CMC Schedule Announced

Creative consultant Jeff Ravitz has finalized the schedule for the third annual 2012 Concert Master Classes, to be held Dec. 3-4 at USC’s Ronald Tutor Center Ballroom in Los Angeles, and it features a mix of sessions focused on the aesthetic, technical, and practical issues for concert touring. This year’s faculty includes Butch Allen, Steve Cohen, Anne Militello, Marc Janowitz, Carole Dodds, Seth Jackson, and many more.

An exciting addition to this year’s classes is the chance to see Ravitz' lighting in a real-life setting. Attendees will hear Jeff and his team talk about their work on the current Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Wrecking Ball tour, and then actually see his design on display as the band performs in Anaheim, on Tuesday, December 4.

“We’re excited to be able to tie an actual concert performance to the Concert Master Classes,” says David Johnson, producer of the Concert Master Classes and publisher of Live Design. “As usual, Jeff has put together an amazing lineup of talents designers, and hope to see everyone in LA this December.”

Here is the schedule:

Monday, December 3
9:00-9:30am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:30-11am: An Overview of Concert Lighting Design. Jeff Ravitz’ highly personalized take on the state of lighting for the touring stage.

11:15-12:45pm: Lighting The Wrecking Ball: A deconstruction of the current Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour by the tour's lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, tour lighting director Todd Ricci, and programmer Jason Badger.

12:45-2:45pm: Lunch and Manufacturers Showcase: Have a nosh and check out the latest gear from Elation, AC Lighting, A.C.T Lighting, Chauvet, Christie Digital, Epic Production Technologies, GLP, High End Systems, Kinetic Lighting, Morpheus, 0energyLIGHTING, PRG, Robe, Robert Juliat, TMB/Green Hippo, Vari-Lite, and more.

2:45-4:15pm: Projection, Video & Content: Who Owns It? Pablo Molina, Tim LaValley and Carol Dodds ask and answer these questions and more: Is it lighting? Is it scenery? Where to begin in the content and screen design process? Who does it: The LD or a dedicated video/content designer? LED screens VS projection: do you design differently for each?

4:30-6pm: The Blank Page. Steve Cohen, Seth Jackson, and Butch Allen grapple with those earliest moments in the process: Where do you begin? Where do the ideas originate? Once an idea is approved, what happens next? Set design: do you design your own set? How best to collaborate with the production team and artist for creative concerns?

6-7:30pm: Networking and Cocktail Reception

Tuesday, December 4

8:30-9:00am: Registration and continental breakfast

9:00-10:30am: Programmers: The Design Perspective From Behind The Console. Steve Lieberman, Jason Badger, and Benoit Richard discuss the programmer's role and how they extend the reach of the designer.

10:45am-12:15pm: Lighting the Indie Band. Marc Janowitz, who’s made his mark as the designer of The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, TV on the Radio, Marc Janowitz, discusses his personal process and what is unique to the alternative mindset.

12:15-2:15pm: Lunch and Manufacturers Showcase: Have a nosh and check out the latest gear from Elation, AC Lighting, A.C.T Lighting, Chauvet, Christie Digital, Epic Production Technologies, GLP, High End Systems, Kinetic Lighting, Morpheus, 0energyLIGHTING, PRG, Robe, Robert Juliat, TMB/Green Hippo, Vari-Lite, and more.

2:15pm-3:45pm: Design Methodology In Concert Lighting: Anne Militello, Jeff Ravitz, Butch Allen, Steve Cohen reveal secrets, share tricks of the trade, and offer a gold mine of tips and personal design techniques.

4:00-5:30pm: Travel to Anaheim by bus for a performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Wrecking Ball tour.

6:00-7:30pm: Pre-concert talk with Jeff Ravitz.

7:30pm-1am: Concert and bus back to USC

Please note that the schedule is subject to change without notice.

Special thanks to VER for projection gear for the CMC sessions.

Still possible to register now!