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USA - The historic Ricardo Montalban Theatre glowed with the latest in lighting technology and new design ideas on 1 April when it hosted the fourth annual Chauvet Professional Student Lighting Showcase. An interactive educational event, the showcase has students from college theatre programmes collaborate on lighting projects, then have their work evaluated by noted lighting designers.
“We built this event on the idea of learning by doing,” said DeAnna Padgett, national sales manager of Chauvet Professional. “The students enjoyed working on their projects, which involved lighting scenic elements on the Montalban stage and then having some constructive feedback from designers they know and respect. It’s a unique opportunity for them. We’re grateful for the LDs who ca

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Ukraine - Production Resource Group (PRG) will be the official service provider for the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2017. This year’s edition of the ESC will take place in the Ukrainian Capital of Kiev from 9-13 May. The International Exhibition Centre with its 11,000 seats will be the venue of the event. In cooperation with LITECOM, PRG will be providing video, lighting and rigging technology for the show.
Jerry Appelt is returning as lighting designer to work on his third ESC, after previously designing the show in 2011 and 2012: “I am very happy about PRG supplying this project because I need a well-practised team, with experience of not only delivering shows of this size, but often doing so under challenging circumstances.
“When something unexpected happens, you need the right crew with the relevant experience and equipment resources. Using the PRG Gr

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UK - Following “a successful strategic alliance” which has been in place since the beginning of the year, Britannia Row Productions has confirmed its acquisition by Clair Global, Inc.
Clair Global has a long-established history as a respected leading entertainment industry supplier with serval international operations.
Britannia Row Productions is one of the leading UK audio companies with links throughout the world. “Both companies see this as the perfect way to expand and strengthen their worldwide client base, allowing them to offer consistent service in all major territories,” said Britannia Row directors Bryan Grant and Mike Lowe in a joint statement.
“The synergies we’ve experienced with the entire Britannia Row team have been overwhelmingly positive. Culturally and professionally, we are on the same page. We are excited to bring this new level
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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Money, Money, Money - The Sunday Times Rich List has revealed the Top 20 wealthiest British and Irish people in music 2017. Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell claim the top spot after their wealth swelled by an estimated £20m over the past 12 months to £780m. Others to make the Top 20 include Brian May, Eric Clapton, Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Sting, Roger Waters and Charlie Watts. Adele is the youngest star to make the countdown after she earned an estimated £40m in the past year; the highest 12-month earnings in the entire list.
Any Time Now - Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has sparked a frenzy of rumours about a possible band reunion after a mysterious message was posted on the rock singer's website. The three-word missive posted by Plant simply said: "Any time now. . ." The band last played together in 2007 and cel

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UK - PLASA Managing Director Peter Heath has announced that Claire Beeson has been promoted to Editor of Light & Sound International (LSi). Claire has been with LSi and PLASA for the past 10 years, serving as LSi’s Deputy Editor before becoming Acting Editor earlier this year.
Peter comments: “I am delighted to announce that Claire Beeson is now the Editor of LSI. Claire has been with the company for nearly 10 years and has made a massive contribution to the magazine and its success. LSi is a prized product within our company and I know it’s in good hands. We look forward to witnessing her personal journey and growth along with the continued success of the magazine.”
As well as working on LSi, Claire is a judge for the Concert Touring & Events category of the prestigious Knight of Illumination Awards, and is a member of the organising committee for the po

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UK - The Tourflex Cabling brand will be showcasing its bespoke cable assembly service for the international entertainment and broadcast industries at PLASA Focus Leeds 2017 this week.
Knowing how critical cables and connections are to these sectors, Tourflex Cabling prides itself on providing the best connections, for a faultless performance.
Although recently re-branded, the service has over 40* years of experience and has earned an enviable reputation for quality and reliability. It understands when 'the show must go on' – often processing emergency orders in 24 hours, including weekends - and having the ability to despatch orders worldwide.
Tourflex Cabling has the manufacturing capacity to make tens of thousands of cable assemblies, using hundreds of thousands of metres of exceptional quality cabling, every year. It holds a vast level of stock and choice of

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UK - A new Pole Operated Yoke is set to be the star attraction on the Doughty Engineering stand at this year's PLASA Focus show in Leeds. Visitors to stand N-C25 will also get the opportunity to see a wide range of items on display, including the popular Space Saver which has taken social media by storm and the latest addition to the Atom Clamp family - the Atom G Clamp..
Julian Chiverton, sales director at Doughty commented: "We're looking forward to another successful year at PLASA Focus and to receiving some useful feedback on some of our latest products."
The Pole Operated Yoke is modular in design and as such can be made exactly to customer specification from existing stock - hence a quick turnaround between order and delivery. Designed to stretch and shorten to fit any sized light, the yoke is fitted to a light with two cups which pan and tilt - and being pole op

