USA - Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Centre, home to the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Opera, upgraded its wireless intercoms with four Radio Active Designs (RAD) UV-1G base stations and 24 belt packs provided by Lift AV, also of Seattle. “When we heard about the frequency restack we immediately worked on getting ahead of it,” explains John Coulter, AV technician for Seattle Centre. “We compared three or four different intercom systems but, in the end, the RAD units provided the frequency agility and signal latency our residents needed.” McCaw Hall opened in 2003 after a $127m renovation of the Seattle Opera House. The Hall is owned by the City of Seattle and operated by Seattle Center. McCaw Hall is home to the 2,900-seat Susan Brotman Auditorium, the 380-seat Nesholm Family Lecture Hall, multiple lobbies and a public plaza that serves as entry int
Canada - Based in Ottawa, and designed in the brutalist architectural style, Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) has been serving the performing arts since 1969. A bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for Canada’s most creative artists, the NAC strives to be artistically adventurous in each of its programming streams - the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre and NAC Presents. Offering a variety of free programming and events, The Centre collaborates with artists and arts organizations across the country, invests in ambitious new works and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. As part of a recent $110m overhaul, globally-renowned integrators, Engineering Harmonics, were hired to design a comprehensive audio/visual system that would service their needs for the next 15 years and beyond. The
The Netherlands - One hundred and forty Robe T1 Profile LED moving lights were specified by the Dutch National Opera and Ballet’s lighting department for three performances of Aus Licht directed by Pierre Audi and staged in the Gashouder venue in Amsterdam as part of the 2019 Holland Festival. The epic performances each took place over three consecutive days delighting Karlheinz Stockhausen aficionados and opera buffs with a total of 15 hours of music per show, featuring selections from the iconic composer’s seven opera Licht cycle which takes place over seven days of the week. Aus Licht was a collaboration between the Dutch National Opera, Holland Festival, Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and the Stockhausen Foundation, created in cooperation with the wardens of Stockhausen’s legacy. The music from LICHT was presented in a mis-en-space by P
UK - Tenor and actor Alfie Boe is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jean Valjean on the 25th anniversary edition of Les Misérables at the O2 in 2010, which earned him a five-month run in the West End production at the Queen's theatre the following year. He has also sold more than one million albums in the UK, with his recent duet albums with Michael Ball. He has recently completed a highly successful UK tour, as well as a handful of shows in Europe and Japan, with long-time FOH engineer, Mark 'Joey' Jowitt, and monitor engineer, Steve Bunting, both relying on DiGiCo consoles - an SD10 and SD7 respectively, supplied by Major Tom - out on the road. “Alfie is a very personable and easy-going guy, and he's very appreciative of the job everyone does,” says Bunting, who has worked with Boe for several years, including his time touring with Michael Ball. “We ha
USA - Unbalanced sound in a highly reverberant space motivated Golden Gate Cathedral to seek specialist advice to solve the problem. The church turned to integration specialist MC2Solutions, whose experience in designing and installing high quality systems in similar venues has become well known. Golden Gate Cathedral is a church in Memphis, Tennessee. With a membership of over 2000, the church’s main sanctuary has a seating capacity of 1,350. The church’s pastor, Bishop Edward H. Stephens, is a passionate and expressive preacher, so a sound system with a natural balanced sound and outstanding intelligibility is an essential element in delivering his sermons. Carl Woodard II, owner and designer of MC2Solutions, explained, “Used for a wide range of services and productions, the sound system is required to provide very high-quality speech and full-range music, wit
Jordan - The Jordan parliament in the capital Amman has installed a Pan Beam sound system based on the Pan Beam PB 24. In the Parliament the Pan Acoustics integration partner Girhoma combined the Televic conference system with the Pan Beam PB 24’s to meet the requirement of a more speech intelligible slim speakers system. The main challenge for the engineers of Girhoma was the amphitheatre lay out of the building where a conventional system had proven not be able to cover all seats within a height difference of over 4m between the lowest and highest positioned seats. The Pan Beam systems offering multi-beam technology use three beams directed to the different levels. Another challenge was the very reflective walls creating a confusing sound distribution with high reverberation times. For this situation, the 2.40m long PB 24’s were able to get much more contro
