The show is a spin-off of the 52-year-old Eurovision Song Contest, produced by the European Broadcast Union (EBU). It is hosted by the public service broadcaster of the host country, which this year was NTU in Kiev. The show is the biggest song contest in the world for performers aged 10 to 15, who must each compose their own music and lyrics.
The theme of this year's show was Tree of Life, based on the artwork of Ukrainian folk art painter Maria Primachenko. Lighting designer Per Sundin created the lighting scheme using a wide array of colour and effects to compliment the theme.
Twenty-two Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500 fixtures were the show-stoppers, with 18 placed at the back of the stage at a 7m trim height. "We kept the fixtures a bit low," explains Sundin, "because we really wanted them to be visible and deliver a high impact. I used them in every song." Another four fixtures were hung underneath the followspot bus stop over the audience. "They absolutely blew us all away," said production manager Ola Melzig.
All lighting equipment was supplied by Zinteco Design in Kiev. Olga Kushpitovska, co-owner of Zinteco and local production manager for the show said, "All the warmest words about how happy we were working on this production, how good it was to see the team again and how bright were the Beams. I was very happy over the mutual efforts to put Clay Paky into the equipment list. They made all the difference in the world."
At the end of the evening, The Netherlands took top honours with Ralf Mackenbach singing his song Click Clack and earning 121 points. 14-year-old Ralf Mackenbach is the oldest contest winner in the show's history. Next year the show will be held in Minsk, Belarus.
(Jim Evans)
