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Joey Rabel
Senior Sound Technician
3 years experience in The Aotea Centre, the EDGE, New Zealand
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 I’ve worked in this industry in India, Oman and now New Zealand – and I’m still enjoying it! It’s immensely satisfying to know that I’ve played a part in the audiences’ (hopefully good) experience. Also, my job gives me the opportunity to enjoy some wonderful performances and also to meet well-known & highly regarded artists.
One of the most memorable show was The Hollies at the Country Club in Dubai when I was the system technician. The band had a really good Front Of House (FOH) Engineer. Everything came together perfectly & it was a great night of music under the stars.
There are some unique experiences about this job that one cannot get elsewhere, like mixing Front Of House for a dusk to dawn Indian classical music concert outdoors in Mumbai. I didn’t even get a chance to leave the desk except for a toilet break – about 5 minutes around 2am. And also mixing Front Of House for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra playing the score for Battleship Potemkin in The Civic – a great orchestra, a classic film & a fantastic theatre – I actually get paid to do this!  |
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Iruawan Kasban
Senior Technician (Sound)
7+ years’ experience in Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
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My job involves operating sounds for shows in the venues of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. From day one, I’ve started in the Theatre and it gave me the opportunity to do big musicals, which I find most demanding and challenging. As a Senior Technician in Sound, I don’t just do the ordinary sound set-ups, but I also have to work with sound designers to customise every show to our venues. Learning is an ongoing process in my job, as every show is different.
In the earlier days when Esplanade was still under construction, I was very lucky to be sent for training attachments to a number of overseas arts centres like the Arts Centre, Melbourne, Adelaide Festival Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and the Sydney Opera House. I am very thankful and would like to pay tribute to these AAPPAC centres from which I’ve gained valuable training experiences.
The most memorable show that I’ve worked on is ‘Reminiscing the Moon’ which was Esplanade’s opening night show in the Theatre in 2002. There were many honourable VIPs at the performance, including Singapore’s President S R Nathan, and also then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew. It was an important milestone in my life, as well as an emotional moment to me as I felt all the hard work and training had finally paid off. |
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Dong Fengsheng
Audio Supervisor
4.5 years experience in Shenzhen Concert Hall, China
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I’ve been working at the Shenzhen Concert Hall even before the venue was officially opened in Oct 2007. Prior to its opening, I had been to other concert halls for training exchanges. My job involves live tuning of sounds in the concert hall, as well as recordings.
Previously I’ve also been involved in pop music performances and live outdoor performances, but I find working in a concert hall is very different. For some performances, we do selective amplification of sounds (eg. on a single instrument like a cello in an orchestra), and yet the overall sound quality is still very natural. The audience will not be able to hear that the cello’s sound was amplified. Basically it’s my job to cater to the specific sound requirements of each performance. |
World-renowned conductor Zubin Mehta and his Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed at Shenzhen Concert Hall’s Opening Season in Dec 07, and to me it was the best concert that I’ve experienced. All aspects of the sound levels were very well balanced, and there was also immense expression of emotions in the orchestra. The performance was truly moving, and it definitely left a deep impression in me.
I’ve been working in this industry ever since graduation and have not since looked back. My passion is in music, and it is every part of my life. I even setup my own home sound system to enjoy the sounds of music after work!
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