USA - Bandit Lites provided the lighting for RCA Records Nashville recording artist Chris Young’s Raised On Country World Tour 2019. Named for the fastest-rising single of his career, the tour kicked off its North American leg in May. Young’s long-time lighting designer Chris Lisle crafted a show comprised of Young’s preferences for lighting and video that would be both visually impactful at the tour’s venues and evolve over the course of the performance. “This Chris Lisle lighting design with Michael Stanley at the console is one the most visually stunning designs I have ever had the opportunity with which to be involved,” said Bandit Lites business development officer Brent Barrett. “We at Bandit are very proud to be a part of the production team.” The design plays off a W-shaped video wall with four individually moving panels. Four lig
USA - Hollywood venue The Hotel Café has become a go-to place for intimate sets by singer-songwriters, both in its main room, opened in 2000, and the second room, opened in 2016. The venue, whose two intimate spaces accommodate between 50 and 180 people, respectively, has hosted performances by such artists as John Mayer, Katy Perry, Adele, Sara Bareilles, Hozier, Ed Sheeran and Lucinda Williams. These rooms are capable of some very big sound, with sonic quality provided by systems from Bose Professional. Hotel Café’s main room is equipped with a Bose Professional RoomMatch DeltaQ Array Loudspeaker system - one RoomMatch module on each side of the stage buttressed with a RoomMatch RMS218 dual-18 subwoofer (powered by one PowerMatch PM8500N networked amplifier for the RoomMatch speakers and an additional PM8500N for the subwoofer). The club’s second room has
France - Domaine des Étangs is the largest five-star hotel/resort in France. Located in Massignac, it spans a thousand acres, including forests, pastures, and ponds. The Domaine des Étangs (Pond Domain) hosts an 11th century castle, fully renovated and decorated with contemporary works of art, detailed landscaping, Gallo-Roman baths, two swimming pools, a floating tennis court, and a Michelin-starred restaurant. Built of stone and wood, La Laiterie is a new gallery space within the Domaine des Étangs complex that is dedicated to exhibitions about the 'Meeting of Art and Nature'. "As we collaborated in advance of the sound system installation with Amadeus experts, we were able to get rid of the speakers' common aesthetic nuisances and at the same time ensure a sound quality at a level rivaling the most famous concert halls," explains Manuel Gomez, architect and musi
UK - As hire and events company SLX prepared for ISO accreditation, it faced the annual prospect of being without its 14 QC-Check workstations for up to four weeks whilst the units go off-site for certification that the PAT testers are within their operation specifications. However, this year, Data Strategy was able to provide the assistance of VeriCal. The hand-held, on-site alternative to off-site calibration, VeriCal, ensures the Out Board PAT-4 testers - an integral part of the QC-Check system - are within their operational specifications to produce verified and accurate results. SLX business systems & quality coordinator, Gary Smith explains: “As a busy company, we are very reliant on the equipment passing quickly through the QC-Check inspection process so taking even one workstation out of service would have a big knock on effect for us. The prospect of tak
China - With over 100 years of history behind it, Nantong Middle School in China’s Jiangsu Province is looking to the future thanks to a new auditorium equipped with Martin Audio loudspeaker systems. Founded in 1909 by Qing era industrialist and educator Zhang Jian, Jiangsu Nantong Middle School is well known across the province and the country. It is one of the first middle schools in the province set up in the modern fashion and its alumni include politicians, nationally renowned artists, award winning scientists and five Olympic gold medallists. The new multi-purpose hall in the Chongya Building on the main campus was dedicated to celebrate the school’s 110th anniversary, and the school required a high-quality sound system to suit the building. Their choice was the Martin Audio MLA Mini, for its consistent sound field coverage and high resolution, as well as th
UK - The immersive audio capabilities of TiMax SoundHub were in evidence at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, where two experiential spaces were driven by the spatial audio engine. As a centrepiece for the Greenpeace field, artist Wolfgang Buttress created a permanent sculptural feature to highlight the plight of bees in the face of existential challenges such as pesticides, climate crises and the lack of biodiversity. Inspired and controlled by the activity of real bees - a colony of Cornish Black Bees in Michael Eavis’ own beehive to be precise - BEAM is an interactive, multi-sensory and experiential sculpture that, with the help of TiMax and visual specialists RES London, envelopes visitors in immersive soundscapes and 360-degree projection and lighting. Movement-sensing accelerometers, installed within the Glastonbury farm beehives, stream live vibration
