Guru Purnima is a special occasion that brings people together through gratitude, music, and celebration. At this event, I had the opportunity to be involved behind the scenes with the audio, music, and video production.
The Vancouver Sai Center is a welcoming and diverse community space in the Metro Vancouver area where people from different backgrounds come together to experience cultural programs, music, and community events. Beyond the event itself, one of the things that stood out to me was how friendly and welcoming everyone was. If you are ever looking for a place to experience a different community atmosphere, it is worth visiting and experiencing it yourself.
For Guru Purnima, I was responsible for helping manage the sound system and audio production. This included setting up and mixing the audio during the bhajans, ensuring that vocals and instruments were balanced, and helping create a better listening experience for everyone attending.
Along with the audio work, I also had the opportunity to accompany the tabla during the event. Being involved both technically and musically gave me a different perspective on live performances. Instead of only experiencing the music as an audience member, I was able to understand how every part works together to create the final experience.
I also helped with videography for the music video created during the event.
This was my first experience working on a more professional-style music video production. Usually, when I create videos, I am working independently and experimenting with my own ideas. This was a great change of pace because it allowed me to collaborate with others, understand a different workflow, and focus on capturing a performance rather than only creating a video from scratch.
Overall, Guru Purnima was a great experience that combined several of my interests: audio engineering, music, video production, and working with a community. It was exciting to see how much work happens behind the scenes to create a successful event, and it motivated me to continue learning more about production and technology.