UK - The Royal College of Music (RCM) in London was ranked the leading global institution for performing arts in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject and has prepared performers, conductors and composers for international careers for over 140 years.
Since 1901, the College’s many musical groups have performed in Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, a space that in 2009 received an extensive refurbishment that brought the listed building up to modern concert hall standards. More recently, a sustainable LED lighting rig of 48 Elation Fuze Pendant luminaires has been installed in the Concert Hall.
The Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall is the RCM’s most versatile space, accommodating up to 370 audience members and up to 120 performers on stage. Primarily used for performances by the College’s orchestras, jazz bands and RCM International Opera School, the perform

UK - Last week saw has seen the long-awaited re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery following the most extensive redevelopment in the building’s history, which began in March 2020. The redevelopment project, named ‘Inspiring People’, was designed to break down barriers and make the attraction as welcoming as possible to all visitors. HRH The Princess of Wales, Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, reopened the Gallery on Tuesday 20 June.
As projection partner to the National Portrait Gallery, Epson’s EB-PU2120W - the world’s smallest and lightest 20,000-lumen projector - is being used to help reinvigorate the visitor experience. Meanwhile, AV consultants Sysco Productions has worked together with Epson and the National Portrait Gallery as a key collaborator during the design of the spaces to help maximise the experience through audio visual technology.

South Korea - Funktion-One has announced its partnership with Gearlounge as the loudspeaker manufacturer’s exclusive distributor for Korea. The collaboration represents an important step for both companies as they work together to bring Funktion-One sound to more audiences through a range of applications, while supporting Gearlounge’s objective of re-shaping Korea’s music and audio industry landscape.
Since its inception in 2006, Gearlounge has rapidly established itself as an innovator through a commitment to meeting the technological needs of music makers and their audiences. At the core of the company’s values is the creation of an infrastructure that empowers musicians to access and utilise world class brands and products. Gearlounge offers a comprehensive range of services, including B2B and B2C sales of pro audio, MI, and home audio products, as well as studio

UK - 3LR Lighting has announced the addition of Germany-based film and television lighting brand Sumolight to its portfolio of lighting brands.
Designed and built at its headquarters in Berlin, Sumolight’s range of robust, high-output LED and laser-sourced luminaires are virtual production-ready - available to integrate with the latest techniques in film and television content creation. Its broad range of products have seen use on many recent high-profile productions, including Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Midnight Sky, House of the Dragon, The Matrix Resurrections and many more. Interest from other sectors is steadily on the rise.
Simon Evans, CEO of Sumolight UK, says: “As we see the UK film market sector grow, along with multiple other uses of our products, expansion is a natural step for the UK business. But with so many enquiries from

The Netherlands - Powersoft’s Dynamic Music Distribution (DMD) and fixed install amplifiers are powering the multi-storey building’s sound system at renowned international trading house, Van Caem Klerks Group’s head office. Located in the centre of Amsterdam, the company has built its reputation for import and export of A-branded products, namely liquor, beer, fine wines, fragrances, luxury and fast-moving consumer goods.
The trading house approached local integrator Van Brienen AV with a brief to install a sound system able to play background music and share its duties with announcements, radio and music stream on each floor and with the needs to control the volume.
“This project was unique for us,” states Harry Scheringa, senior sales at Van Brienen AV. “We had 60 Sonance speakers with excellent sound reproductions, and the perspective to combine this la

South Africa - KKNK (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees) is a festival to which families travel from all over the country to enjoy the music, drama, works of art and food and a place where the crew work hard and ‘kuier lekker’ (socialise).
While part of the magic is the spectacular setting - the blue-skied town of Oudtshoorn located in the Klein Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua mountains - a drawing card is the camaraderie amongst the technical team who work under the helm of Pieter Jan-Kapp. The festival is also a welcome injection to the economy of Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world and home to the Cango Caves.
This year’s festival took place at the start of April with Blond Productions once again appointed as the main technical supplier for most of the theatre venues, Multi-Media taking care of the main theatre (The Burgersentrum), and Nation

