ArtsQuest Gears Up with DiGiCo SD12

January 15, 2018

In the midst of the revitalizing Lehigh Valley, ArtsQuest is bringing arts, cultural, and educational programs to local residents and visitors alike.

Based on the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (built in 2011 on the grounds of an old steel mill), ArtsQuest offers outdoor events in the shadow of these historic blast furnaces, under the name of Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks.

Assistant Production Manager Michael Liiro oversees events at both indoor and outdoor venues: "Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks is a nonprofit community organization that presents 50 free concerts each summer as part of the Levitt Summer Concert Series", he tells us."The concerts take place at the Levitt Pavilion nestled at the base of the iconic Bethlehem blast furnaces on the SteelStacks arts and culture campus."

"Levitt Pavilion has presented more than 400 free concerts since its opening," he continues. "The Levitt Pavilion here in Bethlehem is part of a growing family of Levitt venues and concert sites across America presenting free outdoor concerts."

Originally equipped with Digidesign VENUE Profiles, Liiro quickly saw the growing demands of these events requiring an upgrade to a more flexible console. After consulting with Tim Brown of Dale Pro Audio and DiGiCo's team,  two SD12 Digital Console Systems were selected. With one of the consoles set for front-of-house and the other for monitors, they chose appropriate D2 racks for handling their I/O requirements.

Shortly after taking delivery of these items, we took a trip out to SteelStacks to see for ourselves and to accompany our valued partners at Group One Limited (DiGiCo's US distributor and representative). Group One's resident SD expert Matt Larson was on hand to train the ArtsQuest audio staff on the console, giving them an all-day session of tips, tricks, and a wealth of other useful information regarding the SD Series.

The day's training was held inside of the Musikfest Café section of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. With an awe-inspiring, birds-eye view of the historic Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnaces, the past and present converge in this music lover's paradise, where stars like John Oliver, David Crosby, and Norah Jones have graced the stage. At night this venue is truly special, with its floor to ceiling windows that look out onto the beautifully lit blast furnaces. Sponsored by Yuengling, the Musikfest Café can accommodate over 400 guests for a seated event.

ArtsQuest's Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan weighed in after the day's activities: “We’re thrilled to begin our partnership with Dale Pro & Group One through acquiring the DiGiCo consoles which open up great opportunities for ArtsQuest’s production team here at SteelStacks. We look forward to working on future projects.”

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