BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯On two separate occasions in early winter, Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. (YCAS) held product seminars for audio consultants, and an AV Summit for rental houses and end users highlighting small to mid-scale audio solutions that deliver high-output quality performance, versatility and value. more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯Well, the results are in, but we knew it all along. 35,000 readers of Live Sound Magazine and ProSoundWeb have spoken. The Yamaha PM5D digital audio console was selected in the First Annual Readers’ Choice Product Awards as the winner in the Digital Large Format Console category. more

BUENA PARK-⎯Now in its third year, Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. and Yamaha Corporation of America, along with Elation Lighting, Shure and Media Shout will sponsor two Worship Arts Technology Summits (WATS) in February. The first will be held in conjunction with Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, Maryland, February 2-4. The second will be held at the Lifeway Ridgecrest Conference Center, Ridgecrest, North Carolina, February 15-17. more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯Portable Church Industries (PCI) recently designed several portable AV systems for the NorthRidge Church in Saline, Michigan for space they are renting at a local public high school. The main campus, located in Plymouth, has a congregation of over 11,000, and in order to meet the needs of their growing community NorthRidge Church needed to take on additional space. The church called upon PCI to custom design portable systems for the rented facility. For over fifteen years, PCI has custom-designed portable church solutions, and the company’s president; Peter van der Harst said the systems required for NorthRidge Church were quite substantial. Initial conversations began in October of 2008, followed by the design and production in May of 2009 with delivery in August. more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯The Young Americans teach music, dance and performance to young people throughout the world. The organization, founded in 1962, is a non-profit corporation and number more than 250 college age performers from nearly 40 states and seven countries with one agenda, to keep music alive in schools. Each fall, new cast members move to The Young Americans’ home in Southern California where they spend one year studying, training and performing in preparation for The Young Americans’ International Music Outreach tours. They attend college level classes in subjects such as Music Theory, Voice/Choral Techniques, Dance and Stage Craft. They also receive training in Teaching Methods, Child and Adolescent Development, and other subjects that prepare them to work with school age students. more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯With sound design by Brian Ronan, the Berkeley (CA) Repertory’s 600-seat Roda Theatre hosted the world premiere of Green Day’s production adaptation of American Idiot. The show sold out its original run and continued to break records as the top grossing show in the Theatre’s 41-year history.

Green Day won two Grammys – Best Rock Album and Record of the Year – for its multi-platinum CD, American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. The band brought the explosive album to the stage with Tony Award- winner Michael Mayer, director of Spring Awakening. American Idiot follows working-class characters from the San Francisco Bay Area suburbs to the city and on to the Middle East. The production, which is headed for Broadway, includes every song from the album, as well as several more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯The internationally-acclaimed, Tony® Award-winning Old Globe in San Diego, California is one of the most renowned regional theatres in the country and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over 70 years. The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 plays and musicals on its three stages, and has become a gathering place for leading theatre artists from around the world. Currently hosting the hit play SAMMY based upon the life of legendary crooner, Sammy Davis, Jr., the production’s sound was designed by John Shivers and David Patridge. more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter John Legend recently performed for an audience of 5,500 at the Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of Northwestern University supported by Gand Concert Sound, providing the audio and SCS Productions, providing the lighting and staging. The event, produced by A&O Productions, was held to celebrate the inauguration of new Northwestern president, Morton Schapiro and also featured Northwestern-affiliated performers. It was the first time in four years that a concert had been held in the venue. more

BUENA PARK, Calif.⎯Set on the Barrington (Illinois) High School football field in late September, musical act Smash Mouth participated in a teen motivational event that culminated in a performance in front of a crowd of 3,000. The Barrington School District is strongly committed to building children’s social, emotional and academic competencies, and this particular event was organized by a mental awareness coalition that included members of the Barrington School District, teens, parents, and community leaders. more

DETROIT, Michigan⎯Thunder Audio recently installed sound systems at three Cedar Creek Church locations in Ohio beginning with the Perrysburg campus followed by the Whitehouse and Toledo satellite locations. Thunder received an install ‘assist’ from Prodigy Music at the Perrysburg and Toledo sites. more