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Germany - MA Lighting has announced another significant software release for its flagship grandMA2 lighting control platform. With version 3.3, not only are there many new features but also the help and fixture library systems have been fully re-imagined.
Based on feedback from the strong grandMA2 user community, hundreds of smaller improvements have also been incorporated to assist smoother workflow for the operator and programmer making more time for creativity.
With the new software, the MA Lighting fixture library is now available online via the Fixture Share service. After logging in, users can add their own fixture files or download the latest versions of fixture files which were not available at the software release moment, ensuring a fully up to date fixture library for all MA Lighting users. Additional search and rating functionality allows users to gen

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UK - The new TiMax SoundHubVR variant marks further diversification by UK developers Out Board, taking their evolutionary spatial audio platform into the expanding VR marketplace. As well as significant growth of its market lead in premium theatre, music and corporate event applications, TiMax has also seen increased sales into museum and exhibit applications worldwide, from expo sites, galleries, and visitor attractions to theme parks, domes, planetaria and experiences.
TiMax SoundHubVR addresses a specific need for mobile, tightly-synchronised, low-latency immersive audio locked to multimedia VR content, in a compact package designed for the latest theme-park ride-car and experience marketplaces. Featuring an optional DC power supply, TiMax SoundHubVR units are currently being built into theme park ride-cars to supply sequenced dynamic spatial audio, for onboard sound sys

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USA - Chauvet Professional has extended the Maverick family with the introduction of the Maverick MK3 Wash, a powerful and intensely bright RGBW LED moving wash. Powered by 27 40W Osram Ostar LEDs, the new pixel mappable fixture has the output and performance features needed for even the largest arena applications, says the company.
“We were very encouraged by the response to our Maverick series when it was introduced last year,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “Designers who embraced Maverick told us they wanted a wash fixture for larger venues that had all of the features they valued in the series. The MK3 Wash is the next step for Maverick.”
As is true of all Maverick models, the MK3 Wash has fast and smooth pan and tilt movements, but its output and brightness have been seriously stepped up for long throw applications. Depending on the zoom angle, the

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UK - British lighting and video control systems manufacturer Avolites is gearing up for the UK debut of its latest lighting control software update, Titan v10.1, at the PLASA Focus expo in Leeds, following the software's successful international showcase at Prolight + Sound 2017 in Frankfurt.
Titan v10.1 is now available for users to download for free on all Avolites consoles after the company introduced its updated features at Prolight + Sound.
"Our Prolight + Sound product and software showcases have always been extremely well attended and this year was no different," says sales director for Avolites, Koy Neminathan. "The number of high level designers and journalists that attended the Prolight press event, and were eager to learn more after, was a clear sign of how far our software platforms have come. We were excited to explain the benefits of the new features deve

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Portugal - Freevox, a leading distributor and manufacturer of professional lighting products, held its 2017 customer conference in Portugal, and Green Hippo attended, helping the French firm present Green Hippo’s line of video products.
The conference, which ran over four days, was held at the Algarve’s Club Med de Balaia resort, and was attended by more than 100 leading French companies, including installers and resellers from the image, lighting and sound sectors. Themed workshops, including specialised sessions supported by Green Hippo, enabled participants to experience new technologies, including digging deeper into features and benefits.
Freevox, along with attendees, acknowledged the event as ‘exceptional’. Christophe Masson, marketing and communication at Freevox, also highlighted Green Hippo’s support during the organisation of the in-depth sessions.

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Sweden - To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Swedish band, Weeping Willows, recently staged three concerts in the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, with Allen & Heath’s dLive S Class mixing system managing FOH, monitors and recording.
It has been 20 years since the band released its debut album, Broken Promise Land, and to mark the anniversary, the band were joined by Gävle Symphony Orchestra and conductor, Christoffer Nobin.
“We wanted to do something grand, and playing together with a symphony orchestra is something we love to do. Coming from Stockholm, we feel that the Globe Arena is the most magnificent place to perform,” said Weeping Willows singer, Magnus Carlson.
Two dLive systems were used at FOH, a S5000 Surface with DM64 MixRack for the orchestra and a S3000 with DM48 for the band, both fitted with GigaACE network cards. The monitor sy

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USA - Built in the 1980’s, Christ the Redeemer Parish Church is a thriving part of the community in Atco, New Jersey. From more humble beginnings, when Deacon Charles “Chick” McAleer was part of the team that helped wire the original Church, the initial sound system used just six pendant style loudspeakers distributed down the sides of the congregation seating. Localisation, intelligibility and overall sound quality were lacking for today’s worship services, which can be attended by over 800 people. Music now also plays a much greater part in many services.
The Church found JD Sound & Video through an internet search and, after seeing the work they had done for other local churches and Catholic high schools, invited them for a consultation. JD Sound & Video designed a system using Community’s E Eries Entasys loudspeakers, having previously used them with gr

