Invisible Cities: An Opera for Headphones Receives Emmy® for KCET Documentary

LOS ANGELES - July 28, 2014 - PRLog -- Audio specialist Sennheiser announced that Invisible Cities: An Opera for Headphones won an Emmy® Award for Best Entertainment Programming Saturday night during the 66th Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards at The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood. Invisible Cities: An Opera for Headphones was commissioned by Sennheiser and produced by KCET, the leading independent public media organization serving Southern California, and The Industry, the L.A. based experimental opera company.

Invisible Cities: An Opera for Headphones [kcet.org/invisiblecities] was featured online and on-air last December in a multimedia series for KCET's arts and culture series, Artbound. The series provided an exclusive, in-depth look at the artisitic and technological challenges that collaborators The Industry, L.A. Dance Project and Sennheiser faced in creating the world's first large scale opera for wireless headphones. Yuval Sharon, Founder and Artistic Director of The Industry, contacted Sennheiser in early 2013 to help make the wireless opera production become a reality.

"The documentary of Invisible Cities would have not been possible without the collaboration of Sennheiser and its pursuit of artistic innovation, and the experimental vision and framework created by The Industry," said Juan Devis, senior vice president, Content, Development & Production for KCETLink. "We are proud and humbled to have been a partner in this endeavor and explore the limits of public television."

"Sennheiser is proud of to have commissioned KCET's fabulous production of Invisible Cities: An Opera for Headphones," commented Stefanie Reichert, director strategic marketing, Sennheiser. "Invisible Cities was the result of a visionary artistic collaboration among The Industry and L.A. Dance Project and Sennheiser, and KCET's subsequent production captured the very essence of how technology and cutting-edge artistic vision drives innovation in the arts.”

Invisible Cities, written by Christopher Cerrone and based on the 1972 novel by Italo Calvino, took audience members on a multi-sensory journey through Los Angeles' Union Station, where they experienced an operatic narrative consisting of live dance performance, orchestral music and dramatic dialog: all driven by wireless headphone technology.

About Invisible Cities:

Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as a “signal cultural event” and “a delicate and beautiful opera” by The Los Angeles Times, Invisible Cities was a joint production by The Industry and L.A. Dance Project which premiered at Los Angeles' historic Union Station and performed to sold-out audiences during its run in October and early November 2013. Based on Italo Calvino's fantastical novel, the opera was composed and adapted by Christopher Cerrone, conceived and directed by The Industry's founder and artistic director Yuval Sharon, with choreography by Danielle Agami. The production utilized wireless technology provided by Sennheiser, offering audience members headphones to hear the opera amid the normal “hustle and bustle” of the train stationís everyday life.

About KCET:

On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its nearly 50-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a service of KCETLink.

About Sennheiser:

Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Conn. Sennheiser's pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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