The permanent ETC equipment has now helped light one of the most prestigious platforms for the nation's top talent, the 9th China Arts Festival, for which Guangzhou was the headlining venue.
When the £130m (155m) facilities debuted in May, the lighting control was from two ETC Eos control desks; Eos Client software (for remote console programming); and multiple ETC Net3 Gateways for full ACN networked functionality.
ETC's Eos product manager Anne Valentino says,"The Eos control system has rapidly established itself as the leading control choice for opera, theatre and ballet institutions around the world. It was specifically engineered for the demands of such productions, with full backup, partitioned control and multiple points of user interaction. Its straightforward but powerful user interface is designed to accommodate the programming needs of the most complex lighting rigs, with tools designed for the lighting programmer, lighting designer, assistant lighting designer and production electricians - all of whom have different needs."
"ETC's lighting products and systems match the ambitions of this new world class facility," adds ETC Asia general manager Wynne Cheung. "ETC's control technologies will not only handle the most complex multimedia effects, they will meet the artistic needs of the broad range of productions that will be staged at the venue."
Located in China's third largest city, the Guangzhou Opera complex is futuristic in its architecture and theatre technology. The two part structure, composed of the 1,800 seat Grand Theatre and an adjoining 400 seat multipurpose hall, rises as a powerful new symbol from the banks of the Pearl River. Designed by award winning architect Zaha Hadid, the 42,000sq.m complex aspires not only to be an icon for Guangzhou's new Zhu Jiang business district but for China's rising cultural status.
The Grand Theatre's permanent lighting rig also includes 360 ETC fixtures: 220 ETC Source Four luminaires (a mix of 5°, 10°, 14°, 19° and 26° fixed focus spotlights and 15-30° range zoom spotlights), as well as 140 Source Four Revolution automated fixtures. Fifteen ETC Sensor+ racks installed with a total of 986 5kW dimmers, 24 10kW dimmers and 406 5kW relays manage all stage dimming.
Houselights and worklights are controlled by an extensive ETC Unison architectural system with touchscreen-control wall stations and portable stations.
Guangzhou Opera's multifunction hall also runs off an ETC networked system, employing a pair of ETC Congo desks, Congo Client software and ETC Net3 two port gateways.
The multifunction hall's lighting rig, with a broad mix of fixtures from leading manufacturers, includes 16 Source Four 25°-50° Zoom spotlights as well as eight Source Four Revolution moving lights. Here too, ETC's Sensor+ dimmer racks with advanced feature functionality are the workhorses behind the theatre dimming. Meanwhile, ETC's Unison architectural control with a convenient variety of control-station interfaces regulates the houselights and worklights in the facility.
The Guangzhou Opera project was supplied and installed by ETC's distributor in China, Hangzhou Yidashi Lighting Equipment Co. Commissioning and turn-on were carried out by Yidashi's technical manager Mr Wu Jian Wei.
(Jim Evans)