Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Projects

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UK - PowerBase Gym within Loughborough University has undergone an extensive multi-million-pound upgrade, transforming the facility an impressive strength and conditioning environment. Now boasting 3,200m² of training space, the gym caters to both professional athletes and students seeking top-tier fitness facilities.
Recognising the crucial role audio plays in creating an immersive and motivating fitness environment, the university made a strategic investment in audio equipment for the Powerbase Gym. Partnering with audio visual integrator GVAV, in collaboration with Audiologic and the on-site AV team, the gym now showcases a comprehensive audio solution that enhances the overall workout experience.
The university has a longstanding relationship with Ecler, widely deploying their innovative audio solutions across campus facilities, including teaching spaces and sport

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USA - Alobar's Lighting and Sound has installed a state-of-the-art lighting and lighting control solution at the Villa Duchesne school in St. Louis, Missouri. The new system, which features an NX1 lighting console from Obsidian Control Systems along with Netron signal distribution, includes an array of Elation KL series and Seven Batten lights, providing the school’s Pavich Theatre with a high level of control and creativity in their lighting design.
Alobar's Lighting and Sound, based in St. Louis, has been a long-standing partner of Villa Duchesne, having provided audio and lighting services for the school for over 20 years, including support for graduation ceremonies, Maypole celebrations, and various school events. When the school sought to revamp its theatre lighting system, they entrusted Alobar's with the task.
Ted Kretschmar of Alobar’s was instrumental in

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UK - Marquee AV recently helped boost the atmosphere at new London West End Italian restaurant, Daroco Soho, by installing a premium Martin Audio CDD sound reinforcement system.
Introduced to the project by design and construction consultant, Cotton Thompson Cole, Marquee’s project director Stacey Tough, says the preference for Martin Audio had been a joint decision between him and the clients themselves, who had specifically requested the brand. “The fact that they knew, and liked Martin Audio helped the process considerably,” he said. “As they already knew they were getting a first-class product we didn’t have to arrange a demo.”
The brief was to provide a system that would deliver quality sound with even coverage throughout, within the two-storey architecturally led environment. This includes the Wacky Wombat cocktail bar in the basement with a DJ booth,

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Japan - Developed as a toolkit to create natural, harmonious, enveloping, and emotionally engaging listening experiences for rooms of all sizes, from small live music venues to large-scale halls, d&b Soundscape has undergone international tours, and has featured in world-renowned musicals, festivals, and concerts.
Most recently, the technology was showcased at Japan’s 2023 Inter BEE tradeshow, integrating not only the German loudspeaker and amplifier manufacturer’s audio solution, but equally cutting-edge video processing from Brompton Technology to deliver an ultra-realistic immersive experience for show visitors.
As part of the demo setup, the d&b team used a 14m x 2.5m LED vision wall, composed of 140 ROE Visual LED panels powered by a Brompton’s 4K Tessera SX40 LED processor and disguise media servers, supplied by key Japanese AV rental company, Audio

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USA - Helping the stars shine more brightly on the red carpet at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles was an elegantly balanced lighting design that featured 124 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by 4Wall Entertainment.
As one of the producers of the red carpet event, Barrett Hall of Invoke Entertainment collaborated with a talented team to create a design that ‘worked beautifully on camera’. “For this event, I wanted to ensure that the lighting was perfect,” said Hall. “So, I brought long-time collaborator Ben Green onboard as our LD, and had 4Wall provide equipment.
“Our ultimate goal was to make TV’s hottest stars look their best on their biggest night as they celebrated their own work and that of their peers,” continued Hall, who achieved this by working with veteran producers: David Jacobi, Neal Roscoe, and Jamie Watana. “How d

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Thailand - Established in 2009, with offices in Bangkok and Sydney, Saturate Designs specialises in lighting design for the entertainment industry, providing bespoke solutions for festivals, live music, installation projects, films and theatre designs, from concept visualisation through to programming and operation.
Saturate Designs, Thailand recently invested in 16 Ayrton Mistral S fixtures which were supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Thailand, Total Solution Marketing Thailand.
The team at Saturate Designs were extremely impressed and pleased to discover the compact, yet powerful Mistral S lights which produce an infinite palette of vivid pastels and saturated colours: “We now own 16 Mistral S which we use across a variety of our own projects and designs,” states Mr Peem Poolpol, lighting and creative designer at Saturate Designs. “We had previous

