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MSI Gets Shakespearean with Ian McKellan at the Annual Gala for the Harman Center for the Arts
MSI provided audio at the Building Museum for this colorful event!
See an additional article on BizBash here:
http://www.bizbash.com/washington/
Disco Shakespeare
by Carol Joynt
Sir Ian McKellen has won enough acting awards to fill a vanity room or two, but after an evening in his company it seems vanity is not in his personal quiver. For decades actors have come to Washington practically weekly, but once in the room they get shy or weary or downright reticent about the photo ops and the meet and greet. Not McKellen.
Sunday night at the annual gala for the Harman Center for the Arts, McKellen was friendly and smiling through every single hug, handshake and flash from a phone camera. During cocktails, during dinner, after dinner, all the way to the door. It’s possible he posed at least once with every person in the room. Was his good humor simply a master performance? If so, bring the man more awards. Or perhaps he was cheered to see the scantily clad disco dancers who enlivened the dinner.
Buff bare chests sprinkled with glitter, skimpy gym shorts and tight packages are not the routine at Washington galas, but lest anyone assume the hosts did a cattle call at the city’s gay bars, these dancers – young men and women – were from Harvard University, part of “The Donkey Show,” a disco-era “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” performed with a perspective and zest Shakespeare might have appreciated.
Does anyone remember Rollerena at Studio 54? You get the picture.
Interpretations of “the Bard’s most lyrical work” were the evening’s theme, which began at the Harman Center with an eclectic range of stage performances. The avant garde Synetic Theater did a lively, vivid but silent take on Puck’s “awakening,” while Tony-winning Stew – Mark Stewart and Heidi Rodewald – were moody and evocative with two selections on guitar and keyboard. Ballet West did a traditional but beautiful Pas de Deux, “The Nocturne for Oberon and Titania,” with an especially lithe Romi Beppu. The grand finale was a Zulu dance blow out from Step Afrika!
The $1000 (and up) tickets benefited the Shakespeare Theatre Company, and there were awards, of course, including the “highlight” honor, The William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre, which went to McKellen. Also honored were two of Washington’s best-known philanthropists and arts patrons, Max Berry and his late wife, Heidi Berry, a member of the company’s board. Sidney Harman presented Berry with The Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts.
In recalling their long marriage and his wife, who died earlier this year, an emotional Berry told the audience, “Truth is we picked each other up at a synagogue on Yom Kippur, and it was a great ride. We never liked being away from each other. I’d get homesick at Kennedy Airport before going away on a trip. It was that kind of relationship.” He said, “Heidi loved The Shakespeare Theatre. She worried and kvetched about it.”
From the Harman Center the almost 400 guests walked a block to the dinner at the National Building Museum. The October night was crisp and clear, in contrast to the occasion last year, which was wet and bone-chilling. They entered the cavernous building, greeted by the “Donkey” disco ensemble and a “Midsummer” fantasy where the table settings, designed by Suzanne Codi, were each an enchanting garden of herbs, branches, moss, roses, hanging votive candles, paper butterflies and picnic baskets of bread and crudite. The baskets were later returned to the tables empty so guests could help themselves to the plants, which were in effect the swag.
Social Washington of late has been on an unpredictable roller coaster. Go to one black tie event and it’s loose and nearly wild, and then go to another and it’s subdued. The mood seems to swing on the presence of younger Obama Administration staff.
The Harman Center gala was somewhere in between. Smaller than last year’s, and less lively, but maybe that was the Sunday night factor. The work week is hard here, and understandably so. Actually, the work week never ends. There was only one Administration official at the party: Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney. So, thank goodness for the bright and generous Sir Ian McKellen, prompting one unmarried female guest to ask, “Why are all the good men gay?” A question to be answered anon ... |
Maryland Sound (MSI) Powers The Sound Of Change At Historic Presidential Inauguration With Crown Amplifiers
January 21, 2009 - For Immediate Release
ELKHART, Indiana – In a show of powered sound for one of the most watched events in history, Crown amplifiers were utilized by Baltimore-based Maryland Sound Industries (MSI) at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20th, in Washington D.C. The event drew the largest civic-event audience ever served by an outdoor sound reinforcement system in the United States, with a crowd of as many as two million people.
