Elation brings LED lighting to the new headquarters of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The Rady Shell en Jacobs Park It has LED lighting equipment Elation, composed of 55 Proteus Maximus y 36 Rayzor 760, 48 Paladin Panel y 40 Cube, 11 WW Profile HP IP 5 degree, 33 1con 9 degree y 16 con 26 degree, as well as 9 DTW Blinders 350 IP.

The new headquarters of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, located on the edge of the city bay, It has a state-of-the-art LED lighting system from Elation Professional. The Rady Shell en Jacobs Park It has a symmetrical team, designed by Jason Rothberg, that uses more than 200 IP rated luminaires .

Designed to be one of the best acoustic outdoor concert venues in the United States, The Rady Shell has a lighting system supplied by the integration company JRLX from Chicago. This has been in charge of the specification of the luminaires, advice and installation. The audiovisual solutions company Solotech was in charge of the lighting infrastructure, data distribution, audio and video.

The architectural construction carried out by Greg Mueller, from the architecture studio Tucker Sadler, a work of art in itself and the centerpiece of a newly improved public park, will highlight the city's world-class orchestra while hosting various musical acts.

Beyond an ordinary lighting system

“We wanted the design to be easy to use for touring “, says Rothberg. “super simple, clean and symmetrical, with the use of only a few types of luminaires, something that anyone could come and clone to make all kinds of shows.”

Rothberg consulted Jason Reberski, CEO of JRLX, to define the details of the lighting system solution. “Talking to Jason it was clear that this was no ordinary lighting system. The demands made were enormous.: projection distances of more than 90 metros, overcoming daylight, need to be flexible and able to achieve many different aesthetics, and all this with a one hundred percent IP65 protection rating. We worked closely with Elation and Jason to specify a package that would meet all of these objectives.”.

IP Options

Although ease of use for the lighting professionals who come to the premises was essential, the equipment had to work better for the resident symphony orchestra at the venue, which meant a lot of descending white light. With cutting heights ranging between 7,6 y 12 metros, They needed a fixture that could be wide enough in the lower cuts but remained bright enough from higher positions. Besides, being located next to the sea, humidity, the dew and the salt air, They were problems that had to be faced.

“We needed the device to have a full IP rating”, says Rothberg., and adds that they tried many possibilities. “When I joined the project, there was already 12 Proteus Maximus for the towers on the grass, but I didn't know anything about them. When investigating them, and then the rest of the Elation IP-rated line, I discovered that they had all the options we needed: Easy, wash in motion, static wash and profiles”.

The original specifications included a wash fixture, a profile and a spot fixture, But Rothberg discovered that the Maximus could do it all in a single computer. “I went from three types of fixtures to one type that could do the same and more. Besides, gave a purer white, It was brighter and had CMY. Maximus was everything we needed, in addition to having a good selection of gobos. It was really the only option.”.

Design on stage

The Rady Shell has a capacity of 10.000 personas, with terrace seating that guarantees excellent views from all seats. The scene of 13.000 square meters is covered by a canopy of concentric oval rings with an inner lining (a wire mesh roof) cut five times to expose the walkways. Here, 37 Proteus Maximus hang from five overhead electrical systems, while 12 units work from six towers (2 per tower) that go from 36,5 a 97,5 meters from the stage.

“Even in red and 90 meters away, the Maximus is very bright on stage”, explains Rothberg. “At first we thought of using them as monitoring points from the lighting towers, but we discovered that the first position of the catwalk was the perfect angle. We get a tight beam of light with practically no dispersion from that position”.

The six towers that surround the site also house 36 compact projectors Paladin Cube RGBW, 6 luminaires per tower, that illuminate them from within. It is an eye-catching spectacle that adds to the feeling of immersion and amplifies the overall beauty of the space..

In addition to the Maximus luminaires in the five electrical ceiling systems there are 34 IP65 rated wash and special effects lights Proteus Rayzor 760. “We use them as wash lights or as pixel effects and we can access SparkLed technology to get glow effects for a special look”, explains Rothberg. “Your position in the rig, following the curve of the roof, looks very good”.

Los Paladin Panels, outdoor spotlights with 50 RGBW cells 15 watts, They work from electricity 2-5 for the orchestra light wash, while doubling as strobe lights for other shows.

Providing front light from the first three walkways, as well as from the first two towers, son WW Profile HP IP, High power LED ellipsoidal. Ten luminaires in the towers are equipped with lenses of 5 degrees, while 32 stage lights use lenses 19 o 26 degrees. Finally, 9 blinding DTW Blinders 350 IP variable white LED 2 lights work from under the stage. The equipment can not only cover a wide range of musical genres, regardless of who enlarges their stage, but the lighting system is entirely LED, which means that the premises are saving on energy, maintenance and dispensable costs, like light bulbs, compared to traditional halogen lamp equipment.

High levels of demand

Rothberg acknowledges that some challenges had to be overcome, For example, lighting angles that required custom self-leveling hangers. However, The COVID downtime gave them enough time to find solutions and, finally, A system was achieved in accordance with the high artistic and functional standards of The Rady Shell. “With Elation we were able to double the number of luminaires while maintaining quality, performance and luminosity. It is a team that the Symphony will benefit from for years to come.”, concludes Rothberg.

The San Diego Symphony performs in two venues, he Copley Symphony Hall in downtown San Diego and the Rady Shell in Jacob's Park. The Symphony’s opening weekend at The Rady Shell at Jacob’s Park is scheduled from 6 al 8 of August, with an inaugural season of concerts that will run until 14 November and which will feature musical talents such as Smokey Robinson, Yo-Yo Ma, Brian Wilson, the musical director of the Symphony, Rafael Payare, and many others.

Elation Equipment:

• 55 Proteus Maximus y 36 Rayzor 760.
• 48 Paladin Panel y 40 Cube.
• 11 WW Profile HP IP con 5 degree, 33 con 19 degree y 16 con 26 degree.
• 9 DTW Blinders 350 IP.