He is not only one of the most successful German musicians of all time, he has also succeeded in using his enormous popularity to support a good cause — and in doing so has taken on an additional career of a very special kind: Peter Maffay as an ambassador for the children of the world. At prolight+sound in Frankfurt, Peter Maffay is the guest of honor of audio specialist Sennheiser, a company for whom social involvement is extremely important. Maffay’s project “Encounters — An Alliance for Children” is being generously supported by Sennheiser.

As soon as Peter Maffay starts talking about his project “Encounters — An Alliance for Children”, it becomes clear that this is a musician who, after almost 40 years at the top of the German and international charts, has now found his vocation and his life’s work. He is now dedicating his heart and soul to helping children, caring for their needs and protecting their rights.

As guest of honor of audio specialist Sennheiser at prolight+sound in Frankfurt, the 57-year-old musician tells of his journey through thirteen countries, some of them desperately poor. He describes how he worked together with the same number of musicians and how these encounters led to friendships and ultimately to an international network devoted to helping children all over the world. “We are trying to do this through the medium of music,” says Maffay, “because this is a language that everyone can understand. It allows us to build bridges and overcome ideological, social and religious barriers.” For Maffay, the journey was also a formative experience as far as his own music is concerned. “It’s wonderful to see the wealth of creativity in other people, to move closer together in an atmosphere of friendship and respect.” In their own countries, all thirteen artists are either founders of social initiatives for children, such as Robby Romero from South Dakota who, together with Leonard Little Finger, is involved in projects to help Native American children and to preserve their native language. Or they support organizations that provide help for under-privileged children, such as Ukrainian rock star Ruslana, who helps the children’s hospital in her hometown of Lviv to care for newborn babies with deformities. The patron for the musician’s worldwide network is German chancellor Angela Merkel. Other celebrities who have agreed to act as mentors for “Encounters — An Alliance for Children” include the Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, the South African winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and former Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, the Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko, journalist Sabine Christiansen, and many others.

“We have known Peter Maffay for a long time,” says Volker Bartels, President Production and Logistics and Speaker of the Executive Committee at Sennheiser. “Sennheiser has had close links with Peter Maffay for many years. We have initiated several major projects together. Therefore, it is a great pleasure for Sennheiser to support his Encounters project. His endeavors to combine music, a shared creative process and support for children deserve our admiration and respect, and we hope that many others will join us in offering their support.”

Peter Maffay has been involved in helping children for many years now. Every year, the Peter Maffay Foundation helps between 200 and 250 children whose lives have been disrupted by violence and hardship. Since 2003, the foundation has been providing holidays on the island of Mallorca for socially disadvantaged children or for those who have been the victims of violence or sexual abuse. He is also the patron of the Tabaluga Foundation, which was named after his successful concept album. For Peter Maffay, this commitment not only goes without saying, it also stems from his work as a reflective artist. “You can’t sing about a better world and leave reality unchanged.”

In April, Peter Maffay will embark on a 15-city tour of Germany with “Encounters — An Alliance for Children”. The CD, video/DVD and book on the “Encounters” project are now on sale.

As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, the Sennheiser Group with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, had total sales of about €300 million in 2005. The export share is 82.5%. Sennheiser has a total workforce of more than 1,650 employees, of whom about 60% are employed in Germany. Sennheiser is active worldwide and, in addition to other partnerships, has its own sales subsidiaries in France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, India, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA.

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