Baltzell Audio Design designed the audio system and MSI, led by President Bob Goldstein supplied the Crown I-Tech amplifiers for the massive sound system at the event, powering a large number of JBL VerTec line array towers, which are dispersed throughout the Capitol End mall area. The I-Tech amplifiers feature advanced DSP processing which allows for additional tuning of the JBL line arrays. With a built-in LCD screen on the front panel, basic features and amplifier status can be accessed from the amplifier’s location. Additionally, the added convenience of Harman HiQnet™ System Architect™ control and management interface allows a front of house or monitor engineer to easily monitor an amplifier’s status from their location.
Pat Baltzell of Baltzell Audio Design feels the features of the I-Techs give the flexibility needed in this type of challenging outdoor environment. “It made it possible to run System Architect and actually make subtle adjustments in the amps; each 14-box speaker column was divided into three zones, but to get even better resolution, you have the ability to go directly into the amps and put in filters to make subtle high-frequency adjustments in the amp that we would not have been able to do previously,” stated Baltzell.
“One of the biggest challenges we faced was the high frequency. We tried to manage this by boosting the top cabinets in a way that would not affect the near field. Having the fine resolution of I-Tech with DSP in the amps takes us to another level of fine control,” added Baltzell.
“We are extremely pleased with the assortment of tools that Harman provides us. From the superb JBL VERTEC line arrays to Crown amplifiers and Studer and Soundcraft counsels and other products. We are able to achieve the highest fidelity sound possible and vastly superior to that which was available only a few years ago. Given the harsh environmental conditions we were working in which has brought sub zero temperatures and lots of precipitation the equipment worked flawlessly with no failures,” stated Goldstein.
The amplifiers powered JBL VerTec line arrays with up to 14 VT4889 large-format line array speakers in each tower. JBL VP315DP, VRX932, and Control 25AV speakers were also utilizied for the swearing-in ceremony, president’s speech, and performances by major music artists. Baltzell stated, “VerTec has a little more total output per box than competitors; because the boxes have three compression drivers instead of two, you get extra output, which is important for an outdoor application like this.”
Harman HiQnet™ is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Crown is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com). Harman International designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, and maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, employing more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”
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For additional information, contact:
Philip Weiss
Griffin Integrated Communications
(212) 481-3456 Ext. 23
pweiss@griffinpr.com |
MSI Delivers Broadcast Friendly Distribution at a Democratic Primary Debate in Philadelphia
When ABC news needed a broadcast-friendly distributed audio system, they knew who to call - Maryland Sound International. Our elegant system was comprised of over 150 JBL Control 25 speakers, and overseen by audio engineer Eric Friedlander.
By using a digitally controlled and actively monitored multi-zone system, MSI was able to spread crystal clear audio evenly throughout the entire venue - without a trace of undesirable 'room-noise' in the highly sensitive broadcast mix.
Not only was the sound heard cleary throughout the 350 seat Kimmel Theatre, but the system itself was nearly invisible, and therefore perfect for any camera angle in the intimate venue. In addition to the speaker system, MSI provided a Yamaha PM5D-RH for the live mix, crown iTech amplification, and a proprietary 3-way transformer isolated splitter to feed the venue and the broadcast truck.
MSI currently has 4 lightly used Yamaha PM5D -RH's avalable for sale! Contact martha@msihc.com if you are interested!
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MSI gets the job done at the "Apple Awards"
Maryland Sound International was given the opportunity to provide live sound production services at the National Education Association Foundation's annual gala, the Apple Awards.
This is the time each year when the NEAF gets together to honor the finest teachers of the our nation.
The event was held at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
MSI made sure the presenters and honorees sounded sharp with a JBL VerTec 4887A line array system, powered by Crown ITech amplifiers. The event was mixed on a Yamaha DM2000 digital mixer.
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MSI Hiring!
Audio Engineer: Plan/prepare live audio events. Evaluate psychoacoustics & acoustics of venues, design/implement stage monitoring systems, solve problems for stage audio environment. 4 yrs. exp. req'd. Resumes (no calls) to Maryland Sound International, 4900 Wetheredsville Road , Baltimore , MD 21207 , ATTN: R. Goldstein |
MSI Congratulates Cal Ripken on Baseball Hall of Fame Induction!
