I just spent a very enjoyable 45 minutes interviewing Maria Grazia Gerbaudo of Panzera SAS.

This is her 15th visit to Montreal and she says she enjoys it very much: the friendly people, great food and great shopping and that she's looking forward to going to Quebec City for the first time in all the time she's been visiting here.

Many people are wondering why Panzera are doing the opening, rather than the closing, show. The answer is because this year is a very busy one for the company, especially in July (Bastille Day in Marseilles on 14th July) and an 80 (eighty) minute pyromusical to celebrate the voyages of Marco Polo on August 8th which will use 26 barges. It would be impossible for them to do that and the closing in Montreal. She reminded me that Panzera are primarily manufacturers, not display operators, so they only do a few large displays per year.

As for the opening show in Montreal, it was challenging for them because of the competition to choose the music. Then the music has to be edited so the pieces fit into 30 minutes and then the choice of fireworks can begin.

The fireworks themselves are around 95% of Panzera manufacture, the remaining 5% being various chinese cakes and other low level effects. With Panzera being a manufacturer, they were able to specially chose colours and timings in their candles specifically for the music - as well as make hand-crafted shells that they normally do not sell (because they are too expensive).

I also asked about shipping issues, now that shells of 8" and above are classified as 1.1G. Maria told me they have worked hard with their shipping companies and have an effective way to ship their products to North America - the main challenge being cost as it seems material that fits into a 20' container has to be packaged in a 40' one now, which obivously makes it more expensive. But it is not a problem for them.

Finally, I asked Maria if she gets nervous before a display and the answer was an unequivocal yes! Montreal is a very special place for them, the team, the direction, they feel very comfortable here and want to do a good job.

I promised good weather for tomorrow!

Paul.

Nice to know why they're doing the opening show and not the closing.

One question: Is she the designer of the display? In this case, is it her first time or she did the last displays?

No, Pierre Paolo Serafino is the pyrotechnic designer and Pierre Walder the sound designer.

Paul.

Thanks, Paul, for this interesting post. I can't imagine how it is possible to perform a 80-minute pyromusical display, what the setup looks like and how much it cost... Amazing.

Fred

Hi Paul,

At long last, my question regarding Panzera doing the opening display rather than the closing has been answered. Indeed, under the circumstances, it is no wonder why the company is not scheduled to present the concluding display this year. That said, I'm sure their display tonight will be grand with plenty of exciting segments to look forward to.

Thanks for the update and information, Paul.

Trav.