Music Hall Installs New ALS

FOR IMMEIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

{please include in all calendar listings}

MUSIC HALL INSTALLS NEW

INFRARED LISTENING DEVICES

New system made possible through a

generous grant from the Bahmann Foundation

CINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association is pleased to announce the installation of a new infrared assistive listening system (ALS) at Music Hall.  The much-needed improvement to the audience experience was made possible through a generous donation from the Bahmann Foundation (the Foundation also helped to fund the replacement and repair of damaged ALS devices at the Aronoff Center in 2008). 

Assistive listening systems are designed to provide an enhanced listening experience to patrons with hearing disabilities, bridging the gap between performance and patron. From museums to theaters, ALS devices are designed to ensure the experience can be shared by everyone. Using conventional microphones to pick-up the on-stage audio, the signal is broadcast to individual headset receivers, where the patron can adjust the volume to a comfortable level.

Replacing an RF (radio frequency) system that had been in service at Music Hall for decades, the new, state-of-the-art infrared equipment will be in service in time for the opening performance of the May Festival on Friday, May 21. Lightweight and wireless, the new headsets are simpler to use, and produce better quality sound. There is no charge to use the devices, and they will be available to patrons through the coat-check area in the main lobby. Similar devices are also available for use at the Aronoff Center.

“The ALS grant for Music Hall is important to the Bahmann Foundation because of our founders' interests in the arts and music in Cincinnati,” said John Gatch, Executive Director of the Bahmann Foundation. “The equipment and its use are perfectly suited to our mission of reducing isolation through technology.  It is our hope that the system will encourage those who otherwise would not come to Music Hall to visit the hall and hear what's going on!”

“The Cincinnati Arts Association extends its most sincere thanks to the Bahmann Foundation for this generous grant,” said Steve Loftin, President and Executive Director of the Cincinnati Arts Association. “Due to their unwavering support, Music Hall and the Aronoff Center can now offer every patron of the arts an excellent listening experience at the theater.”

For more information about the assistive listening system at Music Hall and the Aronoff Center, call (513) 621-ARTS [2787] or visit www.CincinnatiArts.ORG/als .

Bahmann Foundation

The mission of the Bahmann Foundation is to reduce isolation of low-income, older adults through technology. This is accomplished by granting funds to non-profit, charitable organizations that provide applicable services. Foundation grants help fund services and purchase equipment that stimulate mental and physical activity in elderly adults. The Bahmann Foundation was created through the generosity of identical twins Laura Belle and Emma Leah Bahmann.

Cincinnati Arts Association

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached nearly three-quarters of a million students.

# # #