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UK - Clair Global Integration (CGI) has been chosen to future proof Twickenham Stadium’s new bowl installation using the JBL Professional VLA loudspeaker range.
CGI was called upon to design and install new bowl sound system installation for the historic 82,000-capacity British sports venue, which is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), England’s national rugby governing body.
The project was led by the experienced UK-based team, the results of which have taken Twickenham Stadium into a new era of concert-grade audio capabilities.
Designed by CGI’s UK director, Eddie Thomas, and associate director Tom Williams, the project was delivered by Jake Miller, Steve Watson, and John Hardy, who secured this installation thanks to their collective and in-depth knowledge of high-end stadia audio.
Starting with the original groundwork designed by environmen

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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

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USA - KERO-TV is the most recent E.W. Scripps TV station to upgrade their studio lighting with a full Brightline system. Long known for its audio innovations, Bakersfield was home to Bakersfield Sound, producing honky tonk and rock legends like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens.
“Scripps has a storied history in journalism and cable and is well regarded for its latest multi-platform initiatives,” says Sam Cercone, managing partner, Brightline. “Widely known for pioneering new technologies, the expansive lighting upgrades underway throughout the group further solidify its position as a broadcast innovator.
“With the retrofit kit, we can upgrade existing Brightline fluorescent systems to LED at an attractive cost through repurposing fixtures”, says Cercone. “And the high-colour rendering LEDs enhance video. Upgrading to LED reduces energy consumption, renews the

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Italy - Prolights DisplayCob TRWDFC illuminated the Dying in Beauty exhibition at the Drents Museum Assen, in an innovative collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and the National Archaeological Park of Herculaneum.
The exhibition tells the story of Pompeii's life before its destruction, showing how art and technology can merge to create a powerful visual narrative.
The NorthenLight agency took care of the artistic design, relying on Lichpunt for the lighting setup and 50Lux for the lighting design. Light was used as a narrative tool to differentiate life (white light) from death (red light representing lava). Lighting designer Frank Hulsebosch of 50Lux used 12 Prolights DisplayCob TRWDFC to achieve colourful, intense lighting effects, demonstrating the versatility of the products in a complex exhibition context.
The Luchpunt team

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Austria - Lemo may be one of the most popular Austrian performers today, but at heart, says Niklas Fuchs, he is more like “the friendly musician from next door”. This relaxed and engaging personality is reflected in the star’s Lemo Unplugged Tour, which has a set that looks like a living room.
“Lemo truly is authentic and friendly,” said Fuchs. “On this tour, he wanted the audience to feel like they are visiting him at home listening to his songs from the couch. So, the design basically consisted of a whole lot of carpets on stage, standard E27 LED Bulbs, and some living room luminaires that we literally bought on the way to the first show. It created a special atmosphere.”
Filling in on the tour for Lemo’s usual lighting designer Bernhard Endl, Fuchs accented this welcoming mood with a warm, inviting light show. Positioned in a vertical configuration o

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Vietnam - With the opening of the Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi, Vietnam has vaulted to the front rank of Asian countries offering the most advanced technical facilities for hosting the performing arts. The new venue was presented to the public in a soft opening in July and has since earned international accolades for its visionary architecture, audience amenities, and an aural environment instantly optimised for any event by the Constellation® acoustic system.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, which operates the theatre, focused on acoustic priorities led by “a passion for art, and especially, the natural sounds of musical instruments in concert”, says General Tô Lâm, Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security. “We need a place with a good sound field for artists to flourish.”
The large 900-seat hall in the new performing arts complex is a multi-purpose venue

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Switzerland - Circus Knie, one of Europe’s oldest, has just-concluded its 2023 season which featured acts ranging from dancing horses to motorcycles spinning around in a sphere at high speeds whilst parallel to the ground. Lighting by Axel Melchior supported every performance
An example of Melchior’s precise work was evident in the way he lit the waterfall stage at this year’s Circus Knie. Made up of a circular pond with a waterfall at its centre, the stage uses 7,000-litres of water each day. Nimble acrobats perform on the surface above the cylindrical waterfall. Accenting their performance, as well as the captivating beauty of the pond and fall, is a collection of 33 Chauvet Professional COLORado PXL Bar 8 motorized RGBW tilting battens supplied by Dushow.
Initially, Melchior considered using another IP65-rated COLORado model, the PXL Bar 16, but switched to th

