Kitchener, ON, Canada -April 5, 2007- Today Unitron Hearing announced its support of the Stratford Civic Orchestra's 2007/08 season through the Unitron Hearing Concerto Competition.
The Unitron Hearing Concerto Competition, to be held on Saturday June 2nd 2007, encourages young musicians in the community to audition for the Stratford Civic Orchestra. Winners of the competition are rewarded with the opportunity to play with the orchestra for a full year and be a featured guest artist for a concert during the 2007/08 season. They also receive mentorship and guidance from professional musicians, a valuable experience for developing their technical and performance skills, as well as providing them with media exposure in their community.
Unitron Hearing is supporting the Stratford Civic Orchestra as part of their commitment to developing hearing and hearing loss awareness. The competition will not only provide a performance opportunity for young, talented musicians, but actively demonstrate the necessity of one's sense of hearing to appreciate the full, rich sounds of music.
"The Unitron Hearing Concerto Competition is a unique avenue for us to spread the message of the importance of hearing to everyone," said Bruce Brown, Vice-President of Marketing, Unitron Hearing. "Good hearing is essential to leading a fulfilling life. Whether you are listening to music at a live concert or having a conversation with friends, your ability to communicate or appreciate the language of music depends on your ability to hear."
Since listening to music is an everyday activity enjoyed by most people, researchers and developers at Unitron Hearing's global Development Centre in Kitchener, Canada, recently developed the myMusic™ technology. Implemented in their premium hearing instrument, Indigo™, myMusic is an innovative approach to tailoring one's personal enjoyment of music. Hearing professionals can easily shape the frequency response based on their clients' listening preferences and favorite music genres: rock/pop, classical, jazz/blues or general music listening. People with hearing loss can then enjoy a personalized, enhanced listening experience that brings out the rich, full tones of music.
Hearing loss is also particularly problematic for professional musicians, who are regularly exposed to sounds that are higher in pitch and substantially louder than most everyday sounds. According to Dr. Marshall Chasin, Director of Auditory Research at the Musician Clinic of Canada (www.musiciansclinics.com):
"Permanent hearing loss can be devastating for everyone, and especially for musicians. Imagine a symphony where you can only hear the bass notes on the left side of the piano keyboard, or a violin that sounds distorted," Chasin explains. "Hearing loss prevention should be the concern of everyone: from musician to orchestra manager, and from the listening public to the audiologists that assess hearing loss. Many strategies can be used to prevent hearing loss, along with finely tuned earplugs, that still allow the music to be heard and played, but at a non-damaging level."
"Musicians are particularly sympathetic to organizations that help preserve someone's sense of sound," commented Yootha Neller, General Manager of the Stratford Civic Orchestra. "Hearing is the basis of every kind of music, and therefore, crucially important for every musician. Sound is what inspires me and most musicians. We give Unitron Hearing a standing ovation for their commitment to helping people with hearing loss and promoting hearing and music appreciation through their sponsorship of the Unitron Hearing Concerto Competition."
About the Stratford Civic Orchestra
The Stratford Civic Orchestra (SCO) was founded in 2004 by educator, and arts manager, Yootha Neller, and offers live performances of contemporary and classical works, with a special focus on leading Canadian artists and composers for the Stratford and area communities in Ontario, Canada. The SCO is committed to providing a mentoring program so that students are guided by professional musicians to assist in their musical development. For more information, visit www.stratfordcivicorchestra.ca
About Unitron Hearing
Unitron Hearing creates world-class hearing innovations that make everyday listening easier for people with hearing loss. The Company is renowned for high-value, easy-to-use hearing solutions. Unitron Hearing has 12 international offices including its global Development Centre located in Kitchener, Canada, and serves people with hearing loss through distribution partners in over 65 countries. For more information, please visit www.unitronhearing.com or the Unitron Hearing Web Channel on Audiology Online at www.audiologyonline.com/channels/unitron_hearing.asp
View our Unitron Hearing Concerto Competition advertisement
Taken from www.unitronhearing.com/about/news.htm?reference=13559&checkSum=16303D68E948930E6C5BC6E51E57BC47
