USA - Although home to Stanford University and tech giants, the region south of San Francisco had been curiously lacking a first-rate music club for many years. That void has been recently filled, with the opening of Menlo Park’s intimate Guild Theatre, now attracting top-level artists with support from AV technologies that include a formidable Meyer Sound system.
The original Guild Theatre had served as a neighbourhood movie theatre for more than 90 years before closing in 2019. Purchased by the non-profit Peninsula Arts Guild, the structure was totally gutted and transformed into a state-of-the-art venue offering extraordinary technical flexibility for hosting music concerts, film showings, and other special events. The principal focus is on national touring artists, with shows spanning musical genres from acapella Black gospel and neo-bluegrass to punk and EDM.
The Guild Theatre is on the small side for hosting high-calibre acts - around 200 seated and 500 standing - but intimacy is part of what makes the experience extraordinary. “Rooms of this size just don’t have stages this big, lighting with this level of sophistication, and sound systems this good,” maintains Drew Dunlevie, president of the Peninsula Arts Guild and the driving force behind creating the venue. “We put together an A-team for this project, with theatrical design by Shalleck Collaborative, acoustic design from Salter, and integration by Legend Theatrical, all working hand-in-glove with the amazing PA from Meyer Sound.”
Dunlevie emphasises that the core mission of th

Denmark - Copenhagen’s Det Ny Teater (The New Theatre) has recently invested substantially in new Robe moving lights with the purchase of 16 x Robe T1 Profiles that have joined the house rig together with an additional 20 Spiiders (bringing the total to 30). Also new are two RoboSpot systems with two T1 Profile FollowSpots, plus 11 x Tetra2 moving LED battens and 18 x LEDBeam 350s.
This was possible thanks to financing via the AP Møller Foundation which was started in 1953 by ship owner AP Møller and his wife Chastine McKinney Møller to support areas of importance to them, including buildings of historical and cultural value and a number of other cultural criteria.
The fixtures were delivered by Robe’s Danish distributor Light Partner. All these fixtures are in daily use to facilitate Ny Theatre’s busy repertory schedule.
Located centrally in the vibrant Danish capital, the cosy 1000-capacity venue actually dates to 1908 explained Kasper Blicher Beknes, deputy CEO and as the venue’s former technical manager who is still integrally involved in every aspect of its operation. Since starting there in 1996 Kasper has taken on many technical and administrative roles and is passionate about all aspects of Det Ny Teater and its impressive heritage.
Like many theatres, the shift to LED has been measured. “Until now, we always had an issue with the last 50% of the LED dimming curve,” Kasper admits, in the same breath saying T1 is the first fixture they’ve seen where “you genuinely can’t tell the difference,” adding that the brigh

Greece - First opening its doors to paying guests in 1930, Athens Capital Hotel is an icon of central Athens that has played host to everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Now a Marriott property, the former annex of the Royal Palace and Prime Minister’s residence is a five-star boutique hotel.
While first-class service is promised, guest safety also needs to be paramount. This aspect of the hotel experience has been ensured as part of a larger plan that has seen the three members of Marriott’s Luxury Collection hotel group in Athens all opt to renovate with modern Bosch public address and voice alarm systems. As the first member of the group to undergo this refurbishment, there was a lot of emphasis placed on finding the right technology for Athens Capital.
The requirement was for an efficient solution that would meet the necessary EN 54 standards of this type of establishment while also enhancing the guest experience. The best way to meet that need was with Praesensa.
The bulk of the project followed a typical hotel voice alarm system with the design, cabling and installation all following the EN 54-16 standards. The installed solution is based around the Praesensa Public Address System consisting of a Praesensa System Controller, four desktop LCD call stations, a wall-mount LCD call station, each with call station extensions.
The system is driven by eight 8-channel 600 W amplifiers which send emergency messages to the nearly 600 Bosch loudspeakers that have been deployed to cover every area of the hotel, including all public areas, cor