UK - Last month, the world’s eyes were on the spectacular ceremony celebrated at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III. For the celebration, including the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, Terry Tew Sound and Light was elected as the official audio supplier who relied on Shure gear to provide the audio throughout these historic events.
Shure equipment included 24 channels of Axient Digital Wireless System handhelds and body packs, and 255 Shure Sound Isolating Earphones. The technical team used a Shure AD600 Axient Digital Spectrum Manager, along with Shure Wireless Workbench (WWB) software, to monitor the RF spectrum on-site. Additionally, six hard wired PSM900 In-Ear Personal Monitoring Systems were used on-stage to support performers like Lionel Richie, Take That and Callum Scott.
Jonathan Edwards, Head of RF at TTSL, explains: “The scop

UK - This year saw the 50th anniversary of Tubular Bells, the landmark recording created by Mike Oldfield that was originally released in May 1973 as the first album on Virgin Records.
To celebrate, Oldfield’s creation was once again brought to life through a tour spanning over 30 venues across the UK this spring. Spearheaded by Robin Smith, Mike Oldfield’s collaborator and the musical director of the show, a live rendition of Tubular Bells was performed by an ensemble of musicians.
Show Works, a UK production company with an expertise in delivering immersive installations, musicals, tours, live streams and outdoor events, worked with the show’s organisers to deliver an audio setup featuring a DiGiCo S21 console used by FOH engineer, Sam Ferstenberg, and S31 utilised for on-stage monitoring by Sam Manigley.
Show Works' managing director, Osc

USA - When Lizard Boy, Justin Huertas’ indie-rock musical took up residence Off-Broadway at Theatre Row, sound designer Kevin Heard turned to Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, to provide a custom audio equipment package.
Produced by Prospect Theatre Company, Lizard Boy tells the story of Trevor, a young man with green scaly skin. He feels like a monster, and rarely braves the city outside his apartment. But when a powerful voice calls to him in a dream, he impulsively finds a date and begins an adventure beyond his wildest apocalyptic nightmares.
Heard’s award-winning sound design work has been heard on and off Broadway, at regional theatres all across the US, from London to Manila, and in spaces ranging from small bars and cabarets to 3,000 seat halls. He has worked as associate or assistant sou

France - The Séries Mania Festival in Lille created a global buzz a few years ago when it hosted the world premiere of the Netflix series The Rain. None of the 32 premieres showcased at the four-day festival this year had rain in their titles, but there was plenty of precipitation outside.
The inclement weather did nothing, however, to dampen the excitement at an event that Variety magazine has hailed as ‘Europe’s Premier TV Festival’. Nor did it interfere with the bright and colourful lighting that enhanced the upbeat mood at the gala and conference, which drew TV executives from 64 different countries.
Valentin Lemarquier and Freddy Ledieu, who lit the Tapis Mauve (mauve carpet) area in front of the Nouveau Siècle auditorium, where the official ceremonies and screenings took place, credits an all-weather lighting kit supplied by Public Address/S

USA - Struggling with an aging PA system, Arizona’s Surprise Stadium was looking to do a full overhaul of not only its sound quality, but the ways in which they use the PA. Already acting as homebase for the Texas Rangers’ and Kansas City Royals’ spring training, the city of Surprise was hoping to transform the stadium into a multipurpose space, fit to host corporate events, fundraisers, movie nights and more.
To implement the technology upgrade necessary to achieve this goal, and provide the required sound quality and versatility, the city turned to audio specialist Ben Davis for his expertise and guidance, as well as Sound Image Integration.
Davis’ primary areas to tackle were the outfield and the main seating area. “The main seating area was very linear,” he explains, “and the speakers in the outfield were throwing too far and splashing audio into the

USA - Hope Church recently collaborated with Diversified Systems and Harman Professional Solutions to update its sound system with a JBL Professional audio solution.
Founded in 1988, Hope Church is located in the Memphis suburb of Cordova and is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Although Hope Church already had a robust JBL VTX Series audio system in its main 5000-seat sanctuary, the church’s technical staff wondered how a different speaker configuration could benefit the worship experience with improved impact and clarity while retaining an intimate feel.
Hope Church’s audio director Tim Kanter reached out to Jeff McOlgan of Diversified Systems and - with help from the Harman Professional Applications Team -conducted a system review to see if they could improve the worship experiences with more JBL speakers. The team utilised Ease and Line Array Ca

