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Robe T1s, Esprites and Fortes installed at The Corum in Montpellier

Montpellier Events is the management company for The Corum Congress Centre - Berlioz Opera, an event complex located in Montpellier, in the south of France. The venue hosts over 300 professional events each year including congresses, exhibitions, corporate events and conventions, as well as live performances.

Equipped with three auditoriums - Berlioz Opera, Pasteur and Einstein - the venue has recently invested in Robe moving lights. In total, 46 T1 Profiles, 20 T1 Fresnels, 12 Esprites and 10 Fortes were supplied by Texen, a specialist in production technology integration and sales. Texen had established a base in Montpellier in 1998 specifically to support The Corum and its three auditoriums. Since then, they’ve handled all technical and stage production needs for the venue.

The Esprites are permanently installed on the advanced catwalk of the 1995-capacity Berlioz Opera auditorium. They throw light over a distance of approximately thirty meters to the stage and are used for front and key lighting. Eighteen of the T1 Profiles are installed in the Pasteur auditorium (745 seats), while the remaining units are deployed on stage as needed.

Christophe Mora is the lighting manager at The Corum. He has worked there for five years in this position, and before then worked as a freelance lighting technician for twenty years, both in France and internationally. He was hired for his expertise in moving lights and modern lighting systems, with the mission of guiding a smooth transition to LED technology, now mandated by French regulations.

The replacement of older moving lights began in 2020. Mora carried out this mission with Philippe Pujol, a lighting expert who has been working at The Corum for twenty years and has in-depth knowledge of the venue’s production requirements, configurations and technical practices.

Among other things, the T1s were selected for their light weight. All flight cases were customised by Texen, allowing them to be moved easily under catwalks and rigged quickly. The Robe fixtures were delivered in batches by Robe France to Texen. Mora and Pujol report that the arrival of the fixtures has greatly improved how shows and events are lit, as well as the turnaround times between different configurations. Lights no longer need to be dismantled and moved - only the scenery and staging elements are adjusted.

It is now possible to host a plenary congress session in the Berlioz Opera auditorium during the day and follow with a concert in the evening, with lighting that seamlessly adapts to both contexts (previously, the Pasteur auditorium required a full day to change over different setups). Today, ninety percent of the lighting in The Corum’s auditoriums has transitioned to LED. A few traditional fixtures remain in the Berlioz Opera control room, but they’re scheduled for replacement soon.

Nicolas Bellini, Sales Director at Texen, and his team worked closely with Jean-Marc Farre, Regional Sales Manager for Robe France (Grand Sud area), who helped finalise the deal. Following the installation of the T1 at Berlioz Opera, several other major opera houses in France followed suit, including the Royal Opera of Versailles and the Opéra Bastille in Paris.

(Photos: Louise Stickland/Paul Clarke/Montpellier Events)

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