USA - NFL legend Joe Thomas stepped out to lead the Greater Cleveland Sport Awards recently, staged to honour athletic achievement in Ohio. The ceremony took place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse arena in front of a live audience and was filmed for streaming. Lighting director Derek Hons, from NPiAV, specified Vari-Lite VL5LED, and VL2600 Series luminaires from Signify for the event.
NPiAV has a longstanding relationship with The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, delivering regular events across Northeast Ohio. The Sports Commission approached Hons to design a lighting solution that would add bright washes and audience overhead effects for both those in attendance and for the live stream.
“I have been a part of this event for 15 years, so I knew the flow of the show very well,” says Hons. “In terms of design, timing, familiarity and execution were important factors in laying out the plot and how the fixtures would be used. I knew the VL2600 Washes would be great for keys and fills for the stage, the VL2600 Profiles would be used for scenic, décor, effects and the VL5LED would be used for audience lighting and effects. The VL2600 Wash fixtures provided plenty of brightness for the stage and looked great on camera – with their barndoors we were able to manipulate where we wanted light and where we didn’t.”
A host of big names showed up to celebrate or present awards, including New York Jets defender Justin Hardee, former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel, and former NFL player Ted Ginn Jr., who was presented with a Lifetime

Finland - The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre – Siida – is one of Northern Lapland’s most popular destinations. Dedicated to the culture of Lapland’s indigenous Sámi people, Siida has recently undergone significant renovation and expansion to accommodate increased visitor numbers and to bring the establishment into line with modern standards.
As part of the process, Oulu-based technical systems specialists Caverion Suomi Oy, supplied and installed a comprehensive Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker solution on a Dante AoIP backbone. Sound designer Aki Päivärinne from Oioi Collective – experts in interactive experience design – was responsible for the sound design for the new exhibits.
The Sámi people live in harmony with the lands they inhabit. Their traditional livelihoods include coastal fishing, fur trapping, sheep herding, and semi-nomadic reindeer herding. The newly renovated museum building houses an all-new exhibition where culture fuses with nature, using the latest in museum technology to showcase and celebrate Sámi heritage. Interestingly, the principal architect of the new exhibition is none other than Harri Koskinen, the renowned industrial designer who has collaborated closely with Genelec for many years.
"My brief was to recreate a soundscape reflecting the multifaceted sounds of nature in Lapland, and design a technical solution for it," explains Päivärinne. "I knew that the open museum hall environment would be an interesting acoustic and thematic challenge since all of the seasons are presented in the very same room." Ind

France - Marking the 45th anniversary of the opening of France’s famous Puy du Fou theme park, the spectacular La Nuit des Feux Follets firework festival was recently revived after a 15-year hiatus. Bringing together three world-renowned pyrotechnic design teams from China, Australia, and Portugal, the major international event selected the industry-standard K Series system from L-Acoustics to deliver excellent coverage and sonic quality.
The sound needed to prevail over the noise from the fireworks themselves to the 14,000 spectators seated over the 23 hectares of La Cinéscénie stage, the most famous Puy du Fou show, and the biggest night show in the world.
Ranked the second most popular theme park in Europe, Puy du Fou was opened in the late 1970s by entrepreneur Philippe de Villiers and his son Nicolas. The history-based park is spread over 500 hectares in the Pays de la Loire region of western France. To celebrate Puy du Fou’s 45th anniversary, La Nuit des Feux Follets was revived, with the world’s three top professional firework specialists each presenting a 15-minute musical show and pyrotechnic performance in front of a panel of celebrity judges, with a grand finale staged by the Park’s in-house pyrotechnics team.
“A year in the planning, the technical and logistical management of the event, from the 3D programming to the handling and installation of the three tons of fireworks, was immense,” explains Samuel Briand, sound designer at Puy du Fou. “At the centre of the brief was the requirement to provide the highe

Singapore - The City Light-Up event was a celebration of light held alongside the Singapore Airlines' Singapore Grand Prix, which culminated in the F1 night race around The Marina Bay Street Circuit in front of a capacity crowd of 300,000 spectators.
As part of this prestigious event, the Internal System and Technical Team at Hexogon Solution Pte was asked to provide lighting solutions for one of the City Light-Up locations, the beautiful – and huge - Conservatory buildings located at the Gardens by the Bay. They chose to use 20 Ayrton Domino LT fixtures which were supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Singapore, Total Solution Marketing.
Mr Adrian Goh, group managing director of Hexogon, commented: “We had decided to light the Conservatories with lighting fixtures rigged on floor-standing truss to illuminate the architectural structure and framework of the buildings.
“The selected lighting fixtures needed to have enough throw to hit the top of the curved framework structure and at the same time have a beam-angle wide enough to cover 2 to 3 structural frames at 5m to 8m apart from a very short distance. The fixtures also needed to operate in all weathers and conditions, rain or shine, with minimum protection, so reducing the footprint of the installation. Domino's IP65 rating, as well as its versatile beam angle, was therefore extremely important.”
Dominos LT fixtures were also selected for illuminating a second location, that of the top dome of the National Gallery Singapore. Four fixtures were used to light the do

