“Les Choristes 2000,” an ambitious production presented by conductor Jacky Locks featuring a live band, orchestra and solo vocalists supported by a choir of 2,000 voices, was recently presented in three performances at the 12,000-plus-capacity Galaxie arena in northeast France supported by a main reinforcement system headed by CODA Audio loudspeakers provided and supported by production specialists Lagoona and Dushow.
The task of dealing with the front of house sound was the responsibility of engineer Philippe Barguirdjian. Philippe, who has previously worked on numerous large-scale productions throughout the world. Working closely with Locks, he designed a system emphasizing high degree of intelligibility utilizing ViRAY and N-RAY line arrays.
“The system is plug and play. It’s really a ‘no EQ’ system except for a low cut,” Barguirdjian says. “The main challenge here is intelligibility. In the tutti sections, the choir acts as the main singer but each voice section has different lyrics that should all be perfectly heard in the audience. To achieve this the PA should deliver high quality on all of the audio spectrum, with precise, beautiful mids and highs, with no distortion. I’ve had the chance to work with all the top class pro audio systems in the world, and to me ViRAY and N-RAY are the best.”
The show included more than 150 sound sources, with a total of 120 microphones on the choir alone. With the ViRAY and N-RAY elements complemented by CODA SC2-F Sensor Controlled subwoofers, the low end provided a controlled and stable platform that allowed the rhythm section to remain crisp and clear.
Engineer Cyril Borri, who also worked on the show, notes, “With this system, you have really great control of the lows and great restitution of the highs — it’s really natural. Of course, it’s not just a musical show, it’s a visual show as well, so another thing that’s really great with this system is its compact nature. It does not interrupt the view for the audience.”
The system, covering 4,500 available seats, comprised 24 ViRAY units in the center and 38 N-RAY loudspeakers divided between center and outfill duties, with a dozen SC2-F subs completing the front of house picture. In addition, 18 HOPS5 (high output point source) and 10 CUE TWO floor wedges delivered stage monitoring to the army of performers.
“I was very surprised!” Locks says of the system. “It’s a big step forward compared to two years ago when we last did the concert, and I noticed it in different ways. There is much more ‘humanity’ in the sound, it seems less aggressive in such a big hall — almost acoustic but also much more powerful!”
David Webster, global director of sales and marketing for CODA Audio, concludes, “I can only describe this as a truly sensational show. With so many elements to the production, everything had to be absolutely spot on, and it certainly was. It was a privilege to witness Philippe in action — he’s handled some huge shows working with Jean Michel Jarre and this must have been right up there in terms of overcoming challenges. Having more than a hundred microphones on the choir was always going to provide a thorough examination of resistance to feedback, the system passed with flying colors. We’re very proud to have been involved with our rental partners on such an extraordinary show.”