Hungary - Reflecting the richness of Kowalsky meg a Vega’s music on their current tour in support of their Árnyék és Fény (Shadow and Light) album is an evocative and intricately-layered lightshow designed by Gergő Kovács that utilises a rig made up entirely of Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by Mobil Audio and Light Kft. Drawing inspiration from the title of Kowalsky meg a Vega’s latest album, Kovács mixes light and shadows to connect audiences to the spirt of the band’s performance. Central to the execution of this lighting concept are his rig’s 10 Maverick MK2 Spot, 24 COLORdash Par-Hex 12 and four STRIKE 4 fixtures, all of which are controlled by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. Hung on two rows of mid-stage truss, with four units on one row and six on the other, the Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures play a variety of roles in Kovács
USA - In Europe, Robbie Williams regularly fills stadiums and his productions are among the most highly-anticipated. One of his dreams was to do a Vegas show, and to make every detail of Williams’ show perfect, production and lighting designer Sean Burke, principal at Holes in the Dark, needed reliable wireless DMX technology. “When the wireless stuff came up, I did a bit of research on it, looked around, and saw that Baz [Halpin, of Silent House Productions] used RC4 Wireless products on the last Katy Perry tour. I know the crew chief, and he said they didn’t have any problems with it,” reports Burke. That was enough for him to entrust RC4 Wireless with the job for Williams’ Live in Las Vegas show. Matt Bakken, the master eectrician on the show, adds: “When a lot of people in the touring industry use wireless, they use equipment from RC4; to me, if
Romania - For the seventh consecutive year, Flowers for the Soul: Remember Florian Pittiş, an event honouring the late Romanian actor, folk singer and radio producer, was held 8-9 June at Titan Park in Bucharest. Marbo Trade, Claypaky distributor for Romania, staged the free show, during which an array of Claypaky fixtures illuminated a different roster of performers each night. Conceived as a “celebration of the spirit,” the event was organised by the City Hall of the third district of Bucharest in homage to the man regarded as a cultural symbol in Romania. The two-day show united artists and the public in a free-spirited commemoration of Pittiş, a visionary whose legacy continues to inspire Romanians. An audience spanning all age groups was treated to a blend of music, poetry, theatre and video projections on the outdoor stage. Lighting designer D
Jordan - British electro-pop classical crossover band Clean Bandit recently played their first ever concert in the Jordanian capital of Amman at the luxurious Boulevard in the new Abdali district. Amman-based live event production specialists, Triad Live Productions, supplied the PA, control and lighting requirements for the gig including a comprehensive KV2 Audio point source sound system. Over 4,000 fans attended the concert produced by Zeej Entertainment, a young, ambitious company committed to developing Jordan’s cultural scene by organising and promoting concerts and festivals locally. Triad supplied one VHD2.0 high performance mid-high cabinet paired with one VHD1.0 down-fill per side. Two ES1.0s per side handled side-fill with six EX12s for front fill. For the low-end frequencies, Triad supplied eight VHD4.18 subs and a further four VHD2.16 flown subs.
UK - For a second year running, Shure is backing Little Wing film festival, an event for budding filmmakers, students and recent graduates. The microphone manufacturer is sponsoring three film categories - Best Director, Film Futures Award and the Film Enterprise Award - and will also provide three prize bundles, each comprising a VP83F LensHopper camera-mount condenser mic and SRH840 monitoring headphones. Paul Crognale, manager of global marketing for musician and consumer audio at Shure, comments: “We're proud to be supporting Little Wing film festival again this year by providing prizes for three awards. It's very important to us to continue championing emerging talent and supporting young people entering creative industries.” Festival director, Mariah Mathew, adds: “Thanks to partners who continue to support young people breaking into the creative indu
USA - Squeek Lights has had its busiest summer ever, supplying lighting packages for tours across the US. An especially busy June had the New York-based rental house hopping as they supplied and serviced several acts, including an outing by rock instrumentalists Chon, who toured with a rig of Elation Dartz 360 LED moving heads and SixBar 1000 LED battens. “We’ve had an insane number of tours going out this summer, which of course is a good thing,” enthuses Steve Kosiba of Squeek Lights. “We actually had two tours out in June with rigs that featured Elation lights and just bought more Dartz so we’ve upped our inventory of those.” Kosiba programmed both those June outings with the Chon rig running off an M2GO lighting console running Onyx software and operated on tour by Colin Bennet. Squeek Lights has been working with Chon on the California quartet’s las
