals from all sectors to write to their local MP highlighting the challenges the industry has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The action forms part of the #EventsForTheFuture initiative, launched by the ABTT, PSA, PLASA, SOLT and UK Theatre, which aims to increase the visibility of the events and entertainment industries and campaign for further support. To make it simple to contact their local representative, the organisations have created four letter templates suitable for businesses, employees, freelancers, and one-person limited companies. The templates are freely available to download on each association’s websites – head over to www.plasa.org/coronavirus-mp-letter-templates to downl
Missouri Breaks - Missouri is the first US state to resume live events. The latest measure was included in Gov. Mike Parson’s Show Me Strong recovery plan, which also outlines how the state’s economy will begin reopening this week, Billboard reports. Large events and gatherings are no longer forbidden; residents will be able to attend concerts and go to movie theatres and stadiums, where “seating shall be spaced out according to social distancing requirements”. A Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services rep explained that concerts don’t have to follow the same capacity guidance as retail businesses. Still, concertgoers must remain at least six feet from each other. “There are currently no limitations on social gatherings as long as necessary precautions are taken and six feet of distance can be maintained between individuals and/or families
Finland - Genelec is to donate a percentage of every sale of its new RAW loudspeaker range to the Audio Engineering Society (AES), for the remainder of this year. Additionally, Genelec will be funding 10 one-year AES memberships for those individuals whose lives have been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. Genelec managing director Siamak Naghian comments: “To us, the AES represents the only serious forum for the development of audio, and the work it does for our industry is invaluable. In its pursuit of excellence and dedication to raising the bar in the industry, it is without equal, and our approaches have much in common. We will do everything we can to help the Society through the ongoing crisis, and this donation is just one way of showing our support and appreciation for this much-loved institution.” Genelec will donate a percentage of each global RAW sale to
USA - Obsidian Control Systems is presenting a two-part live webinar series, Onyx on Set, to show how Obsidian’s Onyx lighting control platform is utilised in motion picture and television settings. Hosted by Obsidian Control Systems product manager Matthias Hinrichs, the series airs 7 and 14 May and will include in-depth discussion and expert advice from professional film and TV programmers Chris Chalk and Phil Shearer, both of IATSE Local 728 in Los Angeles, along with programming specialist Tommy Sullivan of North Carolina. Part 1 will take place on 7 May, 10:00-11:30am PT and comprise a round table discussion exploring how lighting programmers on motion picture and television sets utilise ONYX on a daily basis and how the lighting platform supports them in thi
USA - Sound designer Bill Chesley just got himself an EVO 4 audio interface for his new home studio space, where he continues to work on commercials for Walmart, Fedex, Nike and Guinness. He decided to organise things ahead of the stay-at-home order announcement in New York State. “I’m in pretty close proximity to my actual studio, but thought I’d get a home set-up going in these unpredictable times,” he explains. He co-runs the award-winning sound design collective, Henryboy with his wife, Kate Gibson where he uses an Audient iD22 audio interface. When considering a studio in their Brooklyn apartment, he was mindful of how much space he had to play with. “I gravitated towards EVO 4 because of its small footprint - it packs a lot of punch in a small space.” Which is exactly what he has to do now, with their multi-million dollar clients relying on them to co
USA - As many broadcast stations are operating in a work-from-home environment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, TSL Products has altered its R&D roadmap for the short term to meet the current needs of the industry. Since TSL’s acquisition of DNF Controls in April 2019, the US team based out of Northridge, CA, has remained focused on the developing and supporting the Flex Control Network and range of Universal Control Panels. “We have many customers across the United States who use our Flex Control Network for critical production and playout in news-based Hub and Spoke systems that connect network stations. Due to heightened demands in remote broadcasts, we recently altered our R&D to service our Flex customers and assist them in response to the pandemic,” says Fred Scott, regional sales manager U.S. at TSL and former sales director for DNF Controls.
