Spectacular Opening Ceremony with L-Acoustics L-ISA & Robe

Spectacular Opening Ceremony with L-Acoustics L-ISA and Robe

Bad Ischl is European Capital of Culture 2024! The Austrian spa town holds the title on behalf of 23 cities and municipalities in the Salzkammergut region, symbolizing a “cultural place of encounter and dialogue” at the heart of Europe. The cultural year 2024 was launched with a festive open-air opening ceremony in front of the Bad Ischl Kurhaus, for which event technology provider Getec Eventtechnik built a 26-meter-wide stage. One of the reasons for the impressive dimensions: an L-ISA Hyperreal Scene System with seven arrays spanning the entire stage width.

Getec was responsible for stage construction as well as the lighting and sound technology for the opening ceremony, attended by around 5,500 spectators. “The organizers were looking for a way to dynamically position sound sources on stage,” explains Tobias Gailhofer from Getec. The decision to use an L-ISA system was also supported by the wide stage, which was designed to both highlight the Kurhaus in the background and provide enough space for the choir. “This made all the structural conditions for the L-ISA system ideal,” Gailhofer says.

The L-ISA Scene System consisted of a total of seven arrays, each made up of 6x Kara II elements, supplemented by KS28 subwoofers and 2×12 Kiva II delay systems. Pre-production for the roughly two-hour, elaborately staged show with music, dance, and performance acts began weeks in advance at SIGNAL’s studio as well as at Getec’s visualization studios. Two full days of rehearsals were held shortly before the opening. The audio team, led by system chief David “Sonny” Jarc, was supported by L-Acoustics Application Engineers Thomas Mehlhorn (system) and Christian Schmid (L-ISA mix).

“We used L-ISA for the first time in a live setting,” explains Tobias Gailhofer. “Both the artists and the various FOH engineers were thrilled by the freedom to place individual voices and instruments freely across the stage. This creates a sense of space and dynamics in the mix, requiring fewer interventions to achieve a clean and powerful overall sound.”

The lighting team, led by system chief Karl “the Kaiser” Sorger and based on a design by Anselm Fischer, also had full creative scope. The entire Kurpark area, including the Kurhaus, was used and illuminated as part of the scenic backdrop for the opening. The lighting designer had access to numerous LED floodlights and blinders, as well as a wide range of Robe moving lights: iFORTE units were used as front and key lights for the stage and for gobo projections onto the Kurhaus, MegaPointes served as backlights, ESPRITE fixtures provided broadcast-ready stage front lighting, and various Spiider, Pointe, and iPointe fixtures were placed on the stage and across the Kurhaus grounds.

Tobias Gailhofer particularly highlighted the two iFORTE FS units, which were positioned in the towers and operated as follow spots in conjunction with the remote-controlled RoboSpot tracking system—fully automated and perfectly suited for outdoor use.