Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Projects

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Columbia - Latin Grammy winner Karol G blends a mix of genres in her rhythmic sound, treating fans to generous helpings of reggaeton, trap, sertaneja and a host of other influences.
Karol G concerts are intense with no lulls in the action. Reflecting this explosiveness in light requires a bold, fast-moving design, which is what the team at Línea Estratégica delivered for the star with help from a massive collection of the new IP65-rated Chauvet Professional Color Strike M.
Conrado Santamaría, CEO of the Línea Estratégica, added 120 of the versatile fixtures to his inventory soon after they became available in Colombia, purchasing them from distributor Yamaki. His vision was to use the motorised strobe/wash lights to add an extra level of impact to shows. He hasn’t been disappointed, as the fixtures have already worked their magic at concerts by the likes of Rub

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Germany - The Giovanni Zarrella Show is a quarterly highlight on ZDF, Germany’s second TV station, featuring Schlager (a style of European popular music) with established stars from pop and classical plus promising newcomers performing new arrangements, previously unreleased duets and exclusive live performances. DiGiCo SD consoles are at the heart of the audio system.
The show appears in a prime-time Saturday evening slot with its second edition attracting a TV audience of almost five million. The eponymous host, formerly a member of the pop group Bro’Sis, regularly duets with his guests and his February show (broadcast just before Valentine’s Day) took love as its theme throughout.
The show’s audio infrastructure is provided by Kürten-Herweg-based B&R Medientechnik, a full-service company with roots in recording mobiles but now delivering event te

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The Netherlands - Powersoft’s compact transducer, Mover, is at the heart of a new four-dimensional nightlife experience in Amsterdam which allows visitors to take a deep dive into the culture and history of electronic dance music from its roots to the present day.
Based in Amsterdam’s Rembrandt district, Our House has been a thriving nightclub and the beating heart of the electronic music scene since the 1980s. The venue has upheld its musical legacy by recently becoming a digital storytelling museum, promising a 75-minute journey into the music genre via interactive exhibits, shows and performances, telling the story of how electronic music - once a rebellious and secretive underground scene – has evolved.
“When we came here, about two years ago, the place was very analogue: There was a sound system, strobes, smoke machine and some LEDS - that was about it,

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UK - Stage Electrics recently installed a pair of Robert Juliat Arthur 800W LED followspots at The Lowry, Salford Manchester. The Arthur 5°-15° followspots were supplied to Stage Electrics by Ambersphere Solutions, Robert Juliat’s exclusive UK distributor.
The 1700+ seat Lowry is an important theatre for the north-west of England and runs a varied programme of plays, musical theatre, ballet, opera, stand-up comedy, and rock and roll gigs, and has also hosted ITV television’s Britain’s Got Talent and The Royal Variety Performance.
The RJ Arthur followspots were selected for their impressive output which is capable of matching the lumen output of an HMI 2500W Aramis followspot at similar angles. “The Lowry has been operating with RJ Aramis followspots since we opened in April 2000,” says Dave Wimpenny, one of the technical managers at The Lowry.

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Japan - Situated in Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture, Saito City Hall recently upgraded its loudspeaker systems, opting for an all-Martin Audio solution, including the latest WPS optimised line array. The multi-purpose Hall has a seating capacity of 1000 and is used for such events as ceremonies, lectures and cultural presentations.
Mr. Fukui of F Enterprise, the company that manages the Saito City Hall, comments, "My goal was to create an environment in which an identical sound can be experienced in every audience seat. The reason for choosing Martin Audio products is because we have used Martin Audio F215, X12 and LE100 point source systems for monitoring, which place the focus on the sound produced by the performer. Thanks to the resolution and clarity of the sound, making it easier for us to respond to the monitor requests at the site, I had no concerns.
“As Yoshika

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Estonia - The final evening concert of the 2022 Volbriöö event in Estonia’s second city of Tartu took place on the Kaarsild (Arch) Bridge, an elegant pedestrian link that connects the centre of town with the Ülejõe District, traversing the Emajõgi River.
Andres Sarv, lighting designer from Tartu’s famous Vanemuine theatre and a team from production and rental company E&T were asked to assist with the technical elements including lighting which had a key role in the presentation. Andres specified Robe Pointe, LEDWash 800, Spikie and LEDBeam 100 moving lights.
These were used to light all the stage action, structural aspects of the bridge, plus the river, riverbank and surrounding areas as thousands congregated to enjoy the music and live artist performances, including headliners popular rapper Genka and famous Estonian singer / songwriter Orelipoiss.