Maryland Sound was proud to provide our pole system for this historic event.
See if you can pick out our poles in these photos!
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In memory of Randy Siegmeister
1956-2005 Mr. Siegmeister was born in Pensacola, Fla., and raised in Pikesville. He was a maternal grandson of Isaac and Dora Silber, who founded Silber's Bakery in Baltimore in 1905.
Mr. Siegmeister's interest in music began in his childhood as a 1974 graduate of Pikesville High School where he was also a quarterback on the school's football team.
He attended the Baltimore International School of the Culinary Arts and the Rochester Conservatory of Music, and after deciding not to pursue a career as a professional musician, became a sound engineer in 1980 for Maryland Sound International Holding Co. in Dickeyville.
"We grew up with music and always had a piano at home. Randy played drums, piano, bass guitar and was a composer, and during high school played with a trio," said his brother, Mark K. Siegmeister, a professional musician who lives in Welches, Oregon.
"I remember Randy watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and they became a big influence and the template for the way he thought music should sound. Also, he had an ear and a sensitivity for good, quality music. In his work, he approached his job not as a technician, but a musician," he said.
Outside of the six years when he worked for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2003, Mr. Siegmeister spent the majority of his career with Maryland Sound International Holding Co.
"I've known Randy for close to 30 years, and he is a wonderful human being. He was smart and made friends easily," said Bob Goldstein, president and owner of Maryland Sound International Holding Co.
"He was a level-headed guy who knew what sounded good and what doesn't. He could conceive and design sound systems from scratch in his head to meet the clients' needs. Whatever they wanted, he could do."
For years, he mixed music at the annual Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards television show.
He also mixed sound for many artists represented by Sony Music International, where he was a consultant.
Mr. Siegmeister worked closely for years with Daryl Hall and John Oates, Juice Newton, Anita Baker, Mariah Carey and such groups as Tears for Fears, Crack the Sky and Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
During his career, he also had been associated with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Ann Murray, Michael Bolton, Kenny G and Waylon Jennings.
"He always focused on the task at hand, and was never shaken by celebrities. Surrounded by chaos and egos, he was always the calm in the storm," his brother said. "And he made [it] understood that he was giving them everything he could, within limits."
"He had a huge reputation in the business, and that's why I hired him to work with such budding clients as Mariah Carey, and he did a great job. With the major stars, he was one of the three engineers they preferred to work with," said Bill Beatty, former senior vice president for Sony Music International, who is now a consultant.
One of Mr. Siegmeister's clients who had a reputation for firing sound engineers with great regularity was Anita Baker, whom he won over not only with his technical abilities and personality, but with his refusal to put up with her criticism, his brother said. "He quit a few times but always came back because she loved the way he mixed her music."
"He could coddle difficult and temperamental celebrities, and they respected his work. He was able to kick back and get along with them. Even though he knew these people, he was a very modest man," said his wife of nine years, the former Margaret Csobaji.
A highlight of his career was handling the sound for the inaugurations of presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and working special events at the White House.
"When he was setting up the sound for Reagan's inauguration in 1980, something happened and Randy was tackled by several Secret Service agents," his wife said, laughing.
Mr. Siegmeister, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six years ago, kept working until two months before his death.
"He just looked forward to the next treatment and did everything he could do to fight [the disease]. He never complained and refused to give in to it," his wife said. "Even though music was a big part of Randy's life, the last 10 years when he had a family, that became the most important thing and brought him great happiness."
Mr. Siegmeister was an avid skier, golfer and photographer.
In addition to his wife and brother, he is also survived by a son, Samuel S. Siegmeister, 8; a daughter, Sydney P. Siegmeister, 6; his father and stepmother, Bob and Carol Siegmeister of Pikesville; his mother and stepfather, Evelyn and Stan Krohn of Baltimore; a sister, Laura S. Applestein of Columbia; and several nieces and a nephew.
Make a donation:
Hospice of Baltimore
Attn: Development Office
6601 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21204
https://www.gbmc.org/hospice/contributions/index.cfm |
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