Meeting Topic: An Evening with Gisele Clark
Moderator Name: Terry Nelson
Speaker Name: Gisele Clark
Other business or activities at the meeting: Diploma Ceremony for the graduates of the Federal Diploma for "Sound Technician"
Meeting Location: At the Zentrum Paul Klee, Monument in Fruchtland 3, 3006 Bern
The AES Swiss Section held a special event at the Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, on the 7th. Of March that
combined the Diploma Ceremony for the graduates of the Federal Diploma for "Sound Technician" and a meeting in the series of "An Evening With..." The speaker for this event was Gisèle Clark, a wellknown figure in the world of pro audio and the professional press.
Ms. Clark gave a presentation that covered the history of the Abbey Road studios in London (originally the EMI studios) from the very early days of recording through to the start of the 'digital revolution'.
The story of these world-renowned studios provides an excellent overview of the history of recording in general and how the industry has evolved on the years.
The presentation was interspersed with anecdotes from Gisèle's career in France; from being the first
woman recording engineer (starting at Vogue studios) and going on to professional equipment sales — mainly MCI consoles and tape recorders -- before starting a career in the pro audio press.
Gisèle Clark was also involved in the organisation of the AES European Convention for many years, dealing principally with the media and helping exhibitors for the show.
The Diploma Ceremony is always an important event for the "Sound Technician" graduates, a diploma
that has been organized by the Education Committee of the Swiss AES Section for over 20 years.
The occasion was also marked by prizes for the graduates with top results and these were generously donated by the Swiss distributors decibel, Gotham, Sennheiser and Yamaha. These companies are also sponsors of the practical exams for the diploma as are Merging Technologies and défi technique.
The event finished with the time-honoured apéro, offered by the Swiss AES and Education Committee.
This provided an excellent opportunity for the graduates and their families to meet and discuss with the Swiss pro audio community.
The optional dinner afterwards was at the Restaurant Schöngrün next to the ZPK.
Written By: Terry Nelson