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Singapore - Twelve MA Lighting grandMA3 consoles have been specified as part of a technical upgrade at Singapore’s national performing arts centre, Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.
Instrumental in the decision to replace the older consoles with new grandMA3s - delivered by MA’s Singaporean distributor, Total Solution Marketing - were Heryadi Yusof (head of lighting) and Ismahadie Putra (technical manager).
The lighting team underwent a thorough procurement process explained Heryadi, which included exploring the various industry consoles that could replace the ageing lighting desks.
“All consoles were vetted based on the criteria we set, which included having the flexibility to support the diverse range of productions across different genres that are presented at Esplanade,” he explains. In tune with the latest industry trends, they also took note of the

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UK - Exhibition centre ExCeL hosted Move It, an event that invited some 75,000 people to spread their creative wings and dance, either on stage, or in one of its many workshops and classes.
Described as “the largest dance event in the world”, Move It featured performances by 150 acts, ranging from professional troupes and college dance groups, to community organisations and local schools. Supporting them on stage was a highly flexible production design by Steve Yeardsley and the OneBigStar team that featured over 170 Chauvet Professional fixtures from the company’s own inventory.
Engaging the services of David Howard Lighting Design, the OneBigStar team endeavoured to create stage lighting that was versatile enough to reflect the event’s diverse range of dance genres, a collection that included everything from ballet and ballroom to freestyle and

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USA - The first shipment of the Chauvet Professional Color Strike M fixtures arrived at The Design Oasis right as Abbas Ritscher was about to head out to sea from Miami as the production manager of the 2022 Nursecon cruise. He was so eager to try the new IP65 rated motorised strobe/wash that he decided on the spot to add two units to the rig that he and lighting designer Joe Donnelly put together for the Royal Caribbean pool side party stage.
“The Color Strike M got into our warehouse, so it was the perfect excuse to get my hands on it,” said Ritscher. “Being on a cruise ship you need to load in fast. You also need fixtures that have a lot of impact for their size, and of course, everything needs to be able to take the weather, which comes in fast and hard. This fixture fit the bill perfectly.”
Ritscher and Donnelly positioned a Color Strike M on either side o

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Australia - This year marked the new era of remote broadcast experience, with Seven Network, a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network and the original broadcaster of Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 1956, working with Australia’s CT Group, part of the NEP Live Events, to create a virtual production environment with a top-end LED wall powered by Brompton Technology Tessera processing.
“CT provided LED backdrops for Seven Network’s sports hostings during the pandemic, when travelling to venues wasn’t possible,” says Michael Judges, senior project manager for CT Australia & New Zealand. “As a result of this positive experience, we built a template with the client which they were subsequently able to use on the Tokyo and Beijing host broadcasts.”
Judges explains that for this project, Seven Network wanted the highest resolution LE

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Denmark - Copenhagen’s Bellevue Theatre asked lighting designer Mark P Jones to create a practical and versatile lighting scheme to facilitate their recent touring version of A Column of Fire, a musical production based on Ken Follet’s gripping work encapsulating politics, passion, religious divisions and other 16th-century melodrama of the moment.
It was initially staged at the theatre in 2019, directed by Mads M Nielsen with set designed by Benjamin la Cour and lit by Mikael Sylvest.
The show was a success, and so after Covid had effectively shut the industry down for two years, the theatre was keen to get it on the road once things started to properly re-open again.
Mark’s solution involved several Robe moving lights - Esprites, LEDBeam 350s, Tetra2s and DL4S Profiles - all supplied by Copenhagen rental specialist The Live Company. They also des

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Ireland - Founded in Kildare in 1986, family-owned Mongey Communications has grown to become one of Europe’s leading AV technology and production services companies.
The team at Mongey is increasingly busy at events of all sizes and scale so, when the time came recently to expand the inventory of sound equipment, flexibility was central to the choice of a new mobile system.
“We enjoyed a great working relationship and support from Nexo when installing the Geo S12 system at Croke Park which was recently used to reinforce Ed Sheeran’s concerts as part of his UK and Ireland tour. Thus, we were keen to check out Nexo systems that might meet our requirements for versatility, and speed and ease of deployment,” reports operations manager Henry Mongey.
“We were really impressed by demos of both the Geo M10 and the M12. On balance, the slightly more compact Geo

