The Pro Production Advisory Board has announced that Chip Monck will be the recipient of the 2004 award. Monck is perhaps most widely known as the "Voice of Woodstock" for his work as master of ceremonies at the industry's first 'Mega Event'. However, Monck's talents and ingenuity played a large role beyond the scope of Woodstock, helping to define standards and practices that live on today in the worlds of live event, concert and theatrical production.
Monck's accomplishments were wide-ranging, covering every aspect of event presentation. In addition to providing production, stage and lighting design and direction at Woodstock, his production and design accomplishments include the Newport Jazz Festival, the Monterey Pop Festival, the Concert for Bangladesh, the One to One Concert with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, myriad Rolling Stones tours and the Rose, with Bette Midler.
The list of acts Monck worked with through the years reads like a 'Who's Who' of contemporary music including such notables as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Neil Young and Crosby Stills & Nash, but he also received Tony nominations for lighting design for his work on Broadway on the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show and Bette Midler's Divine Madness. Other notable events on Monck's resume include the Ali/Foreman Fight in Zaire, Africa, Carole King in Central Park, Procol Harum at the Hollywood Bowl, Las Vegas lighting and direction at showrooms in Caesar's Palace, The Sahara, MGM Grand and Riviera Hotels, theatre designs and refurbishments at venues such as the Fillmore East, Majestic, Belasco and Avenue B theatres in New York and pioneering the concept of 'Music-After-Sport', enabling the presentation of musical entertainment immediately following a large sporting event.
Currently living and working in Australia, Chip remains a consultant to many Australian and North American companies. Patrick Stansfield, chairman of the Pro Production Advisory Board, stated: "There aren't any of us working in this industry today that don't owe a huge vote of thanks to Chip Monck. He defined the basic tenets of our industry as no other person did before, bursting on the scene with a pocketful of striking innovations and effects never seen before in live event productions. We are very pleased to bestow this truly overdue honour on one of the original innovators and early leaders our industry."
The Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award, along with 16 other Parnelli awards for accomplishments within the field of live event presentations and production, will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, February, 20, 2004 in the Grand Ballroom of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The Parnelli Awards are a part of the festivities of the annual Pro Production conference and trade show, held at the Long Beach Convention Center from 18-21 February 2004.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
