The New York Public Library’s Library Lions Gala honors legendary authors, artists, musicians, and more. This year’s event, held in the Library’s Rose Main Reading Room, celebrated Bruce Springsteen, Shonda Rhimes, James Patterson, Louise Erdrich, Daniel Kehlmann, and James McBride—each inducted as the 2025 Library Lions.
[SCN Installation Showcase 2025]
Alongside other NYC production partners, L&M Sound & Light provided audio and lighting design and production across most of the event, including the Library’s grand entrance, Astor Hall, and the sound for the Rose Reading Room. For the exterior, L&M created a warm, celestial-inspired lighting design to welcome guests, setting the tone for the evening. Inside Astor Hall, the team produced two distinct looks—an elegant cocktail reception followed by an energetic after-party transformation.
For the gala event in the Rose Main Reading Room, which spans 297 feet with 52-foot ceilings, L&M created a 1 SOUND audio system designed to meet the space’s demanding acoustics and architectural characteristics. Four 1 SOUND Tower Systems were placed at the front of the stage as the mains, providing even coverage for speeches and live performances—including a surprise performance by Bruce Springsteen.
The Towers’ controlled directivity with a wide dispersion pattern and narrow throw of 5 degrees off the top of the loudspeaker ensured clear, balanced audio without reflections bouncing off the vaulted ceiling. Their active cardioid cancellation helped maintain clarity for both spoken word with live lectern microphones and live music, minimizing sound spill onto the stage.
Each Tower System included three Tower LCC44 loudspeakers and a CSUB610 subwoofer, deployed horizontally in omni mode—taking up just 11 inches of floor space for these ground stacks. For delay coverage, three Contour CT28 loudspeakers per side provided full range, medium-far throw coverage needed for consistent sound across the full length of the Reading Room. Their horn-loaded, controlled linear dispersion design kept off-axis reflections to a minimum.
L&M’s audio design for the gala delivered a discreet system that ensured consistent coverage and clarity in the space. Allowing for the 540 attendees to keep their attention and focus on the front of the room, undistracted from the meaningful message spoken at the event.
For Springsteen’s performance, L&M used four 1 SOUND CM38 Cardioid Concert Monitors. Compact at just 8 inches tall with a max SPL of 130 dB and a 3-way crossover, these wedges were ideal for the elegant setting—low-profile enough not to obstruct sightlines and high-powered to deliver detailed audio. The CM38’s linear passive cardioid behavior provided an 8 dB reduction behind the monitor, preventing excess stage spill and maintaining clarity for the first rows of seated guests.