GC Pro Helps Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Fine Arts Center Upgrade Their Lighting

	The auditorium at Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Fine Arts Center, recently outfitted with new lighting technologies from GC Pro.

Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Fine Arts Center has become one of the cultural hubs of the region around Oklahoma City. Intended primarily for the support of university-sponsored activities, the auditorium is designed to serve not only as an instructional facility, but also as a cultural center for the development of quality activities for Western Oklahoma, providing, as its mission statement proclaims, "...diversity in cultural experiences, and developing awareness of and appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of the region." But the center's lighting grew less-than-adequate over the years, failing to keep pace with the changes in lighting technology, such as the introduction of LED light fixtures over the last decade. However, that situation has been entirely remedied, thanks to new equipment and technologies sourced by Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users.

Among the new systems purchased by the university from GC Pro are an MA grandMA2 ultra-light lighting console, 20 Martin Stagebar 2 Long RGBW fixtures, 12 Elation Platinum Wash ZFX PRO fixtures, three Lightronics AC-1109 eight-scene push-button scene remote stations, eight Lightronics RA-122 12-channel 2,400W dimmers, and a Tripp-Lite SR42UB Smart Rack. It's a lighting systems array that will light up the center's performances, which range from the school's ballet and dance companies to touring theatrical productions and other performance arts. "The old lighting systems just bit the dust," says Kyle Bartel, director of the Fine Arts Center. "It was time to upgrade, and GC Pro had what we needed."

David Almanza, Sales at GC Pro's office in Oklahoma City, says the center's wish list included a new grandMA console, which several regional suppliers simply couldn't source in time for the University's needs, with new shows scheduled for the start of the new school year. Almanza called dozens of vendors around the country, seeking both availability and price. And the console was originally supposed to take weeks if not months to get. "We had one on the way here in less then a week," he says. The same applied to other products. For instance, the manufacturer said that Elation's moving-head fixtures were back-ordered for as much as two months, but Almanza was able to call on his supply chain to get them delivered within two days. "GC Pro has huge resources," he explains. "That results not only in competitive pricing but also the ability to obtain a breadth of products that is second to none. That's why customers come to us and stay with us."