UK - Universal Live, an award-winning audio-visual integration specialist in the UK has chosen Shure Axient Digital Wireless System as the best solution to upgrade their equipment.
The ability for the Spectrum Manager to liaise with the transmitters and seamlessly change to an alternative frequency, along with Shure’s reputation and our experience of using their products, made Shure Axient Digital the right choice. “On the biggest stages in the world, when thousands, even millions are watching, the wireless microphone has an enormous job to do. The audio must be clear. It must be true. No other system is up to the challenge quite like Axient Digital,” comments Stuart Thornton, hire manager, Universal Live.
The upgrade of equipment brings with it significant advantages in a variety of areas, both to Universal Live and their clients. This includes technological advancements, improved security, ease of use and set-up. “Clients regularly ask us about the latest trends in live event technology," adds Neil Clappison, innovation and sustainability lead at Universal Live, “and by proactively being ahead of the curve, it inspires confidence that we are the people they should be talking to.”
“With a goal of making the company as eco-friendly as it can possibly be, another reason for selecting Shure Axient Digital was to reduce the reliance on AA batteries.” Neil explains “This is an important step for us, along with our other initiatives such as recycling 100% of our event carpet and graphic prints, installing solar panels, switching to el

UK – The 16th century stately home of Wollaton Hall was given a spectacular lighting treatment for Christmas, when production company dbnAudile provided visitors with a beautiful light trail through the grounds, completed by a stunning finale against the backdrop of the house itself. For all of this, dbnAudile used a Vista by Chroma-Q control system, sourced from A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), to provide stability behind the scenes.
Manchester-based rental and production house dbnAudile, a long-standing user of Vista by Chroma-Q, was contracted by Kilimanjaro Live for the Christmas at Wollaton project, which ran from December into January. Their team delivered the 1.2km light trail made up of 12 individual lighting installations, plus the grand finale at the house, which featured a lighting rig including IP65-rated Panorama IP Airbeams from PROLIGHTS, also supplied via AC-ET.
Although Vista is capable of site-wide control, the dbnAudile team saved time by dividing the site into separate control zones which could then be programmed simultaneously. As dbnAudile’s Andy Kennet says: “There is a two-week build, with a week for programming and final checks, so the programming time is tight. Having separate consoles speeds up this process.” They used four individual systems across the site, choosing Vista S1 and EX control surfaces for their compact frames, which fit neatly into the individual control ‘sheds’.
dbnAudile has long been a fan of Vista control. “The software is very intuitive, allowing users with varying levels of kno

USA - To ensure an emotionally captivating and visually immersive stage experience for the debut of The Notebook musical, lighting designer Ben Stanton utilised Martin MAC Ultra Performance and MAC Ultra Wash fixtures supplied by Christie Lites.
Based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same title by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook is a new musical that brings the romance to the stage. The musical - which recently opened at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre - was scored by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, scripted by Bekah Brunstetter, choreographed by Katie Spelman and directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams.
In order to enhance the story’s flashback-based plot that spans multiple timelines, the production required a flexible and powerful lighting design that could contain multiple looks on stage at once. Lighting designer Ben Stanton created an impressive visual design utilising Martin Professional lighting solutions, including MAC Ultra Performance and MAC Ultra Wash fixtures, provided by Christie Lites.
“For The Notebook, malleability was a really important component of the lighting design,” said Stanton. “I needed to have the lighting be able to shift tone and realities really quickly - lighting that could hold the present and the past onstage at the same time. We also needed a lot of flexibility with the lighting in order to be able to carve out little scenes within a larger context. The lighting needed to be powerful enough to not only activate the set - which was painted all black - but also cut

