Torrance manufacturer LEDtronics has found an unusual application for its light-emitting diode bulb technology: music stands.

Musicians with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra had long been struggling with traditional incandescent music-stand lighting, which can be inconsistent and a challenge for aging or tired eyes. It’s a delicate balance: The lights must be bright enough for the musicians to read the music scores, but not so bright as to distract the audience.

“If the musicians can’t read the notes, they can’t perform the concert,” said Ian Harwood, the orchestra’s vice president.

Even worse, the fragile incandescent bulbs would often break during transport and because of the intense heat they emit, they can’t be adjusted while on.

Harwood didn’t want to replace otherwise good music stands, so he approached LEDtronics about replacing the incandescent bulbs with LEDs. LEDtronics had never designed bulbs specifically for music stands in a concert environment, so it spent several months working with the orchestra to come up with a solution.

“The key was to develop a warmer, softer light that could easily be adjusted for different types of venues,” said Pervaiz Lodhie, the company’s founder.

– Howard Fine