South Africa - Feed Our Crew, the South African fundraising initiative for freelance live event technicians, has received hundreds of applications as well as generous support from companies and individuals in the two weeks since it was launched. Feed Our Crew, working in collaboration with People4Purpose, offers financial support to out-of-work crew through donations and was launched in response to slow state emergency funding payments. Donations are converted into 1000.00 ZAR vouchers (around £50), which are distributed to qualifying recipients via their mobile phones. This is calculated to provide enough funding to support a family’s fundamental needs for a month. The vouchers are redeemable at the major retailers ShopRite / Checkers and can be used to buy groceries, medication plus other essential utilities. DWR Distribution has been one of the key sp
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced the addition of 14 free live workshops available for registration through the Learning Sessions programme in conjunction with Harman Professional University. Available workshops scheduled for the first two weeks in May feature lighting or audio experts who have extensive industry knowledge and experience working with various touring acts. Topics include Loudspeaker Design for Airports, Festival Lighting Control and The Art of Making Productions Look Larger. More than a dozen Live Workshops conducted and recorded in April are now available at Harman Professional University’s YouTube channel. Workshops include AV Challenges in Esports, Microphone Applications for Stage and Studio and Lighting for Churches. Many more sessions are in production for release in the coming mon
China - LED lighting manufacturer Astera has repurposed its 10,000sq.m factory in Shenzhen to assist with the delivery of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) . According to Astera’s CEO Norbert Ernst, the manufacturer was set to temporarily scale back operations in the factory as a result of lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was approached by a contact asking if Astera would be willing to assist with the production and distribution of face masks. “Naturally, I jumped at the chance,” says Ernst. “It offered a path to keeping many staff employed full-time which is great, and also helps contribute positively to the ongoing global demand for face masks which are vital to help meet the unique challenges of containing COVID-19.” Ernst feels that having the factory working in this capacity will assist a rapid return to full LED ligh
UK - The Association of Lighting Design (ALD) Awards for Excellence 2020 will launch imminently, “to offer an exciting, additional focus for students”, says the organisation. The awards enable young designers to showcase their talents, bringing their work to the attention of experienced production professionals and the industry as a whole. Awards are presented to those who demonstrate strong lighting or video designs or skills in production electrics. Categories include The Michael Northen Award for lighting design, The Fred Foster Award for Production Electrics (sponsored by ETC) and the Blue-I Media Award for Video design. Johanna Town, chair of the ALD, comments: “The ALD Awards for Excellence provides an important platform for students on which they can hone their abilities to communicate their chosen medium. To be able to sell ideas and passions for a
South Africa - Ayrton has announced Bespoke Entertainment Solutions as its new exclusive distributor for South Africa with immediate effect. Based in Randburg, Johannesburg, Bespoke will distribute the full range of Ayrton products across the installation and rental markets, with a core focus on key products that best suit the South African market. “Having recently taken on several installations and new technical personnel on a full-time basis, the door was opened to us for other opportunities, including becoming the distributor for Ayrton in South Africa,” comments Bespoke Entertainment Solutions’ technical director, Suren Lutchman. “With my experience mainly in sales, support and design of intelligent lighting solutions for the entertainment industry, I have always wanted to offer this service as well. Because the market within South Africa is very competit
UK/France - Showlight 2021, scheduled to take place May 2021 in Fontainebleau, France, has been postponed until further notice due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. First held in 1981 at London’s Barbican Centre and usually taking place every four years, the enduringly popular lighting event is renowned for its industry-leading programme of papers presented by the great and good of the lighting industry, along with its often unique setting and many networking opportunities. A statement from Showlight reads: “This has been an extremely difficult decision, which has been made in view of both the immediate effects and anticipated recovery period that will be needed by companies and individuals across the industry in the coming months. “The state of the lighting industry, the probable extension of restrictions on gatherings and the effect that this is having on the
USA - Serving people in a time of crisis is nothing new for Kaiser Permanente. The giant not-for-profit healthcare consortium began life in 1933, during the Great Depression, when a young physician, Sidney R. Garfield, opened a 12-bed hospital in the middle of California’s Mojave Desert to care for itinerant workers at the Colorado River Aqueduct. Although much larger today (it has over 12m members), the nationally renowned institution remains deeply rooted in its community, as evidenced by its all-out effort to provide care during the current pandemic. Kaiser Permanente’s gratitude to the dedicated healthcare professionals who make this extraordinary level of service possible is plain to see on many of its Los Angeles area facilities. There on the exterior walls, in bold and colourful light is a declaration thanking the ‘Health Care Heroes’ who are leading the
USA - ESTA reports that two standards have been revised, and are being offered for public review. BSR E1.6 - 1 - 202x, Powered Rigging Systems has been revised to correct errata in section 6.6, which addresses design factors for certain system elements. The public review only covers the revisions made in that section, and no comments regarding other sections are being solicited at this time. BSR E1.39 - 202x, Entertainment Technology - Selection and Use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Portable Structures Used in the Entertainment Industry, is a revision of ANSI E1.39-2015, which is being updated for consistency with current industry practice and technologies. This standard establishes minimum requirements for the selection and use of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) on portable structures in the entertainment industry. In addition, the standard esta