UK - Built in 1865, The City Varieties is a Grade II* Music Hall located in the heart of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Part of Leeds Heritage Theatres, it holds the Guinness World Record for Britain’s longest-running music hall and has established a reputation for presenting live music, variety and comedy, as well as annual pantomimes which have entertained families for generations. The venue recently decided to upgrade its in-house lighting rig and approached White Light (WL) to supply the fixtures
Dave Greaves, technical manager, alongside senior technician Sean Webster, oversaw the lighting upgrade. Dave comments: “Previously, the set-up was quite outdated, consisting of older par cans, fresnels, Source Fours and a control desk. With technology evolving so quickly over the past few years, and with it the scale and ambition of the shows we host, we soon realised that our previous rig was not suitable; essentially only offering basic colour washes with a general cover on top.
“As a music hall, City Varieties must cater to a plethora of different shows, from live comedians to ballets to the annual pantomime; so we needed a lighting set-up that could satisfy the needs of each of these.”
He adds: “Similarly, we wanted to be more resourceful and have a set-up that would impress incoming designers, reducing the need for us to constantly hire in equipment. We also wanted to show our commitment to sustainability and have a range of fixtures that would save us energy and be more environmentally friendly.”
Knowing what they wanted their rig to

USA - A Wavefront Precision line array forms the centrepiece of a new AV upgrade at the Discover Church in Milwaukee, specified and installed by Martin Audio partner Avenue Systems.
The expanding ministry has undergone several campus extensions since 1969, culminating in a major renovation in 2022, which included the sanctuary. Avenue Systems were part of that renovation process. “This is the project that allowed for the installation of the new Martin Audio rig,” confirms founder and CEO, David Price. “We helped coordinate the design and integration for the newly renovated space.”
Avenue Systems were tasked with undertaking a full AV makeover of the main worship area and video control room, installing new audio, lighting, video, control and acoustical systems for every aspect of the main auditorium’s AV.
Explaining the requirement in more detail, Price confirmed that the PA would need sufficient versatility to reinforce typical modern worship, with full band, plus occasional choir and orchestra for special occasions in a room seating a little over 1800 congregants. “The church also conducts several special musical events throughout the year and hosts a smattering of professional Christian music artists and large conferences,” he added.
Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision line array was deemed best fit for purpose. “Although [the client] did not have prior experience we were able to arrange a demo for them before the renovation which helped facilitate a worship conference they were hosting in the space.
“The demo is cl

UK - Camp Wildfire is an adult summer camp where you can have adventures by day and party by night. STLS Events wanted to return to highly anticipated annual music and arts festival held in the UK, taking over 100 LEDJ Spectra fixtures along for the ride.
With multiple stages hosting various genres of music, live performances, and a blend of culture and community, the festival attracts a diverse range of attendees. The festival organisers needed a lighting solution that would meet the demands of their fast-paced event, as well as provide a visually stunning experience for the attendees. STLS brought their expertise and experience to the table and provided high-quality lighting solutions for each stage, which heavily included exterior fixtures from the LEDJ brand delivered through Prolight Concepts (UK).
“At the Camp Wildfire Festival, the Spectra Flood Q15HEX and the Spectra Par 15Q8 PRO by LEDJ were used to create an immersive lighting experience. Together, they were used to create a stunning lighting display that enhanced the overall atmosphere of the festival. The fixtures were used to highlight key areas of the festival, such as the stage, food stalls, and camping areas. They were also used to create dynamic lighting effects that changed throughout the day, providing festivalgoers with a constantly evolving visual experience.”
The lighting solutions provided by STLS helped to enhance the overall atmosphere of Camp Wildfire and provided a visually stunning experience for the festival’s attendees. They used a combination of Pars and Floods f

UK - A Grade II* listed former railway engine repair shed in Chalk Farm, London, The Roundhouse is a legendary cultural venue that presents a diverse line up of in live music, theatre, circus and new media. Known for hosting musical giants such as David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, The Roundhouse played a major role in the birth of punk, survived temporary closure in the 1980s, was the site of illegal raves in the 90s, and was reborn at the end of the 20th century with an 11-month residency with Argentinian theatre company, De La Guardia.
In the mid noughties it reopened once again, quickly establishing itself as one of the capital’s leading arts venues. Audio specialist DeltaLive has supplied and installed two DiGiCo SD12s as permanent house consoles for the venue’s front of house and monitor positions.
Following a tender process, DeltaLive, was contracted in 2019 as the in-house sound supplier and tasked with delivering the consoles ahead of events that were booked at the venue in April that year.
“It was quite a whirlwind at the time, as we just had a three-week’s notice to support the events that were already booked at The Roundhouse,” recalls DeltaLive’s account manager, Cara Smith. “We were planning to purchase two desks to go in there, but because of the time constraints, we had to take the majority of equipment from our hire stock.”
The team used DiGiCo’s SD5 consoles for the first couple of months. “It was really useful getting the DiGiCo consoles in there so quickly, as we could get an understanding of what band

