Musician/photographer captures celebrity images for non-profit hearing awareness initiative

Stfa, Schweiz (May 30, 2008) Bryan Adams, famed musician and official photographer of the Hear the World initiative, introduced his photography collection of Hear the World Ambassadors in an interactive exhibit in Berlin yesterday. The exhibit was previously on display in New York earlier in May and will be open to the broad public in the German capital for two weeks. Interested visitors are invited to a visual and acoustical voyage that offers a completely new view onto the wonder and the beauty of hearing. A third exhibit is planned for Zurich.

Hear the World is a global initiative raising awareness about the importance of good hearing and the impact of hearing loss. For the Hear the World exhibit, Adams has photographed several notable musicians including Mick Jagger, Amy Winehouse, Plcido Domingo, Joss Stone, Lindsay Lohan, Annie Lennox, Michael Bubl and many others. Each image features a celebrity ambassador in a conscious pose of hearing.

Yesterday night, German celebrities and VIP guests such as jazz musician Till Broenner, designer Jette Joop and actor Clemens Schick celebrated with Bryan Adams and more than 600 invited guests at the Grand Opening of the Hear the World ambassador exhibit. Selected celebrities, such as Felicitas Woll and Patrick Nuo even contributed to the dance floor activity following the official part of the event by taking over the DJ role spontaneously. In addition, music stars such as opera singer Nadja Michael encouraged the guests to participate in the hearing tests that were offered at the party location.



For more pictures from the Grand Opening, please visit www.hear-the-world.com/exhibition.

Bryan Adams opened the exhibition with Phonak CEO Valentin Chapero. He outlined his motivation to support the good cause of the Hear the World initiative: Im excited to lend my support to such an important cause, said Adams. As a musician, Im naturally sympathetic to an initiative dedicated to helping people appreciate and preserve an individuals sense of sound. I hope this exhibit helps to remind people of the tremendous value of their hearing.

Franka Potente, German actress and Hear the World ambassador was very enthusiastic about the working experience with Bryan Adams: The shooting with Bryan was fantastic: We met in his studio in a very relaxed atmosphere, there was background music and we had lunch together between the shooting sessions. I am impressed by how Bryan creates awareness for the importance of hearing with his photographs in such an elaborate and entertaining way. And I really love my picture.

To make the Hear the World Ambassadors exhibit a listening experience the exhibit will also feature interactive sound elements, such as a sound art installation by Bang & Olufsen in which visitors can participate. Additionally, visitors will be able to screen their hearing at free testing stations located throughout the venue.

Following the exhibit, the photos will be auctioned off online at www.hear-the-world.com/exhibition, a dedicated exhibit Web site in German and English language. The net proceeds will go to the Hear the World Foundation. Visitors to the Web site will also be able to test their hearing via an online hearing test.

Bryan has devoted a tremendous amount of time and talent to help Hear the World raise awareness about the issue of hearing loss, said Valentin Chapero, CEO of Phonak. Were lucky to have him as a partner in our efforts. Its our hope that the public will find the exhibit enjoyable, informative and engaging.

In addition to his work with Hear the World, Adams has photographed individuals from around the globe. Adamss work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and his own magazine, Zoo.

About Hear the World

Hear the World is a global initiative by hearing device manufacturer Phonak created to raise awareness about the importance of hearing. The initiative calls attention to the social and emotional impact of hearing loss and addresses prevention of and solutions to a problem that affects more than 10% of the worlds population. Through the Hear the World Foundation, Phonak supports charitable organizations and projects focused on helping people with hearing loss.

For more information, please visit www.hear-the-world.com

For more information on Phonak, visit www.phonak.com.