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Saudi Arabia - Spanning over five months from October to March, the Riyadh Season is a celebration of the city as the capital of Saudi Arabia and, in a wider context, of Saudi culture and its people. It is one of the many initiatives that forms part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, a set of social and economic reforms designed to enhance the quality of life for citizens and residents, as well as boosting economic and tourist activity.
The most prominent Saudi landmark of 2021, Boulevard Riyadh City was the pride of Riyadh Season 2021/22. Built from the ground up by local companies, the zone covers some 900,000sq.m and contains nine areas, each with its own set of events. Each area contains restaurants, cafés, upmarket boutiques, gardens, games centres and more. Special features include the largest cinema in the Kingdom, an electric car circuit, a skating rink and four theatr

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UK - Produced by Kenny Wax of SIX fame, the new pop musical, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World opened in Liverpool in April and is currently in the midst of a nationwide UK tour with West End aspirations. Described as an “inspirational and empowering celebration of our strong sisters from history,” the show is based on the award-winning picture book by suffragette descendent Kate Pankhurst. Dramatist Chris Bush and Number 1 hit songwriter Miranda Cooper (Girls Aloud, Kylie Minogue) have adapted it into a bright, exciting musical for young people that celebrates some of our female icons in a contemporary, pop context. Sound designer, Rob Bettle, designed a front-to-back EM Acoustics audio system based on EM’s most recent development, the acclaimed Reference Series loudspeakers.
Bettle explains that his first experience of the Ref

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USA - The Mulehouse in Columbia, Tennessee sets a new standard for live and streaming events; this multi-function venue brings together many different aspects of making and listening to music - from workshops, to exhibitions, to multi-media interviews and, of course, live shows. The venue, which can accommodate more than 500 spectators, meets all the requirements for high-quality streaming. The lighting package from ETC ensures balanced lighting in the architecturally impressive venue, using over 50 spotlights from the ColorSource family, a HedgeHog console, and an ETCNet streaming network.
Prominent entertainment professional Blair Garner is behind the concept of the new location. The award-winning radio DJ has shaped the American country radio landscape for over two decades; he is a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame and Country Radio Hall of Fame. Garner says, “I

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USA - When asked how he felt about touring, Billy Currington proclaimed: “I want to go everywhere.” Recently, the multi-platinum star got to go 600-miles due north of Nashville to a small town outside Milwaukee to join fellow CMT Award winner, Kip Moore and other country stars for County in the Burg.
The two-day event was more than just country music show, Currington, Moore and their fellow artists were helping their Badger state fans raise money for a collection of local charities. Providing upbeat visuals for their performances was an intensely colourful lightshow based on a tour design by Currington’s LD Landon Bloss that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Sound Design Productions.
Glenn Ottenbacher installed the rig and ran the lightshows for many of the performers. He notes that having a high output fixtures like the Maverick Storm 1 Wash, St

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USA - Bandit Lites has provided the lights for the 7th Annual Black Music Honors, the company reports. Held by Central City Productions at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, the two-hour event celebrated artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music.
This year marked the return of a live studio audience, and lighting designer Mark Carver rose to the challenge of crafting distinctive looks for the diverse genre of music and artists. The event honoured iconic musical acts Dru Hill, The Whispers, Karyn White, Tevin Campbell, Keri Hilson and the gospel duo Mary Mary.
Bandit Lites supplied more than 170 fixtures, including Ayrton Ghiblis, Chauvet Rogue R2X Washes, Claypaky B-EYE K20, Elation Smarty Hybrids, Elation ACL 360i, GLP X4 Bar 20 and GLP JDC1 LED Strobes.
Carver utilised the Ghiblis for key and backlights

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South Korea - Tongyeong is a bustling port city of 140,000 located at the southern edge of the Goseong peninsula in South Korea. Famous for its beautiful marine surroundings, its many islands and waterways, its lively port town atmosphere and its famous seafood, the city is surrounded on three sides by the sea. Tongyeong is also a designated UNESCO City of Music, known for its International Music Festival which is considered one of the most influential and respected contemporary music festivals in Asia.
As a city where the ancient and the modern collide, there is a thriving church tradition that embraces both ends of the spectrum. Seoul-based pro audio specialists and KV2 distributor, DaonSD, were recently tasked with designing an audio system for the new build Tongyeong Juklim church.
DaonSD’s project manager, John Parks explains that the Tongyeong Juklim church is