Jordan - HoverUp, the first Drone Show Company in Jordan, in partnership with SPH Engineering, entertained audiences with drone displays during the Jordan's Royal Wedding and Independence Day celebration. Utilising a fleet of 400 drones, HoverUp set the record for the highest number of drone light shows conducted per day, captivating audiences with 2-3 shows each day.
The Abdali Drone Show, held in celebration of Jordan's Royal Wedding and Independence Day, showcased a display of synchronised movements and intricate formations. Expert drone pilots choreographed the performances using the advanced Drone Show Technology from SPH Engineering.
One of the show's standout moments was a mid-air formation representing Jordan's 77th Independence Day, the Royal Crown, Flag of Jordan, and the initials of the Crown Prince and Princess Rajwa.
"The Abdali Drone Show surpasse

Greece - ETC’s automated luminaires and entertainment fixtures have been selected by rental company Papadimas AVL S.M.P.C for TV shows The Voice and Just the 2 of Us, as well as a recent production of the hit musical Phantom of the Opera in Athens, and Thessaloniki.
Almost 200 High End Systems moving lights feature across the productions, including Lonestar, SolaPix, SolaFrame and SolaSpot automated luminaires.
ETC’s affordable Lonestar fixtures took their Greek TV debut on talent show Just the 2 of Us, bringing their professional feature set, and quality output all wrapped up in a small package. They joined over a hundred other High End Systems moving lights as well as 50 Source Four LED Series 3 Daylight HDR profiles, all controlled by a mix of Hog 4 and Eos consoles. Series 3 continues to wow on-camera around the world, with its pat

UK - Known for its media control solutions, HIVE is a leading name in the media server market. The company has announced the relaunch of its brand with a new look, a new website and the appointment of several new staff members. The relaunch comes at a significant time, as HIVE moves into a new 3500sq.ft office space in Horsham, West Sussex, and expands its sales channels internationally.
Over the past few years, HIVE has established itself as a provider of video playback solutions, with a reputation built upon collaborations with industry players such as Panasonic on projects such as Frameless London and the National Museum of Qatar.
"The re-brand reflects the new energies coming into HIVE, and our disruptive nature will become clear as we launch our most exciting product yet, which will be coming in the upcoming weeks," states Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “We

Last Farewell - Amid much publicity, Elton John played the last UK show of his farewell tour at Glastonbury, watched by a crowd, estimated to be over 120,000 people. A record 7.3m people tuned in to watch live on BBC One, according to initial ratings. That was the biggest ever overnight audience for a Glastonbury set, the BBC said. In comparison, last year Diana Ross was the most-watched star with 3.1m and Paul McCartney's headline set was seen by 2.7m. "It's a very special and emotional night for me as it may be my last show in England, in Great Britain," said the singer.
Meltdown - Soaring temperatures forced the cancellation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - The Musical at the New Wimbledon over the weekend. As temperatures rose above 30C, the venue said its priority was to protect theatre workers. In a statement posted on social media, the theatre said

Spain - Entertainment production company Cabal Esports has acquired 126 Alfalite Modularpix Pro VP XR 1.9 LED panels with ORIM technology to broadcast virtual production content in the different gaming events in which this Spanish company provides services.
Cabal Esports offers television broadcasting services, live events, gaming and eSports. It is a pioneering production company in esports competitions and streaming entertainment with extensive experience in audiovisual production for digital and terrestrial platforms, in addition to developing esports products and managing competitions for publishers and other industry players.
Recently, Cabal Esports signed a strategic alliance with Atresmedia to jointly create CTK, an international organiser of tournaments and gaming experiences.
Cabal Esports has installed the Alfalite LEDWall in its new studio in Alcobenda

Spain - Maxi Gilbert says that he draws inspiration for his designs from opera sets. At first that may seem a bit surprising, since the Madrid-based designer has created lightshows for stars like multi-Grammy winner Alejandro Sanz, and chart-topping Manuel Carrasco. But anyone who sees his work on Carrasco’s current Corazón y Flecha tour will readily appreciate the connection.
Like opera itself, Gilbert’s design for the 30-city Spanish tour is bold, ambitious, and full of life. With its massive centre stage video wall and giant inflatable heart pierced by an arrow (16m wide for most of the tour), and 272 custom-made neon flex lights, the design, which was done with visual director Susana Martinez Allende, creates an immediate, and dramatic impression.
This sensation is accentuated by the light from 282 other lighting fixtures, projecting a vivid array of colours,

