Sennheiser and Shanghai Concert Hall Collaborate Long-Term

Sennheiser Group and the Shanghai Concert Hall have agreed to terms that officially renames the Shanghai Concert Hall as Sennheiser Shanghai Concert Hall, effective March 10, 2014. This is the first time in Sennheiser's history that a performance centre has been named after the company and signals a new beginning for Sennheiser Group, the company says. This prestigious event also introduces the formation of Sennheiser-owned record label, Sennheiser Media. Sennheiser Media is a subsidiary of Sennheiser. Famed Chinese musical prodigy, A Bu is the label's first signing, and Sennheiser will launch A Bu's first album at this event.

Sennheiser and the prestigious Shanghai Concert Hall have had a longstanding relationship in China. Through the renaming of the Shanghai Concert Hall, both Sennheiser and officials from the Shanghai Concert Hall will sign a contract that renames this historical concert hall and includes the opening of an official Sennheiser music store within the venue to sell a variety of headphones. The Sennheiser Shanghai Concert Hall was the first professional concert hall in China and aims to become a new platform to promote the development of arts in music in Shanghai and for the rest of China.

In this cooperation, Sennheiser will install a full set of top theatre and sound equipment as well as design a state-of-the-art centralized audio recording control system. Sennheiser will provide some of their most popular products, such as 9000 series microphones. The 9000 series wireless microphone is another favorite microphone among international artists, and it was no surprise when it won "Outstanding Technical Achievement for Wireless Technology" at the 29th TEC. Italian loudspeaker company K-array will also be used as part of the installation.

Daniel Sennheiser, CEO of Sennheiser, and Marc Vincent, president of Sennheiser, Greater China, Zhang Zhe, president of Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Center, and Zhang Ming, general manager of Shanghai Concert Hall, will officiate the renaming ceremony. Daniel Sennheiser is very impressed by the infrastructure and the growth of the Chinese musical instruments market. "This collaboration is an important milestone in our continuous pursuit of perfection, and it's a privilege to be here in China," says Daniel Sennheiser.

The Shanghai Concert Hall has traditionally hosted a wide range of musical events including jazz and classical performances, and the acoustics created by Sennheiser will be second to none. A team has been set up to maintain the equipment, the concert hall's high audio standards set by Sennheiser and ensure all performances are supported fully. Sennheiser will also provide regular workshops for the technical team at the concert hall. "It is with pride and honor that Sennheiser joins forces with the prestigious Shanghai Concert Hall to promote the music and sound culture in China," Vincent says.

This cooperation also ensures audiences that the Shanghai Concert Hall will provide more charity events and free showcases to promote music and the arts such as "Lunch Time Concert" and "Weekly Radio Concert.". Shanghai Concert Hall officials also confirm that ticket prices will be maintained and managed appropriately to benefit the general public.

Zhe says, 'We are glad that Shanghai Concert Hall and Sennheiser can reach this incredible cooperation. This year is the beginning of the second decade following our relocation to this venue. To join hands with Sennheiser, the world's leading audio brand, it in itself provides a lot of possibility for future development for the concert hall. We believe that this cooperation will bring about a huge impact on the development of music culture in Shanghai."

Parts of the plans include a commitment to set up a professional, world-class recording studio inside the Shanghai Concert Hall, scheduled for completion in 2015. This part of the concert hall will ensure future live performances in HIFI levels can be recorded. Once the facility is ready, the Sennheiser Shanghai Concert Hall will introduce a new project called "Young Talent Inspires" to help young up and coming artists to record an album and promote it through Sennheiser's global sales network.

Sennheiser has created its own music label, Sennheiser Media, to record and promote local Chinese and international artists. Sennheiser has named A Bu as their first recording artist under this label. A Bu will perform at the official naming ceremony as will violinist Tobias Preisig and pianist Marc Mean.