In the autumn of 2023, Det Musiske Hus, a notable cultural venue in the northern Danish city of Frederikshavn, initiated a project to improve its conventional front and house lighting systems. 

Seeking to enhance both the technical capabilities and the overall atmosphere of the space, the venue opted to install FUZE PROFILE automated framing moving heads and FUZE PENDANT downlights, both cutting-edge luminaires from Elation that offer a full-color spectrum and high CRI. 

The upgrade, driven by the need for improved safety, greater flexibility, and expanded creative lighting possibilities for its diverse events, comes as Det Musiske Hus celebrates 20 years as a multifunctional event space. The venue’s largest hall hosts concerts, theater performances, stand-up shows, business meetings, and conferences for seated and standing audiences of up to 900. 

Two projects in one

Morten Sønderskov, COO of Arena Nord, the cultural center that runs the venue, spearheaded the lighting overhaul alongside Dennis Juul, the venue’s chief lighting technician. The project began as part of a dual effort to resolve a long-standing concern with the venue's front lighting, and the inability to procure bulbs for the venue’s house lights.

“The project was actually two wish list projects that merged into one larger project,” Sønderskov explained. “Our front lights posed significant safety challenges because of their height and accessibility. With the venue’s ability to switch between standing and seated configurations, we had difficulties reaching the lights safely using ladders. It was therefore important to find a solution that had the ability to remote control the front lights. That would also allow us to position the front lights higher up and closer to the ceiling.”

Lighting evaluation

The ability to focus the front light via a lighting console was vital, but other factors such as quietness, output, high color rendering, and framing shutters were also important. Sønderskov and Berthelsen began the search process by contacting their suppliers for recommendations, including Elation’s Danish partner LiteNordic, before borrowing several fixtures to make their evaluation. 

“We knew the fixtures would hang just above the heads of our audience, so we had concerns about noise level,” Sønderskov explains. “That eliminated several products. We eventually narrowed it down to three products and then did our own shootout, and that sold us.”  

FUZE PROFILE

After extensive testing and a careful selection process, the team chose Elation’s FUZE PROFILE for its combination of light quality, color, low noise, and framing shutters, all while having the ability to remote control. Eight fixtures were installed in the large hall to serve as front lights, replacing conventional white-light ellipsoidals and allowing the venue to control light focus, color, and shuttering remotely.

“The ability to remote control the fixture is a huge benefit,” Sønderskov said. “We can now set the lighting bar at a better height and use the shutter blades to cut out elements of the stage that we want people to focus on. Also having the ability to change colors is great. We can be a lot more creative and it’s a much faster process.”

Used as more than just front light, the lighting team has found ways to bring them more into the creative process. Sønderskov comments, “For example, if we’re using 3 or 4 FUZE PROFILEs to spot something out, we still have spare lights we can use for decoration on side walls with color or gobo pattern. That’s a huge benefit. We’re finding new ways to use them all the time.” 

House lighting update

In addition to replacing front lights in the large hall, Det Musiske Hus addressed a critical need to update its house lights, as the old system’s bulbs were being phased out. When Jimmy Thinggaard Sørensen from LiteNordic suggested he bring a FUZE PENDANT downlight along to the lighting evaluation, the venue’s lighting team was eager to take a look.  

“We brought the FUZE PENDANT into the project and went through the same process as before, where we brought some comparable fixtures in and did comparative tests,” Sønderskov said, adding that noise level was a very important factor along with light output. “Again, it fell in favor of Elation and we chose 34 FUZE PENDANTs to replace the old system.” 

Installed in the ceiling above the audience and the stage, the new LED fixtures provide powerful white and colored lighting, suitable for entrance and basic work lighting applications and for setting the mood during events.

“The FUZE PENDANTs have a full-color spectrum LED engine [RGBWL], which allows us to do so much more creatively,” Sønderskov says. “We’ve done a couple of shows and corporate events where we take some of the lights closer to the walls and match the corporate event or logo color, or whatever is happening on stage, then take the middle lights on white to create a great atmosphere in the room.” He mentions that previously, their only option was to dim white lights.

Other possibilities

Because the FUZE PENDANTs are also mounted above the stage and backstage, Sønderskov says they have also started to use them for backstage blue lights. “With a lot of the shows, the fixtures are behind the backdrop and out of sight of the audience, so we use them as blue lights which is also a great plus.”

The fixtures also offer a refined dimming curve, which has proven particularly beneficial during stand-up performances where subtle lighting enhances audience interaction. “Having a fixture that can dim very low and give just a bit of luminance is nice. Again, we can do that with just a few fixtures.”

Sønderskov adds that with full support for the industry-standard streaming sACN protocol, they can hand over the entire house lighting system to guest technicians. “We’ve experienced that they have started to use it creatively,” he said. “It’s easy for them to pull it into their desk and select what they want as audience light.”

In addition to improved flexibility and creative possibilities, the new lighting system, especially the house lights, delivers significant energy savings. 

The new lighting installation was completed with assistance from local electricians, with Det Musiske Hus handling fixture mounting and programming in-house. Since becoming fully operational in August 2024, the venue has successfully used the new lighting system for various events, with positive feedback from staff and visiting production teams.