UAE - The Pakistan Cricket Board - the body that organises the Pakistan national cricket team’s tours and matches - marked the start of the 2019 season with an awe-inspiring opening ceremony at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Broadcast to over 50 million people worldwide, the 60-minute Pakistan Super League opening ceremony combined AR graphics with live performances from the likes of Boney M, Pakistan’s Junoon and solo stars Fawad Khan, Young Desi, Aima Baig and Shuja Haider. Event management company ITW Trans Group collaborated with The Musketeers, specialists in large-scale opening ceremonies, concerts, and events. Having coordinated the creative vision behind the last three Pakistan Super League opening ceremonies, creative director Samer Feghali wanted to push the envelope of live entertainment boundaries. “With an annual global audience of
USA - Matt Mills of Touch Light & Media ran the lighting and video for the USA tour by Sammy Hagar and his band The Circle in support of their current album Space Between. With him at every turn of this journey was a collection of Chauvet Professional STRIKE 4 fixtures, supplied by Felix Lighting. “This was the first tour I’ve done in over five years (since Avenged Sevenfold) that was not locked into time code,” says Mills, who co-designed the two-hour show with production manager Alastair Watson and also served as its lighting director, as well as lighting and video programmer. “It was a blast rocking the show live. The guys changed things up every night, so they kept me on my toes.” Helping Mills keep pace were the eight STRIKE 4 fixtures he flew on downstage truss. The high-output fixtures were positioned at different angles, so the warm
USA - With over 50 years in the business and a firmly-anchored classic in Let Your Love Flow, American country music duo The Bellamy Brothers play around 150 shows a year. They are about to embark on a six-week stint in Blake Shelton’s Friends and Heroes 2019 tour. Recently, The Bellamy Brothers’ tour manager Tim Thomas had sold the stereo Danley SM80Fs he brought to all the brothers’ shows via his production and installation firm, Show Pro of Nashville after the kit impressed a club owner, who offered to buy it on the spot. Thomas had also already ordered a larger, more modular system from Danley. “We always travelled with a pair of Danley SM80Fs, which integrate a subwoofer into the full-range SM80, but I didn’t pull them out if the contract was paying someone else for production,” Thomas explains. “That was the case at a show in Kansas. I
The Netherlands - The Wilminktheater & Muziekcentrum concert hall in Enschede have recently benefited from an investment in Robe’s T1 Profile LED moving lights. Lighting specialist Paul de Vries has been involved since the facility opened 11 years ago and so has most of the lighting kit, including some legacy Robe fixtures from the ColorSpot and Wash 575 series. Whilst still fully functional, the time came to freshen up and reinvest in new lighting to ensure the venues kept up with the latest technologies. This has come with the 12 Robe T1 Profiles which are replacing the older moving lights for use in both the theatre and the concert hall. To pick the most suitable fixtures, De Vries organised a ‘shootout’ between six major brands, with Jeroen van Aalst from Robe’s Benelux distributor Controllux demo’ing the T1. This demo impressed De Vries and his
UK - Julian Clary is back on the road on his Born to Mince tour, which has just finished its first leg. Visuals are important to comedy performance to develop the mood and deliver the punchlines; with a one-person stand-up routine, these need to be eye-catching but not distracting. The spectacular backdrop upstage was custom made and delivered by S+H Technical Support. The pink and purple seven 5m silk-lined printed ShowLED starcloth contains 1,100 warm-white LEDs that outline large pink letters making up the artist’s name and swoosh up in fan-like lines from these in the centre to the outside edges. There is a conduit pocket in the bottom for weighting and eradicating wrinkles, and it folds down elegantly into a neat trunk for transportation in the back of an SUV. The design was based on the tour’s poster / promotional artwork and visuals, an
USA - Robe moving lights were lighting designer Crt Birsa’s spec for the recent US tour of cellist duo 2CELLOS. Birsa has been lighting the band since 2014, when he worked as the production LD for Schengenfest, one of Slovenia’s largest music festivals. The band liked what they saw and asked him onboard, a move development has opened the door to large-scale international touring and one-off shows all around the globe. “There is always massive scope for lighting 2CELLOs and being visually imaginative due to the vast range of the music” he comments. “Lighting is also an active way in which we like to help draw all the fans into the performance.” The main moving lights on the US tour were 34 Robe MegaPointes, 24 Spiider wash beams, with five BMFL Spots for key lighting, all supplied together with other lighting kit by Upstaging, who have been a steady