Armenia – The 20th anniversary edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest burst onto screens across the continent featuring a LED screen-laden stage, which displayed a diverse range of visuals driven by Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers.
Held at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, the contest saw 16 countries send singing hopefuls aged between 10 and 15 to compete for the crown. Each act featured their own visual backdrops, with individual performers allowed to produce their own content under the ‘spin the magic’ theme.
Dominating the impressive stage was a 36m wide and 6m high 11520x2304 pixel 11K LED screen, and the stage itself was made up of a 3200x3200 px LED floor. Flown above the main LED screen was a 4352x512 px LED ring screen, which appeared to emit content out into the audience via LED tubes rigged horizontally in a ‘starburst’ formation.
The Public TV Company of Armenia commissioned Raphaël Demonthy Lichtdesign to deliver the lighting and media design for the show.
“We sat down directly with them to define the technical requirements, and examined how we could best implement them,” says Demonthy. “This year, we had a large number of content producers, as well as various content creators. We needed to use very high resolution of the files, and we’re talking in the region of 80-100GB of content per song, with sixteen acts.”
To ensure they could deliver the demanding video aspects, the team specified six Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers, using three

Slovenia - The Delavski dom Zagorje Cultural Centre venue was opened in 1960 in the Slovenian town of Zagorje tucked away in the Central Sava Valley, once one of the country’s principal mining regions.
Originally built as an entertainment space for the mining community living in this and surrounding towns, it now thrives as a municipal hub for performing arts, staging a multitude of shows and events including cinema, theatre, dance, music and visual arts. Due to its excellent acoustics – enabled by an audio upgrade in 2008 – it hosts the annual National Children's and Youth Choirs Competition of Slovenia, and the building also incorporates the Mile Klopčič Public Library.
The New Robe moving lights – Robe T1 Profiles and LEDBeam 350s – were part of a major technical refurbishment also involving all the stage machinery for their 460-seat main hall.
These are the first moving lights in the house and replace a lot of older lighting technology, some dating back to the 1960s.
The installation took place in 2021, whilst the Cultural Hall was closed due to the pandemic, so they re-opened this year ready to roll with a brand new fully contemporary setup, which is proving invaluable and has upped the production value for everyone from the artists to the audience.
The stage machinery upgrade included new lighting hoists to automate selected lighting bars, so six out of the venue’s 22 lighting bars can now be brought to the stage level meaning less working at heights, speeding up changeovers and dramatically increasing the overall f

USA - Ed Warren has experienced many special times in his career as a lighting designer and programmer, citing Saturday, 18 February at the famed Madison Square Garden as special.
The big arena was filling up with fans for the back-to-back DJing show by Four Tet, fred again.., and Skrillex , an event that had sold out in only two minutes. DJs were playing as the large crowd filed in. Then, at a prearranged signal after a huge drop, Warren used his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 to kick up his lights and lasers as the crowd, encouraged by the lighting crew, simultaneously turned up their cell phone lights.
“Instantly the arena was magically transformed, and you felt a huge lift in the energy,” said Warren. “So simple, but oh so powerful!”
For Warren, that was just the beginning. Throughout the show, he created all-embracive looks that seemed to involve every inch of the 820,000 sq ft (76,000 m2) venue in every moment of the show.
“I wanted to make sure I lit the entire arena as equally as I could throughout,” he explained. “Everyone needed to be seen and everyone needed to know they were seen. I tried not to create a ‘light show’ as such, it was more a matter of translating the feel of the music into light. Then it was more about adding a few party tricks and relying on my busking skills for the rest of it. I had an excellent rig from Christie Lites. I also had access to the MSG house rig, which helped expand the show when needed. They have an extensive array of fixtures up in that roof. More people should use it.”
Warren used t