UK - London’s Gotham City-inspired Park Row ‘theatrical restaurant’ has been installed with visual infrastructure by creative projection specialist Motion Mapping, to enable the venue to host immersive events.
At the heart of the setup is a Green Hippo Hippotizer Mayon+ MK2 media server, which is driving image and video content, including for a DC Universe game launch which saw a 280-degree projection of pre-programmed custom graphics onto four surfaces that enveloped the space, using seven Optoma ZH406ST projectors.
Motion Mapping was tasked with specifying a permanent projection and video manipulation solution for the venue, and designing a touch screen GUI interface that would allow simple operation of the content via the Hippotizer Mayon+ MK2 - Green Hippo’s two HDMI output Hippotizer system designed for smaller live events and installations.
“At o

South Africa - English singer-songwriter, Calum Scott, who found fame following his 2015 appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, recently performed to a full crowd at Zevenwacht Wine Estate in Cape Town as part of his Bridges album tour, supported by local artists Craig Lucas and Werner Bekker.
The event, attended by 2000 fans, was organised by Breakout Events with Ultra Events responsible for delivering the technical solutions on the day.
“Zevenwacht Wine Estate is an interesting venue, as the front row is at stage height and the back row rises to an elevation of 8m, due to a natural slope,” explains Costa Champanis, owner of Ultra Events. “The brief was to provide great sounding audio for all guests, from the front row to the back row.”
Ultra specified a full d&b Audiotechnik system. The main PA system consisted of 12 d&b V8 mid-hi

USA - The live finals of American Idol 2023 moved to a new venue - Red Studios Hollywood - giving lighting designer Tom Sutherland of DX7 design and production designer Florian Wieder the chance to create a fresh and new look in this special space, which has embraced history and innovation in film and TV production since the early 20th century.
Tom included plenty of Robe moving lights on his lighting plot, including 137 MegaPointes, about which he states, “I would not do a show without MegaPointes.”
These were joined by 104 Robe Tetra2 moving LED battens. He also used 49 Spiider LED wash beams, together with BMFL Blade Follow Spots.
The new set was one starting point for his lighting design concept. Elegant and modern, the performance area was a distinctive diamond shape, and the overall set incorporated a host of LED sources: screens, panelling, an

Malaysia - A subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), the Zepp Hall Network has expanded with a new concert venue in Kuala Lumpur, equipped with a Nexo STM line array.
Located in the heart of the city, the new hall has a capacity of 2,414 and boasts similarly high-quality facilities as the existing Zepp Hall Network of eight performance spaces in Japan and one in Taiwan. The availability of a world-class, pre-installed sound system is central to the audience experience, while also making set ups and sound checks easy for performers, while saving costs for event organisers.
Designed in collaboration with Bertrand Billon from Nexo’s Engineering Support Team using NS-1 configuration software to ensure maximum throw efficiency and even SPL coverage, the STM system was supplied and installed by Concept Associates (KL) Sdn Bhd, a well-known distributor and

UK - With over 3000 registrations, this year’s ABTT Theatre Show at Alexandra Palace was busier than ever. The event drew a broad range of attendees at all stages of their careers alongside an ever-increasing list of exhibitors from all areas of the industry, say the organisers.
Running once again over two days, the ABTT Theatre Show gave the industry an opportunity to meet face-to-face in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. With an increase of 15% of exhibitors on the show floor, this year’s event featured over 150 brands.
The ABTT reports an 82% growth in overall visits among which was a 53% increase in students attending. The new ABTT Skills Workshops were particularly popular, tutoring over 150 attendees over the two days in a broad variety of topics. Responses from those who attended have been ‘overwhelmingly positive’.
This year, ABTT focused on you

Japan - TST Entertainment, a joint venture between Tokyo Corporation and Sony Entertainment, has taken four years to deliver a live music and club experience in the Kabukicho Tower, in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district, featuring Adamson loudspeakers across three levels.
Zepp Shinjuku operates the venue for daytime live music events. At night the multi-floor venue operates as the nightclub Zerotokyo. The design called for a lighting and sound experience that was seamless between the floors, but still respected the various needs of a live music and club environment.
Ryoichi Ishii, sales director for Adamson’s Japanese distributor Rewire, said: “It is no exaggeration to say that Zerotokyo is one of the largest nightclubs in Japan. The fact the venue services live music and a nightclub, there were many audio distribution challenges to solve.”
Adamson’s IS7Px and

Latest Issue. . .