The Sunset Center in Carmel-byThe Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea recently replaced its aging halogen house pendants with Canto USA Culla Pendants. The project needed to solve several specific problems at once: hard-to-reach fixtures, compatibility with the theater’s existing ETC dimming system, high maintenance costs, and the need to preserve the look of a historic venue.
Sunset Center project manager Kendall Smith oversaw the upgrade and worked through the details with Canto USA before the installation began.
About the Sunset Center
The Sunset Center is a performing arts venue in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The building originally served as the Sunset School before the city of Carmel purchased it in 1965.
The National Register of Historic Places added it on January 9, 1998. A $23 million renovation completed in 2002 brought in new seating, improved acoustics, and a larger lobby.
Today, the theater hosts concerts, comedy, theatre, dance, and other performances, with more than 125,000 visitors coming through the venue each year.
Why Replace the Existing Pendants?
The old halogen pendants were mounted anywhere from 20 to 50 feet above the floor. Replacing a single lamp could require scaffolding, additional labor, and enough time to work around the theater’s event schedule.
Kendall estimated that one lamp change could cost around $500, including access and labor.
The center wanted to break that cycle. A longer-life LED solution made sense, but the replacement also had to work with the existing two-wire ETC dimming system.
Why Canto USA?
Dimming performance was one of the biggest deciding factors.
The theater did not want to replace the existing control wiring to make the new house lights work. After looking at other options and speaking with engineers, Kendall determined that Canto USA could provide a retrofit that worked with the ETC system while matching the color temperature and dimming behavior the room needed.
That kept the project focused on the fixtures instead of turning into a larger electrical renovation.
Customizing the Culla Pendants
The original pendants used mini-candelabra bases. Rather than continue building around that older hardware, Canto USA designed replacement pendants with Edison bases.
That gave Sunset Center brand-new fixtures with full warranty coverage instead of reworking the existing pendants.
The theater also had acoustic concerns. Chamber performances can become extremely quiet, so the venue did not want to introduce cooling-fan noise into the room. The project specified passive, fanless engines.
Kendall also asked that the LED source sit farther back inside the pendant. Recessing the light reduced glare while maintaining the beam angle needed for the auditorium.
A custom bronze finish completed the fixtures and helped them blend with the theater’s existing look.
Installation Timeline
The center was concerned about product availability and lead times, but Canto USA supplied a sample within about a month. The full order followed roughly four weeks later.
Because the Culla Pendants used the same canopy dimensions as the existing fixtures, installation went quickly once the crews were in place. Each pendant took about ten minutes to install in the field.
Working with a scaffolding contractor and Collins Electric, the orchestra level was finished in four days. The balcony took another two.
Adjusting the Balcony Lighting
The balcony received four additional pendants to make printed programs easier to read.
Finding the right location took some testing. The new fixtures had to avoid competing visually with existing chandeliers and wall-wash units.
The final solution was to hang the pendants slightly lower and move them farther off-center. Wall-wash attachments then directed the light where it was needed.
What Changed After the Retrofit
Staff and audience feedback was positive from the start. The new house lighting appeared warmer and more even throughout the room.
The theater now typically runs the houselights at about 70%, which still provides enough visibility for the audience.
Kendall also reported that the dimming performance met expectations after opening night.
The biggest numerical change was power use. Sunset Center reduced its house light load from approximately 11,000 watts to 1,100 watts, a 90% reduction.
One Detail That Showed Up During Commissioning
The project ran into one issue after installation: flicker on some LED circuits.
The problem was traced to low load on individual dimmers. Several circuits were combined onto one dimmer, increasing the load, and the flicker disappeared.
For other venues working with high-efficiency LED retrofits, it is a useful detail to keep in mind. Existing dimming systems may need enough electrical load to behave correctly, so dimmer loading should be checked as part of the retrofit planning process.
Kendall thanked Collins Electric-Contractor, Meredith Nole of Monterey Lighting, David West of Wunder Lighting, and the Sunset Cultural Center staff for their work on the project.
The NEW Culla Pendant
Canto USA Culla Pendants are made in the USA and are designed to work with the RETRO-Fusion™, RETRO-Classic™, RETRO-Passive® and other E26 screw-in light engines.
For more examples of RETRO Series installations, see Brighten Your Day With Our RETRO Retrofits.
Technical choices and customizations
The original pendants had mini candelabra bases. Rather than retrofit the older hardware, Canto USA designed new pendants with Edison bases, providing brand-new fixtures with full warranty coverage. For acoustic sensitivity during chamber performances, the center specified passive (fanless) engines to prevent audible noise.
Kendall also asked engineers to recess the LED light farther into the fixture to reduce glare while maintaining the proper beam angle. A custom bronze finish was selected to match the theater’s palette.
Installation timeline and approach
Supply concerns were eased when Canto USA delivered a sample within one month and the full order about four weeks later. Because the Culla pendants shared the same canopy dimensions as the old fixtures, field installation averaged about ten minutes per pendant. Using a scaffolding contractor and Collins Electric, the orchestra level was completed in four days and the balcony in two.
Balcony lighting adjustments
The team added four new pendants to the balcony to improve program readability. They tested mounting positions to avoid visual conflicts with existing wall wash units and chandeliers, ultimately hanging the fixtures slightly lower and further off-center, then using wall wash attachments to direct light where needed.
Outcomes
Initial reactions from staff and audiences were positive—guests noticed improved warmth and evenness of light. The houselights are now typically left at 70% for adequate audience visibility. Following the opening night, Kendall reported the dimming behavior met expectations and that the venue reduced its houselight power consumption from 11,000 watts to 1,100 watts (a 90% drop) as a result of the retrofit.
Field note: dimmer load
One operational detail: initial flicker was traced to low load on some dimmer circuits. After combining multiple circuits into a single dimmer (increasing load per dimmer), the flicker stopped. This is a practical reminder to verify dimmer loading when specifying high-efficiency LED retrofits.
Kendall thanked Collins Electric-Contractor, Meredith Nole of Monterey Lighting, David West of Wunder Lighting, and the Sunset Cultural Center staff for their help on the project.
The NEW Culla Pendant
Our Culla Pendants are proudly made in the USA. They are meant to be used with the RETRO-Fusion™, RETRO-Classic™, RETRO-Passive® and any E26 screw-in light engine. For additional case studies about our RETRO Series installations, see Brighten Your Day With Our RETRO Retrofits.
Culla Pendant Series | Canto USA
Canto USA’ Culla Pendants
Our Culla Pendants are attractive, compact cylinders that create an elegant lighting element when installed in any architecture. They are proudly made in the USA. They are meant to be used with the RETRO-Fusion® , RETRO-Passive® and any E26 Screw-In Light Engine