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UK - London’s Roundhouse concert and performing arts venue in Camden now has an all Robe moving light rig with a recent investment in 20 x Esprite luminaires, fitted with the HP (High Performance) LED engine for the highest output and strongest colours. The order was overseen for Robe UK by Curtis Lewis, their business development manager for the London area.
These fixtures join 82 existing Robe moving lights at the venue – 42 x LEDBeam 100s, 16 x DLF Washes, six DLX Spots and six LEDWash 600s – with the Esprites now the primary house rig spot fixtures, and available to all incoming productions.
Roundhouse head of lighting Steve Royle explained that the new Esprites are part of a major technical update and an ongoing sustainability drive to make the Roundhouse as energy efficient as possible.
He has held the head of lighting post since 2010 and was instr

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Saudi Arabia - With bases in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, specialist AVL integration company, Proline, recently won a competitive tender to equip a new outdoor zone at Riyadh Zoo - part of a new look for the visitor attraction, which was founded back in 1987.
For the sound system Proline chose Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision WPS in a bid “to elevate the zoo's auditory experience”, according to lead project coordinator, Elie AlKhoury. The integrators’ goal was to deliver an unparalleled sonic experience to the zoo environment, at the same time meeting all industry standards.
Incorporated into the contract was the development of an outdoor stage, and thus Proline's approach focused on creating a seamlessly synchronised environment where music, visuals and lighting would integrate and harmonise to deliver an immersive and captivating outdoor experience.
“W

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South Africa - Ultra Events, specialists in providing comprehensive audio, visual and lighting solutions to the events industry, has recently invested in the A-Series line array system from d&b audiotechnik, specifically the AL90 loudspeaker. With significant experience in deploying d&b line arrays on projects ranging from live events to festivals and houses of worship, the purchase of the AL90s was a natural progression for Ultra Events.
“We wanted to remain within the existing d&b ecosystem,” explains Costa Champanis, owner of Ultra Events. “We are committed to the brand and to providing our clients with consistent audio solutions. The AL90 is the ideal solution for medium-scale sound reinforcements, where up to four cabinets can be flown in vertical columns or mounted as horizontal arrays. This versatility means we can cater for a variety of events and s

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UK - Located in Horsham, West Sussex, The Capitol is a multi-arts community venue which comprises a main theatre, two cinema screens, a studio theatre and a gallery space. It first opened in 1936 as a cinema and today prides itself as an accessible and diverse building, accommodating a variety of performance arts. It’s 410-seat main theatre space is one which regularly plays hosts to UK touring shows, concerts and even celebrity talks.
It was recently decided that the space would upgrade its lighting equipment to ensure the venue reduced its overall carbon footprint. As both a B Corp, as well as an organisation that has helped several venues in their quest to become more sustainable, White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, was approached to provide these fixtures.
The investment at The Capitol was overseen by venue and productions manager Matthew Effemey. He

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The Netherlands - Gotcha AV+ chose the Prolights Mosaico range for their holiday season installations in 2023, bringing a magical touch to festive celebrations.
For the Hotel Van der Valk Gilze in Tilburg, the Gotcha AV+ Group selected the Mosaico series to light up the hotel's rooftop. They chose the Mosaico projector for its high light output and capacity to hold multiple gobos, creating an enchanting slideshow effect. This dynamic projection not only prominently displays the hotel's iconic Toucan but also spreads festive cheer with its vibrant illumination.
Additionally, the Mosaico range was utilised for the DongenIce winter festival. Gotcha AV+ Group outfitted DongenIce 2023/2024 with four Mosaico FX100 projectors, each fitted with a 70-degree lens, creating a magical ambiance by projecting images of curling houses onto the ice.
These DMX-controlled projecto

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Europe - Playing live in support of her 10th studio album, I Inside the Old Year Dying, avant-rock artist PJ Harvey played a string of sold-out dates at carefully chosen venues. As a close-knit touring family working with one of the industry’s most talented musicians, her engineers required audio solutions from a supplier that understood the calibre of detail needed on her production.
Monitor engineer Magali Couturier has been with PJ Harvey for some years now, and has exact expectations from her vendor, including knowing that dedication comes from the top. “I first met [Skan director] Chris Fitch at Glastonbury in the ‘90s, it was the first time I’d seen a ‘boss’ that was so ‘hands-on’. He really cares about the human experience around him,” she says.
“He’s very approachable, and he understands what we go through as engineers, which is w

