The solo piano performances had to be planned in meticulous detail, as the piano and audio system were set up directly in front of the international arrivals area in one of the world's busiest airport terminals. Robin Conway was project manager for Capital Sound, with the company providing all necessary equipment, crew and logistics.
"One of the key challenges of the event was that we were given specific load in and load out times to coincide with quieter moments in the terminal," says Conway. "We had to set up the equipment at 11pm the day before without any power and get as much done as possible, as power wasn't due to be given to us until 7am on the day of the event. We were then on site from 7am until 4pm and then loading out from 10:30pm."
The audio system included Capital Sound's new Meyer Mina units, eight of the compact curvilinear cabinets mounted in twos on Mobiltech ST2000 stands, using MYA-Mina frames, positioned either side of the stage. These were complemented by two Meyer UMS-1P compact subs and three UPM-1P front fills. Monitors were a choice of another UM-1P or two Sennheiser EK 2000 IEMs.
"Although she decided to use the floor monitor rather than the in-ears, with Myleene it is important to give her the choice on the day," says Conway. "We had to provide a small, tidy solution and the combination of the Mina and a DiGiCo SD11 mixing console was perfect. The configuration of the main system allowed us to fire audio down the terminal building with the outer Mina, while maintaining control of the area in front of and around the stage with the inner Mina and front-fills."
He continues, "The SD11 was ideal because it let us give the mix engineer a customised setup, allowing him access to all of the parts of the console he required from the same layer. In addition, the SD11's compact size allowed us to have a small operating position near the stage, with line of sight to Myleene but remaining out of camera shot."
The Capital Sound team also had the system set up for speeches and a click track, but in the event neither were required.
After an 8am soundcheck, Klass drew sizeable crowds with her renditions of the Chariots of Fire theme, getting Terminal 5 into the Olympic spirit.
"As news of the performance spread a large crowd gathered to watch, along with photographers from many of the national newspapers," says Conway. "It went extremely well and our client was really happy with how it looked and sounded."
(Jim Evans)