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South Africa - Lighting designer, Michael Broderick will present a theatre lighting workshop at DWR Distribution on 25 May from 9am to 5pm.
Working as a lighting designer for over 15 years, Michael is keen to mentor people, particularly youngsters, who have a passion for theatre.
Topics include: Aims and Objectives of Stage Lighting; Controllable Properties of Light; Light and Colour;Lighting Positions and Angles; Lighting Instruments; Dimmers and Control and The Basics of Stage Design.
(Jim Evans)

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USA - Philips Lighting has announced that its stage lighting is providing lighting effects central to the artistic stage design of the Chicago-based alternative rock band Wilco’s world tour. In support of the tenth studio album, Schmilco, the tour is visiting the US, Europe and South America.
Lighting designer Jeremy Roth has pronounced the Philips Vari-Lite VL4000 Spot "integral" to the tour's ambitious theatrical set design - which is stylistically closer to a Broadway or an opera backdrop than a standard rock and roll set.
Wilco front-man Jeff Tweedy's visual concept for the tour was inspired by a 3D-forest scene theatre set in a Masonic temple in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In true experimental Wilco style, Tweedy wanted to emulate this juxtaposition of the natural world and overt theatricality for the band's show. He called upon Roth, the band's lighting design

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South Africa - The Blue Man Group visited South Africa for the very first time in February and March this year and, whilst performing at The Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg, they celebrated the 200th performance of their world tour. South African sound engineer, Christo Davis, has worked with Blue Man Group for the past year, mixing an average of four shows or more a week on a DiGiCo SD7, with his deputy sound engineer covering the rest.
The Blue Man Group, established in New York by three friends in 1991, are known for their award-winning shows that captivate audiences with music, comedy, fresh stories, custom instruments and technology.
“I did a show with them in Australia about four years ago and I just hit it off with the sound designer,” says Christo. “We have similar philosophies and approaches on how we like to do things and he’d been trying to ge

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The Netherlands - DGTL Festival took place at Amsterdam’s NDSM Docklands on 15-16 April and featured a huge stock of Funktion-One loudspeakers. The site, which is a short ferry journey from Amsterdam Centraal train station, welcomed around 15,000 partygoers for two days of electronic music.
The event prides itself on balanced programming. While other festivals hinge on large-draw headliners, DGTL combines those big names with local and international emerging talents. This year’s programme saw standout performances from the likes of Maceo Plex, Jamie Jones, Tom Trago (live), Jennifer Cardini, DJ Koze, and Joy Orbison back-to-back with George Fitzgerald.
Such a strong focus on the musical output meant that there was also a big emphasis on the quality of the sound production. The organisers drafted in Think! AV to deliver Funktion-One loudspeaker set-ups for five of D

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UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has announced the launch of a combined liability insurance cover scheme for its professional and affiliate members. The insurance cover will eventually become a permanent benefit entitlement to be included within the annual ALD membership fee but, in this first year of launch is available to members as an opt-in service, for a small surcharge in addition to membership.
The policy offers public liability and products insurance as well as professional indemnity and is specifically tailored for those who work freelance as a “lighting designer or lighting technician, including the design, preparation, installation, maintenance and operation of lighting rigs, video and projection designer &/or technician, the teaching or mentoring of these activities and as a manager or technician in the theatre, entertainment and live event

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USA - The lively and varied 2017 US festival season continues with the 2017 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival staged at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, where Robe moving lights were chosen by leading LDs like Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting who specified Spiiders and Pointes for the Yuma stage and Gabriel Fraboni, who added 90 x Spikies as specials for Dutch DJ Martin Garrix’s two sets in the Sahara Tent over the event’s two weekends.
The 125,000-capacity festival is one of the U.S.’s highest profile music and arts extravaganzas. It’s also one of the most in demand festivals, with 2017’s nearly 200,000 tickets selling out in three hours despite 52,000 more being available over the weekend than in 2016.
Steve Lieberman and Los Angeles based SJ Lighting has been involved in designing the Yuma Stage since it started six years ago and works in

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Germany - Fohhn Audio AG has announced a change to its supervisory board as Heinz Schwarz steps down after 16 years at the helm. He is to be succeeded by Richard Nestel.
Schwarz‘s involvement with Fohhn Audio dates back to the company’s foundation in 1993: Since that time, he has held various positions and played an influential role, for example in the area of controlling and through the introduction of an innovative manufacturing strategy.
After Fohhn’s conversion to a public limited company in 2001, Schwarz became chairman of the supervisory board alongside Winfried Baumbach and Prof. Dr. Jörg Knoblauch. He has since acted in an advisory capacity on all major strategic decisions, including the development of a successful digital strategy and the fundamental system concept that applies to all Fohhn products.
At a small in-house ceremony held in the Fohhn
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