Royal Albert Hall Invests in Robe BMFL Spots

01/05/2015

(01/05/2015) London's iconic Royal Albert Hall is the first live performance venue in the UK to invest in Robe's BMFL Spot moving light, with a purchase of 17 fixtures for its in-house lighting rig.

The decision was taken by the Hall's Senior Technical Manager, Ollie Jeffery, and the venue's award-winning Lighting Design and Systems Manager, Richard Rhys Thomas. The units were delivered by Robe UK in conjunction with TSL Lighting where the process was co-ordinated by Ashley Lewis, Robe UK's Key Account Manager for Touring, TV, Theatre & Film.

The Hall stages approximately 400 performances per year in the main auditorium, which has a capacity of over 5,000 (variable according to configuration) and is known for its splendid environment and famous organ, built in 1871 and comprising 9,999 pipes.

In addition, there are about 400 events in other spaces around the building, encompassing all types of performance from comedy and cabaret to world music, education workshops and storytelling sessions for children.

It is one of the busiest - and most prestigious performance spaces in Europe, and the hectic schedule keeps Ollie and his technical team of 16 fully energised all year round.

Ollie said: 2015 is a significant year for us. We are investing in over �400,000-worth of technical developments throughout the building: including re-building our stage, and installing a new riser system and new orchestral chairs.

The purchase of the new BMFL is the start of a five-year replacement programme for lighting, which will see us update some of the older units. It is important that we have the most up-to-date technology for the vibrant and diverse selection of incoming productions choosing to use the in-house facilities. Keeping abreast of the latest technologies, and the desire to offer flexible world-class solutions to clients, were both major factors in the BMFL purchase.

More recently, Richard and the lighting crew have been sub-hiring Robe fixtures regularly for an assortment of shows, so by the time they bought their own, they had plenty of experience with the brand, first hand.

Just to be sure, as it was a big decision, they also invited six independent lighting designers to assess the options and make recommendations for a high powered moving light purchase which culminated in a day of shoot-outs between all the short-listed contenders.

As a direct result of that, they decided on BMFL Spots.

Richard said he liked the brightness, the zoom range and the speed of the BMFL Spots, together with the smooth, streamlined colour-mixing and the elegant dimmer curves.

We needed a truly versatile fixture to cover for all the shows that we are asked to light ourselves, in addition to a light source that would satisfy a wide range of visiting LDs from all over the world, Richard said.

The goal is to offer the highest production values to anyone choosing to use the house systems which can be made available with or without our design services. The new BMFL Spots are helping to expand everyone's options.

One of the first seasons to use the lights was the high profile, 15th-anniversary series of Teenage Cancer Trust shows, with a star-studded line up including Stereophonics, The Who, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, and a comedy night hosted by Kevin Bridges.

Dave Farmer was brought in by Teenage Cancer Trust to co-ordinate lighting for the event.

The Mountbatten Festival of Music, programmed by Tom Young, was the first major event lit by Richard, utilising 16 x BMFLs plus 22 x Pointes and 20 x LEDBeam 100s.

Most of the venue's over-stage lighting now comprises moving lights, and they have also invested substantially in LED lighting to highlight the Hall's magnificent Victorian architecture. Their first Robe purchase in 2013, of 38 x ParFects, was to light the roof dome and the organ.

We knew from this that we could trust the reliability and build-quality of Robe, said Ollie. We are extremely excited by this purchase and hope the strong relationship we have with Robe will continue over the coming years.

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is the world's most famous stage. Last year, its breathtaking auditorium hosted 397 shows by the world's greatest artists. The magical atmosphere combined with inspired artists creates legendary events.

Opened in 1871 as part of Prince Albert's vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences, the Hall is a registered charity which operates without any public revenue funding, remaining true to his founding ambitions within a modern context. Extending the brand with almost 400 events outside the auditorium, the Hall has broadened its appeal to younger, diverse audiences whilst still engaging its existing customers. It also works with schools, young people, disadvantaged groups and partners such as Music for Youth through its Education & Outreach programme, reaching over 100,000 participants each year as part of its extensive public benefit remit.

LINK:	http://www.live-production.tv/news/products/royal-albert-hall-invests-...
	See more stories from liveproduction

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026