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UK - The Swansea Arena is a new £135m music and theatre venue operated by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG). The new arena is part of a large-scale development in the centre of Swansea, called Copr Bay. This will also offer new shops, restaurants, apartments and parkland. The area will be serviced by two multi-storey car parks and a pedestrian bridge over Oystermouth Road to improve connectivity between the city and the beach.
Swansea Arena will also be home to 2,000sq.m of exhibition space. This will have the capacity to host 2,500 people, with dining capabilities for up to 750 guests.
The arena’s LED façade is particularly notable, making the venue instantly eye-catching and awe-inspiring.
To achieve this, 97,000 LumiNode Pixel LED’s, from leading LED specialist Tryka, have been used on the façade. The LumiNode Pixel LED is a full-colour, 16-bit, RGBW s

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UK - Manchester-based DJ training facility Make Me A DJ recently refitted one of its trio of studios with Artnovion acoustic treatment panels as part of an upgrade to transform the space into a fully-featured teaching and music production resource. Originally situated above Sankeys nightclub, Make Me A DJ is now located in the Ancoats district of the city, with its three studios commercially available outside of teaching sessions.
A variety of Artnovion products featured in the refit, including Orion W wooden and Andes fabric absorbers to control excessive reverberation and reflections and Myron E diffusers to tune the room’s sweet spot. Orion bass traps were also employed for their fine-tuning capabilities, ensuring an accurate, highly-controlled low end even at high monitoring or mixing levels.
MMADJ founder Mark Bradbury (known as Rudosa in the international techn

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UK - When the collective of musicians known as Soul II Soul set out on their long 2022 tour of clubs, theatres and pavilions in January, leading up to the summer outdoor season, their technical director Ben Emissah chose Entec Live for all audio and visual technical requirements.
The support and show reinforcement element formed something of a collective of its own, since Manchester-based Emissah had known Entec head of sound Dan Scantlebury from time working with his previous hire company in the city, while the tour’s experienced lighting designer Dave Ross’s relationship with Entec CEO and head of lighting Noreen O’Riordan spans over two decades, the two parties having worked together on Scissor Sisters along the way.
With such a variety of band configurations, permutations and venue shapes and sizes, both the sound and lighting rigs needed to be scalable. Soun

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USA - In April, Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, owned by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, opened its new 2,600-seat entertainment venue, the Yaamava’ Theatre, topping off the property’s four-year, $760m expansion.
Meaning “spring” in Serrano, the Band’s native language, Yaamava’ is located in the L.A. exurb of Highland, an area already loaded with entertainment options. With that in mind, the Band sought to distinguish its new theatre - part of one of the largest casino properties on the West Coast with eight restaurants and eight bars, plus an onsite hotel opened last December - from the competition.
That mission was accomplished with the installation of an L-Acoustics K Series sound system designed by L-Acoustics senior Applications Engineer for Installations André Pichette and integrated by the Escondido office of Sound Image. “Clarity, coverag

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Ghana - A new 4,400-seat, three-storey church in the Ghanaian capital of Accra has been equipped with Martin Audio’s new Wavefront Precision line array system.
Part of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) - with a global outreach overseen by founder, Rev. Dr. Mensa Otabil - sound consultancy and installation were undertaken by London-based Ghanaian production engineer and integrator, Eben Awuah of Amson Audio.
Awuah has been working with professional sound systems since the age of 13, having been associated with the Dominion Centre, Wood Green, and specified many world leading brands along the way. He first became aware of Martin Audio four or five years ago while working as production engineer for another company. “But the time came when I wanted to set up my own AV operation to serve the whole of West Africa, including Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. I nee

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Portugal - Lisbon’s Praça de Touros do Campo Pequeno is a multi-event venue that was fully renovated in 2006. It has been transformed from a bullring into a live music venue, underground shopping centre, cinema, restaurants, and parking lot combined. It now hosts a plethora of events and offers a stage for international live acts and famous bands.
At a large-scale gala dinner, sound and light specialists from Janitasound provided its services to ensure the evening proceeded smoothly and was full of ambiance. Supplied by exclusive Portuguese distributor Lagotronics, the Infinity iFX-640 six 40W RGBW effect moving heads were a key part of the night’s illumination.
A total of 12 iFX-640s were used, and together with eight Infinity S601 Profiles, 12 Infinity S401 Spots, 16 Infinity iW-1240 RGB washes, 18 Infinity iB-5R beams, two Showtec Theater Profile 600MKIII, eigh
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  5. Chauvet reflects Tesla Cyber Rodeo spirit
  6. Armed Forces Day celebrates with Verge Aero
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GLP - MPU - May-June 2024
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