the Tansen Samaroh unfolded at various locations across the city of Gwalior
India - With 2023 marking its 99th season; the Tansen Samaroh (Tansen Festival) has stood proud as an annual musical extravaganza that pays tribute to Tansen - classical music composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.
Hosted every year in the city of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, since its inception; the event's transformation into an international classical music festival can be attributed to the initiatives of former musical institutions – with the 2023 edition of the festival encapsulating a myriad of celebratory activities designed to pay homage to Tansen.
Held from 22-28 December 2023, the Tansen Samaroh unfolded at various locations across the city of Gwalior and a few neighbouring cities as well; and featured participation from several native, national, and international artists who showcased their talent through live performances in Hindustani Classical music as well as Sufi music, in addition to several informative seminars, workshops and exhibitions of various forms of fine art.
Since the soul of any live music event lies in the quality of its sound reproduction; the organizers of the Tansen Samaroh once again relied on the expertise of Phoenix Networks.
A seasoned partner of the Tansen Samaroh, Phoenix Networks deployed audio setups tailored to precisely meet the specific requirements of each individual performance venue.
Mr. Animesh Mishra, founder-director of Phoenix Networks, shared his insights, stating, "At Phoenix Networks, we are consistently driven by challenges, as they prompt us to think outside the box, innovate, and showcase state-of-the-art creativity in our event executions. The grand scale of the 2023 edition of the 'Tansen Samaroh' prompted us to contemplate how we could contribute to the event's magnificence. After extensive discussions with the entire team, we laid down a comprehensive plan and executed the entire event in line with our ultimate motto of delivering services par excellence."
Notable among the many was the system setup at the INTAK Ground, which saw team Phoenix leveraging their innate understanding of technology to assert a stereo FOH loudspeaker system comprising eight units of the Leopard line array modules along with four units of 1100-LFC subwoofers - all from Meyer Sound - deployed on either side of the performance stage. The team also deployed eight units MJF-210 to act as the centre-fill reinforcement solution and stage monitoring solution to ensure that the audience located in close proximity to the stage enjoyed a similar high quality music experience; as did the performers on stage.
Team Phoenix also provided an excess of 12 units of Sennheiser Digital 6000 IEM with four units of Sennheiser 6000 Digital microphones; while a single unit of the DiGiCo SD10 digital mixing console with SD-Rack was offered to the sound engineer at FOH to create sonic magic at the event.
The crowning achievement of the 2023 season of the Tansen Samaroh was the Taal Darbar - a monumental percussion concert held on 25 December, which featured an awe-inspiring ensemble of over 1,500 tabla players performing for a stretch of more than 15 minutes in absolute sync and uniformity. Hosted Beside Karna Mahal, Gwalior Fort, this historic performance set the Guinness World Record for the 'Largest Tabla Ensemble'.
With the Taal Darbar being a brand-new addition to the Tansen Samaroh, team Phoenix Networks were confronted with a completely new set of challenges to overcome; thereby forcing the team to coalesce each individual crew members’ wealth of knowledge and expertise to ensure that every aspect of the event – from the stage design to the technical reinforcement solution – was planned and executed with the finest level of precision and efficiency.
Team Phoenix was tasked with the establishing a large stage that was solid and reliable enough to host the whopping 1,500+ tabla players that spanned 232ft in length and platforms ranging from 2ft to 11ft in height, with each step designed to accommodate at least 150 percussionists.
The FOH loudspeaker system featured eight units of the Meyer Sound Panther line array modules rigged on either side of the stage at the height of 32ft from the ground, while a total of 12 units of 1100-LFC subwoofers were stacked and evenly distributed on the ground in front of the stage, and six units of the Panther line array modules acted as the centre-fill reinforcement solution.
Team Phoenix also commissioned an audio capture solution to effortlessly receive the collective audio input from all the performers on-stage, as they deployed over 180 units of microphones comprising industry favourites such as Shure’s SM57, SM58, Beta 52A, and Beta 56A in addition to more than 32 units of condenser microphones.
Animesh concluded, "We endeavour to consistently raise the bar of quality service delivery through our unwavering efforts and aspire to achieve milestones with our collective vision and dedication. And as we eagerly await the centenary celebration, we at Phoenix Networks feel an immense amount of pride and joy for having elevating benchmarks that promises an even grander crescendo in the years to come."

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