London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama has announced the installation of low-latency broadcast technology to facilitate large scale musical collaboration within the school while maintaining social distancing measures.

The technology represents a significant investment in Guildhall’s streaming and broadcast capabilities. The newly installed NDI video and Dante Audio Networks augment the Recording and Video department’s installation of a Solid State Logic (SSL) analog mix facility and state-of-the-art TV Studio control room. The low-latency technology, in combination with the aforementioned work done by the Recording and Video department, facilitates the streaming and broadcast from 30 venues and classrooms within the school.

In the Guildhall press release, Julian Hepple, the Head of Recording & Audio Visual, stated, “Our recording and broadcast facilities at Guildhall School are among the best in the world. We’re really proud that the School has a state-of-the-art digital facility to allow our students to collaborate and share their work with audiences and participants in new exciting ways.

“The aim of technology is always to bring performers and audiences closer together, and whilst that is a challenge in physical spaces, we are excited about all the opportunities we have in the digital domain. My eternal thanks to our tireless install team, SSL, NewTek, BirdDog TV, DataSound Consulting, and Dylan Bate Project Management.”

The School also announced its Autumn 2020 events schedule.

Beginning on Monday, November 2, and continuing through November 9, Guildhall’s opera programming features a triple bill of darkly comic Italian works by Mascagni, Wolf-Ferrari, and Donizetti. The live broadcasts start at 7:00 p.m. GMT.  The production directed by Stephen Medcalf, reimagines the challenging and thought-provoking tales of the troubling romantic relationships and escapist fantasies in the interwoven lives of three Florentine women. The three one-act operas were composed between 1841 and 1909.

Other highlights include live broadcasts and pre-recorded concerts, plays, operas and more, all free-to-view online. Artistic Director of HighTide Suba Das will direct Guildhall actors in a new version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Paula Varjack will curate and host a series of conversations with socially engaged artists and BA Performance & Creative Enterprise students, who also present a three-day online festival of new work.

There will be music highlights including the rescheduled Gold Medal final and Guildhall Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jessica Cottis. Finally, the Jazz department begins a year-long series exploring the history of the Big Band and presents the Guildhall Autumn Jazz Festival.