Canada - CHCH, a television station located in Ontario, produces local news content every week, positioning itself as a prominent news source for Hamilton and the surrounding areas. To enhance its broadcasting capabilities, the station recently inaugurated a versatile studio space and equipped it with broadcast-optimised lighting from Elation Professional.
Aaron McCormack, the lighting designer for CHCH's newly constructed studio, has prior experience working with Elation fixtures from his time at a production company in St. Catharines, Ontario. McCormack notes that he was impressed with the fixtures' build quality, light quality, and output. “Also, the value per fixture met our budget needs and after doing some research, we decided that Elation would be a good choice for our new studio.”
The team at CHCH demoed several fixtures from a variety of companies. “But the cost was too high for what you would actually get,” he said of the other options. According to McCormack, they were seeking basic yet high-quality lights to illuminate the television set and were confident the Elation fixtures would adequately fulfil their requirements.
After finalising their camera selection (4K resolution), it was determined that approximately 60-80ft candles of light on the talent was required. “The KL Panel soft light provided the output that we were looking for and the quality of light,” the designer states. “Most of the set is lit with these and we use the Elation KL Fresnel 6 CW as key lights to provide depth and also as backlights.”
In addi

Armenia - A Europe-wide TV audience of 33m viewers tuned into the 20th Junior Eurovision Song Contest, held in Armenia, in December 2022. Thirteen-year-old Lissandro from France was crowned the winner in a live broadcast from the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in the country’s capital city, Yerevan.
The size of the audience in the venue demanded a major sound system and this (plus all the sound crew) was provided by Poznań-based Gigant Sound Letus, whose owner Jurek Taborowski commented, “We provided a large Outline audio system for the event, the main PA clusters comprising a total of 48 GTO C-12 modules with GTO-DF down-fills, all hidden from the cameras above the lighting installation, with another hang of C-12 cabinets installed in front of the Green Room platform.
“Extensive out-fill and side delay lines were also used, using 48 Superfly modules, around 60 Mantas boxes (including front-fills) and 24 DBS 18-2 subwoofers. Core system processing and control was by Outline’s Newton FPGA processors and the whole system was powered by GTA Otto / X8 and T-Eleven / K10 / K20 amplifiers.”
Armenian TV1 was the main organisation behind the event and their Vahagn Mikayelyan remarked: “One of the most important goals for the sound system was to provide equal sound all around the hall. As the event was going on in the sports complex, we had to find good solutions for a difficult audio environment, which is why we decided to choose the Gigant sound team.
“Also, the JESC show is mainly directed to broadcasting so the speakers

Australia - Operating out of Wodonga, Victoria, Professional Audio Services (PAS) is defined not only by its dedication to quality entertainment experiences, but also its dynamic father-son duo: managing director Tony Boon and lighting & technology specialist Adam Boon.
Having carved a reputation for itself as a provider of quality audio for theatre shows, council events, concerts and more, PAS sought to elevate their production capabilities further by streamlining their systems catalogue- pivoting to Nexo’s point source offerings.
“We were reorganising our business, as we had lots of different speaker systems and older things from separate places,” recounts Tony. “Ultimately, we decided to go with a framework that operates together more seamlessly. From cables to amps and speakers, we now have a variety of Nexo equipment to call on, all from the same family.”
Eager to road-test the new technology by the end of 2022, PAS recently assisted the community of Wodonga with two well-reviewed events: Borderville’s Circus in Junction Square and the city’s Wodonga Brass Carols by Candlelight.
“Junction Place was a circus gig that used four P15+ cabinets and four Geo MSUB18’s,” says Adam. “We also used a pair of P10+’s to fill where the tree foliage ate up our HF. Wodonga Brass Christmas Carols was six Geo M10 modules per side, four Geo MSUB15’s and six Geo MSUB18’s in an array that was designed in NS-1 for even coverage across the massive audience space, and to minimise the onstage bass build-up. All console-to-amp conne

UK - On Saturday 25 February, the hello stranger UK Festival of Performance Design, curated by Dr Kathrine Sandys and Lucy Thornett, launched with its inaugural event at the Edinburgh College of Art.
The festival, which runs through to April, brings together a mix of artists and designers from 13 different regions and countries across the UK, in order to showcase the best in contemporary performance design. The entire programme is free to all and includes exhibitions, performances, talks and workshops, providing an exciting opportunity for members of the public from across the UK to engage with design, through locally curated and created installations and exhibitions on their own doorsteps.
The hello stranger series of events are led by a team of locally based designer-curators who have been tasked with activating public spaces within local theatres and other public-facing cultural venues. The events take stock of the last four years of performance design in the UK and pose important questions about where we are headed, with each looking at these wider cultural questions through a unique, regional lens.
In considering the future of practice, a key element of hello stranger focuses on sustainability, and sustainable practice is centred throughout the Festival with purpose-built event and exhibition spaces created from locally sourced re-claimed and re-purposed materials.
The UK Festival of Performance Design forms part of the hello stranger: national exhibition of performance design 2019 – 2023, which has been curated by Dr Kathrine Sandys

