Astana Sazy is an internationally acclaimed Kazakh State Folklore Ensemble, bringing the rich musical heritage of Kazakhstan to stages around the world. Their sound blends traditional Kazakh folk music with modern western classical arrangements, performed on authentic instruments that are rarely heard in concert halls outside of Central Asia.
For one night only, they brought that sound to London.
That's where SJARK came in.
For us, this was a one-day project: a full setup during the day, a live concert in the evening, and a complete de-rig once the last note had faded. Our role was to deliver the full technical production for the concert at Sinfonia Smith Square, including building a line array, establishing FOH and monitor positions, capturing every instrument exactly as intended, and supporting the ensemble with additional furniture and staging requirements..
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This was not an ordinary concert brief. Astana Sazy represent the musical identity of a nation, and a one-night-only London performance carried real weight. The instruments are unique. The ensemble is large. And the team flying in from Kazakhstan needed to be able to trust, completely, that everything would be in place when they arrived.
With the artists and their team not based in London, and with language presenting an additional layer of complexity, they needed a production partner who could take full ownership of the technical delivery, work creatively in their communication, and operate calmly under pressure.
Their vision required:
From our first conversation, it was clear that our job went beyond the technical brief. These performers were travelling to a city many of them had never visited before. Making them feel genuinely welcomed and supported was just as important as getting the sound right.
Sinfonia Smith Square is a beautiful and characterful venue that regularly hosts concerts, but rarely sees technical productions of this scale. Building a line array in a Grade I listed building from 1728 requires a considered approach: understanding the acoustics, working within the building's constraints, and finding the solution that serves both the music and the space. Pre-production time was spent getting that picture clear before anything was loaded in.
The instruments Astana Sazy perform with are not standard concert fare. To ensure we could capture each one faithfully, we prepared multiple microphone options ahead of the day, giving our team the flexibility to test different approaches during the tech run and find the right solution for each instrument in that specific room.
Working with a historic venue that has its own in-house processes means preparation is non-negotiable. Our dedicated site visit allowed us to walk the space, align with the venue team, understand the building's logistics, and resolve open questions well ahead of load-in. That groundwork is what makes the event day run smoothly.
This project called for people who were not only technically strong, but calm, adaptable and comfortable working across language barriers. We briefed the team thoroughly ahead of the day and made sure everyone understood not just their role, but the wider context of the event.
Load-in day came with an immediate challenge: a venue lift fault meant the dedicated loading route was unavailable. We found an alternative solution quickly, brought in additional team members on the day to support the logistics, and kept the build on schedule without disruption to the venue or the ensemble.
Once inside, the team got to work building the line array, establishing FOH and monitor positions, and setting up microphones across the full ensemble. When capacity allowed, team members helped place show programmes on seats, the kind of detail that is not in any technical rider, but matters to the people putting on the show.
By the time the ensemble arrived for soundcheck, everything was ready. The tech run gave us the opportunity to test microphone options on each instrument and dial in the sound before the doors opened.
The performance went exactly as it should. The ensemble took the stage, the sound carried beautifully through the room, and the audience experienced something genuinely rare. Our team managed the full show from FOH, supporting every moment without ever getting in the way of it.
After the final bow, we de-rigged the full production and cleared the venue, leaving Sinfonia Smith Square exactly as we found it.
The concert was a success. The ensemble had the stage they deserved, the sound did justice to music that had travelled a long way to be heard, and the performers could focus entirely on the performance without a single technical concern on their minds.
We were completely self-contained from load-in to de-rig, which meant the venue could manage ticketing and front-of-house, and the Astana Sazy team could focus on what they had come to London to do.
There is something genuinely special about being part of an event like this: a unique ensemble, a historic London venue, and music that most of the audience will never have heard live before. We are always excited to work on productions that carry that kind of meaning, and to make sure the technical side does justice to the vision behind them.
If you are planning a concert or brand activation and need a production team that becomes part of yours, let's talk. Fill out the form and we will be happy to support you in making your next event a success.
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