Kol Esperanza, an Israeli trio of tenors recently performed at the Spanish River Church. Joined by guest artists, and backed by an orchestra, the trio performed a far-reaching variety of songs, ranging from Disney medleys to Jewish folk classics, and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah!
Bringing added beauty to the performance was a Clifford Michael Spulock lighting design that reflected the spirit of each song with an elegantly balanced mix of colors.
Using a collection of CHAUVET Professional Rogue R2X Spot fixtures supplied by Nick Sallah, and the team at Steadlight, Spulock covered the stage with a rich variety of hues that complemented the lush images shown on a central projection video wall.
“Each song had its own theme and videos that went along with it,” he said. “I used the projections as a template to choose my color palette in order to compliment or contrast what was being projected on the screen. This show has many different types of songs, working with the video imagery my lighting was able to convey the essence and personality of each one, whether its was the energy of the Disney pieces, or the deep emotions of the Jewish compositions.”
Spulock positioned his Rogue R2X Spot units in the air on electrics and on the deck. He used the flown fixtures for down and back lighting, while those on the floor were relied on for aerial effects and specials. By doing this, he immersed the entire room in colors, often contrasting different shades of monochromatic hues, while at other times blending complimentary palettes.
“I love the saturation we were able to get,” he said. “I used washes on each side of the silks stage left and stage right in order to have multiple colors pop through what is being done downstage. Deep colors contrast very well with bright colors, which is how I went about making a statement with the silks.”
Throughout the show, Spulock matched the color of his lighting with the evocative images shown on the video wall. For example, when the wall displayed imagery of a red -tinged sunset from “The Lion King,” he matched it with a flowing combination of red and orange on stage. This combination imbued the stage and the performers on it with a soft, delicate, and beautiful aura, the perfect complement to voices of hope.