Norway - To provide students of the Norwegian Academy of Music with a quality education and music-listening experience, LydRommet recently upgraded the existing JBL sound reinforcement system in the school’s Linderman Hall with JBL VTX A8 line array speakers.
Located in Oslo, the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) is the largest university-level music conservatory in Norway. Many of Norway’s top musicians received their education from NMH’s diverse curriculum of genres, ranging from church and classical music to jazz and folk music. Officially founded in 1973, NMH has academic origins dating back to 1883, when Ludvig Mathias Lindeman and his son Peter Brynie Lindeman founded a historic school for organists.
Named in honour of Lindeman’s legacy, Lindeman Hall is the Academy’s main concert hall, with a seating capacity for 365 audience members. With a superior acoustic design and a stage big enough for a full symphony orchestra, Lindeman Hall is an ideal performance venue for large acoustic ensembles, amplified jazz bands, chamber orchestras and solo performers alike.
NMH turned to Norway-based Harman distributor LydRommet to upgrade Lindeman Hall’s existing sound system. To deliver wide and balanced coverage for a diverse range of concerts and genres, LydRommet installed a modern JBL VTX live sound reinforcement solution consisting of VTX A8 line array speakers.
“NMH is the top music university in Norway, and they strive to offer the best in terms of education and equipment alike,” said Jan-Stefan Hansen, director of pro audio

Germany – Dry-hire company NicLen has invested in VL3600 Profile IP fixtures from Vari-Lite. The popular German firm has purchased a large quantity of the high-output, IP-rated fixtures, citing superior optics and build quality as the reason for the purchase.
“We have a long history with Vari-Lite and strong fondness for the brand,” explains Jörg Stöppler Co-CEO/CCO at NicLen. “We have VL2600 Profiles and VL5LED Washes in dry hire at the moment, so we know that Vari-Lite makes quality fixtures. It was unsurprising, then to find the VL3600 had a premium feel and build quality with a solid construction and no plastic. Overall, it’s exactly the sort of well-made product you expect from Vari-Lite in an IP rated fixture.”
“The NicLen service quality is excellent, and it’s something known in the market,” says Franck Tiesing, Vari-Lite key account manager, DACH at Signify. “The fixtures are always clean, and everything is in top condition. So, NicLen understandably has very high expectations for the fixtures they buy, and that’s why they went with the VL3600 Profile IP.”
After first being introduced to a prototype of the VL3600 Profile IP at Prolight + Sound 2022, NicLen worked closely with Vari-Lite, providing feedback during development. “Vari-Lite has been helpful throughout the entire process,” adds Stöppler. “From the initial conversations to after-sales support, they’ve been very responsive to anything we needed.”
NicLen reports an uptick in interest in the VL3600 in recent weeks as word of their VL3600 purc

Luxembourg - Founded in 2013 by two friends eager to shake up the dining and night life experience in Luxembourg, Concept+Partners is a young and dynamic company always on the lookout for new and innovative ideas and dedicated to ensuring an exceptionally high quality of customer service.
Among an impressive portfolio of Concept+Partners properties, Hitch is a restaurant, bar and nightclub in Luxembourg city that describes itself to be ‘where food meets party’. So, when looking for a sound system that could deliver on that promise, the owners turned to local AV technology specialists Lemon Event Support.
“The brief was simple but uncompromising,” reports Lemon Event Support MD Paul Thyes. “The system had to deliver a clear but unobtrusive soundtrack for diners, then shift through the gears for punchy, full bandwidth, floor-filling sound when the DJs arrive and the restaurant morphs into a club – and all without imposing upon the high-end interior design. Our philosophy is to work only with products we trust and know can perform at the highest level. So, for Hitch, we immediately thought of a Nexo P+ Series point source system.”
Lemon Event Support chief engineer Christophe Becker takes up the story. “The space comprises of two main areas separated by a wall. Using NS-1 software, we designed a ceiling mounted system that’s mirrored on both sides using a pair of P15s and two P12s with one on a delay for each. P10s cover the corners and the bar, which is located behind the system, with an additional P10 in the DJ booth as a monitor. L