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Puerto Rico - The design team at The Playground created a memorable moment this December during La Meta, the final five concerts in Daddy Yankee’s career. It occurred in their show’s fourth act when a massive stone bust emerged on the deeply immersive stage at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico to reveal the reggaeton star and his trademark geometric goat head logo.
It was a moment that no one in the packed arena is ever likely to forget, which is precisely what the Playground team of Curtis Adams (show and creative director); Trevor Ahlstrand (production designer); and Sooner Routhier (production designer), aspired to achieve when they collaborated on the show.
Working with lighting programmers Will Flavin and Dane Kick and drawing on the power of a 4Wall Entertainment supplied rig that featured over 500 Chauvet Professional fixtures, the designers captured the essence of

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UK - Max Webster’s intense production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, opened to positive reviews at London’s Donmar Warehouse in December.
Played out on Rosanna Vize’s stark, minimalist set, comprising a flat white platform backed by a glass wall that isolates off-stage actors from the action, the audience listens through binaural headphones that catch every nuance of the actors’ speech, drawing them deeper and more intimately into the text - and Macbeth’s mental state.
Lighting designer, Bruno Poet, accentuates this intensity with the help of Ayrton Khamsin TC fixtures: “The simplicity of the set - the sharp-edged white platform contrasting heavily with the black surroundings - combined with the detail of the soundscape meant it wasn’t always necessary to see the actors’ faces fully,” explains Poet. “This

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Turkey - Lighting designer Martin Kuhn tapped into the power and reliability of a grandMA3 replay unit to run a spectacular permanent show that he designed for Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower. The landmark stands on a tiny islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, 300m from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, and has recently re-opened after restoration.
Martin was working for Istanbul AV specialist ASTEL and end client, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The lighting includes 48 Ayrton Cobra moving lights which are positioned around the perimeter of the lower sea wall in protective cabinets that open when the show starts, and a selection of 76 Anolis Eminere and Calumma fixtures illuminating the various architectural elements, together with 27 SGM P2s and P6 LED floods.
The lights are connected via six grandMA3 2Port Nodes and two MA Netw

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Denmark - Set in the rolling hills of the Danish countryside, HimmerLand is a resort combining golf and spa facilities with award-winning bistros, bowling alley, outdoor sporting activities and flexible meeting spaces.
HimmerLand recently expanded its offering to include a large multipurpose hall, smaller meeting rooms, a golf simulator and fitness centre. Leading the AV design and integration was COMM2IG - a Danish company specialising in technology solutions - who opted for a Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker system.
"The off-axis dispersion of Genelec models is excellent, which is very helpful for meeting rooms," explains Søren Maibom, solution manager and sound designer at COMM2IG. "HimmerLand also wanted a very Nordic design for these spaces, and Genelec’s form factor works really well in this context. In fact, the team wanted to hide the loudspeaker system initiall

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Poland - Chopin Airport in Warsaw, named after the famous Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, has recently undergone an impressive improvement in acoustic technology. The installation of an extensive Praesensa system from Bosch Building Technologies marks a turning point in the way information and music is transmitted and played in the airport building.
The new system features advanced loudspeaker technology and a high level of automation, providing outstanding sound quality and clear, crisp voice transmission, which is of great benefit to the operator, passengers and ground staff.
The new passenger information system is based on the Praesensa solution from Bosch. It uses LS1-OC100E-1 hemi-directional ceiling loudspeakers and LC1-UM12E8 built-in loudspeakers, which ensure that passengers at every gate are addressed with pinpoint accuracy and excellent intelligibility.<
  1. Lux Machina looks ahead with Stage Precision
  2. Ron Stagemaster raises Sonic Sphere in NYC
  3. Nexo helps tell the story of major Paris landmark
  4. Robe lights Belters Only Dublin spectacular
  5. Martin Audio plays immersive role
  6. Shania Twain tours with Eighth Day Sound
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GLP - MPU - May-June 2024
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