Ranked as the largest arts event in Georgia, the 17-day Savannah Music Festival now attracts music and arts fans from Europe as well across the US. The 2018 event marked the fourth consecutive year all amplified music venues – featuring a mix of jazz, ethnic and American roots styles – were equipped with systems from Meyer Sound.
‘Because of all the different styles of music we present, we needed versatile systems that work for any musical genre,’ says Rob Gibson, the festival’s executive and artistic director. ‘Once we started working with Meyer Sound, everybody got completely spoiled by the quality of what they heard.’
‘To me, the main benefit of Meyer Sound is the transparency,’ explains Chief Sound Engineer Chris Evans. ‘What we put in is what we get out, with no colouration from the boxes. That’s particularly true of the Leo Family, which for me has been a real game-changer. You can try to explain the difference, but you really have to hear it, and when you do you’ll notice the difference immediately.’
For the outdoor finalé in Savannah’s hillside Trustees Garden, the main stage was flanked by main arrays of 12 Lyon line array loudspeakers with bass support from nine 1100-LFC low frequency control elements deployed as three cardioid arrays. UPJ-1P loudspeakers served as front fill with artist foldback supplied by MJF-212A stage monitors.
Leo Family speakers also was at work indoors throughout the festival, with the system in the Lucas Theater anchored by 16 Leopard line array loudspeakers with lows augmented by four 900-LFC elements. A system of M’elodie line arrays graced the Trustees Theater, point-source systems based around UPQ-1P served up sounds at Ships of the Sea and Morris Center, and JM-1P loudspeakers amplified all acts performing at the outdoor second stage.
Classical music concerts, normally not amplified, are another key attraction of the Savannah Music Festival. This year’s featured performers, selected under the direction of noted violinist Daniel Hope, included Murray Perahia, Robert McDuffie, Pinchas Zukerman and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Launched in 1989 as the Savannah OnStage International Arts Festival, the annual springtime event has grown to become a musical celebration with a particular focus on American and acoustic styles. More than 100 performances are scheduled for each festival, and the annual operating budget has grown to more than US$3.4.
More: www.meyersound.com