USA - Professional camera and lighting rental companies have come together to collaborate in creating guidance documents for safely resuming rentals to the film/television/commercial production community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The task group was assembled by the Production Equipment Rental Group (part of entertainment trade association ESTA). The objective is to provide a unified set of industry-wide guidelines that address health and safety challenges related to the rental of production equipment and ensure that any risks to production companies, studios, and customers are minimised. The task group is working with other industry groups to ensure that PERG’s recommendations address client needs and concerns and harmonize with safety protocols developed by the studios and others, while also adhering to the recommendations of the CDC, OSHA, and state and
France - Mass Hysteria shook the port city of Nantes two years ago, when they performed a show for the 10th anniversary of the Elvish. The metal icons selected this show for their 8 April 8 stream. Throwing fuel on the flames of Mass Hysteria’s sound was a relentless Romain Dronne designed lightshow powered by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with an Extra Wing. Part of the Chirac Design team, Dronne turned up the brightness of his rig at key points throughout the show, transforming the relatively tight confines of Club Le Ferraileur into a ball of light. The close-in setting of the club made the show well-suited for streaming, since many fans would be watching on mobile phones with their relatively small screens. However, beyond this “technical” consideration, the size of the venue also reinforced the close relationship that the band has with their fans according t
The Audio Engineering Society has begun to announce programme details for the upcoming Virtual Vienna Convention, including three keynote lectures and the Heyser Presentation. As a result of circumstances dictating the move of the convention to an online format, the Audio Engineering Society is bringing the AES Europe Convention directly to virtual attendees around the globe, with keynotes from AES Fellow Jamie Angus (University of Salford), Marisa Hoeschele (Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences) and Franz Zotter (Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Arts and Music, Graz), as well as this year’s Heyser Presentation by AES Fellow Francis Rumsey (technical consultant, author). Additional details on the AES Virtual Vienna Convention Technical Programme, including topics and events, paper presentations, workshops, tutorials, posters,
Europe - Nexo’s Engineering Support Division continues its popular series of online webinars with a menu of topics which will appeal to sound engineers working with all brands of professional equipment. Nexo is using Facebook Live on its popular channel to present these e-learning sessions, part of Yamaha’s extensive Audioversity tuition resource. “We’ve carefully considered these sessions so that they will also interest engineers and venue owners/operators who may not yet be familiar with Nexo systems,” explains lead trainer Nicolas Poitrenaud. “We are confident that these Facebook Live sessions will provide skills and knowledge to enhance the business activities of many professionals, especially in these difficult times.” The latest additions include: Tuesday 5 May @ 10.00hrs: Fundamentals of Acoustics in English with Nicolas Poitrenaud <
USA - Dance Studio Vol. 1 is the latest addition to the nightlife scene in Chicago’s River North neighbourhood. Filling the ceiling above its dance floor are 470 ADJ mirror balls, both static and kinetic, that mix with Elation Professional DARTZ 360 and Fuze Wash Z120 moving heads for a lightshow with a difference. The new nightclub and event space, a renovation of a previous club that closed in early 2019, is a 350-capacity venue that hosts live music, DJs and other entertainment. Chicago-based AV design and integration company Craft Lighting was tasked with designing, installing and commissioning the space and came up with an immersive and nostalgic yet distinctly modern concept that goes beyond the nightclub’s second-floor dance area to include the outer alley, hallway, and stairwell. Noah Craft, owner and lead designer at Craft Lighting, explains the Elation fi
UK - More than 25 years after they catapulted into the UK charts, and 10 since disbanding to produce solo material, British rockers Supergrass returned to touring with audio rental house Britannia Row in February and March. Describing his sound crew as being “amazing at their jobs”, production manager Adam King has, by his own admission, “loved” working with Brit Row and the Supergrass team for the band’s recent return to live music. Supergrass were ‘lucky’ in the sense that they finished their seven date UK run - which culminated in two sold out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace - prior to lockdown. FOH engineer Max Bisgrove notes: “We had two fantastic gigs in London, and as these were my last two shows for what will no doubt be quite some time, it was good to go out on such a high note.” King agrees, “The Ally Pally sound check sounded i
Poland - The Culture and Reading Centre in the southern Polish town of Radlów is a local government institution that stages a range of activities and performances promoting the participation of the local community in cultural and educational pursuits. The centre organises regular activities such as workshops, theatre and fitness classes, as well as one-off events encompassing everything from festivals and exhibitions to concerts and competitions. These feature not only visiting artists but also involve local groups, some of whom are resident at the centre. Music is a very important central theme for this vibrant and busy hub. As a new establishment, the building required a high quality sound system in order to deliver the best experience for performers and audiences alike. The principal area to be covered was the centre’s ground floor Main Hall, a multi-purpose spa
