For those with recording aspirations in the 1980s, few studios held the same rock star appeal as Air Montserrat. A who’s who of major artists, from The Police to Dire Straights and The Rolling Stones recorded at Sir. George Martin’s residential studio complex until a hurricane in 1989, and the eruption of a volcano in 1995, destroyed not only the studio but also the heart of the Island community.
In response to the catastrophic events, the Montserrat Cultural Centre was built between 2005 and 2006 using funds raised by Sir. George and Lady Martin. The focal point of the centre is the Sir. George Martin Auditorium, a 450 seater venue, which offers concert, cinema and conference configurations at the touch of a button.
An impressive range of equipment has now been gathered for the Cultural Centre thanks to the dedication of two previous Air Montserrat clients, Chris Runciman and Peter Filleul (who first visited the studio as members of the Climax Blues Band – the Studio’s first clients – back in 1979).
In gathering the equipment, Chris used his connections acquired through years working as a tour manager and similarly Peter, who has been the Executive Director the APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services) for over 10 years, picked up the phone to some old friends.
Calling on Sennheiser to provide microphones for the facility – notably to mic the Centre’s Ludwig drum kit (featured in the accompanying picture of Sir. George) – the Company gladly donated a selection comprising two ew 135 G2 handheld radio mics, three e 604 mics, two e614s and an e602.
Peter Filleul comments, “ We are very grateful to Sennheiser and all our partners who have made (and are making) a dream come true for a community which has suffered a devastating catastrophe and who have shown an enormous measure of resilience and bravery.“
The Montserrat Cultural Centre is now being used regularly by the local population for a wide variety of functions including concerts, dances, conferences, dinners, award events and even sittings of the local parliament.
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