Expanding the successful Broadway Master Classes brand, Live Design will launch its first ever Concert Master Classes on December 11& 12, 2010 at CenterStaging in Los Angeles. Jeff Ravitz of Visual Terrain and legendary lighting designer best known for his longtime collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, will serve as creative consultant.
"We're finally at the point in the evolution of concert lighting design where there is a generation of those who pioneered the industry that can pass knowledge, experience, and the tools of the trade to the next generation,” says Ravitz. “The funny thing is that the next generation has as much to teach the old-timers. That's what excites me the most about the forum we'll have at the Concert Master Classes. It will be as electric as eclectic."
This intensive two-day course will cover both lighting and projection for the concert stage, with confirmed speakers to date including Butch Allen, Marc Brickman, Bob Bonniol , Justin Collie, Patrick Dierson Anne Militello, and Peter Morse, plus Jim Moody and Paul Dexter, authors of Concert Lighting, Third Edition,Techniques, Art and Business (both authors will sign copies of the books during the classes).
“We have been covering concert lighting since the early days of moving lights, back in the 1980s, first in the pages of Lighting Dimensions, and now as a major component of Live Design,” says David Johnson, publisher of Live Design. “We are very excited to expand the Master Classes concept to embrace the work of concert design, and Los Angeles seems to be the perfect place to launch this event. We are thrilled to have Jeff Ravitz as the creative consultant to help formulate the curriculum and line up a faculty of top designers and industry pros.”
The Concert Master Classes will be held at CenterStaging, a SoundCheck LA Company, the leading rehearsal facility specializing in production and tech support for television and live performances. Known for its state-of-the-art rehearsal and recording studios, massive soundstage and extensive range of musical instruments, CenterStaging’s backline gear is used on practically every major television show as well as numerous tours, concerts and live events. CenterStaging is owned by Mitch Clark, Ben Jumper and Scott Scovill. Michael Anderson is the general manager.
Structured along the lines of the Broadway Master Classes, held annually in New York in May, the Concert Master Classes will feature a variety of sessions headed up by top designers in the field, as well as an extended manufacturer’s showcase on Saturday and Sunday during the breakfast and lunch periods.
“This is an ideal opportunity for sponsoring companies to showcase their products in front of both established and aspiring designers in an intimate, boutique setting,” says Johnson, who points out that there are joint sponsorship packages available for the Concert Master Classes and the successful Projection Master Classes @LDI2010, to be held in Las Vegas on October 20 and 21. For sponsorship information please contact David Johnson at [email protected]
Information about the Concert Master Classes program and schedule will be online at www.livedesignonline.com. Registration is scheduled to open as of Monday, August 2, by which time a detailed schedule for the CMC will be posted.
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Dancing In The Dark : Jeff Ravitz On Lighting Bruce Sprinsteen for 20 Years
Jeff Ravitz on Bruce Springsteen's 2007-2008 Tour