The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) has awarded Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser the title of "Companion". With this award, LIPA is expressing its gratitude to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of audio specialist Sennheiser both for his pre-eminence in the field of sound engineering and his long-lasting support for the Institute.

LIPA combines performance, technical innovation, understanding and business awareness. The curriculum is holistic. It embraces those who perform and those who make performance possible. It requires each student to extend their existing major skill into performing and non-performing allied skills, as well as business skills and intellectual development. Every LIPA show is a collaboration between students, each delivering a different skill.

LIPA's approach attracts people from around the world; one third of the student body is international - the fourth highest of any higher education institute in the UK. The largest European intake is from Germany.

By the time that Sir Paul McCartney (Lead Patron and Co-Founder) and Mark Featherstone-Witty (Principal and Co-Founder) met in May 1989, each had been motivated differently to put serious energy into the project. Paul initially wanted to rescue his old school building from collapse; Mark had been inspired by the 1980 film FAME to devise a new performing arts curriculum; one which would provide the best possible chance of a sustained career in one of the toughest career choices. In January 1996, LIPA was opened.


David Stark, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, Lynda Bellingham, Sir Paul McCartney, and Sir Ken Robinson (l/r)

Ten years on, LIPA graduates appear on TV, film, London theatre, international shows. They have hit singles. This year a LIPA singer/songwriter graduate achieved a UK No. 1 single chart hit and a No. 1 album. They work for Sony/BMG, MTV, Discovery Channel and Lucas Arts. They engineer for Britney Spears and produce for the Artic Monkeys - to name but a fraction in detail, scope and destination.

Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser: "We were fascinated right from the start by the idea of an institute that trains young artists and their technical counterparts under one roof. And we have supported that idea ever since the foundation of LIPA by giving lectures and providing scholarships for students studying for the Sound Technology BA Degree. Sennheiser also presents Student Achievement Awards every year in recognition of special personal achievements by students. And, of course, the students are able to work with the latest Sennheiser and Neumann products, for example with our wireless microphone systems and studio microphones."

Of the ten Sennheiser scholarship students, eight have already made a successful start in their careers. Gemma Stansfield, for example, Sound Technology Sennheiser Scholar from 1999 to 2002, already has a number of international film hits on her reference list as an Assistant Sound Editor - The Brothers Grimm, Batman Begins and the last two Harry Potter films. "The scholarship gave me a certain amount of confidence. The monetary support enabled me to do work experience throughout the duration of my degree in all the different areas of sound. By the time I graduated I had a clear idea of the types of sound work that I was and wasn?t cut out for. I was already focused on film and my ambitions were clearly formed. Finally, the business socializing that I had been exposed to by Sennheiser helped me to use the networking part of my new job to my full advantage. I would say that this underrated skill is the difference between being unemployed or employed."

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts awards the title 'Companion' in recognition of outstanding achievement in the service of art and entertainment and honors those who share their knowledge and their experience with the students. Mark Featherstone-Witty: "Sennheiser provides the fuel of support to propel the vehicle of future talent. Their practical friendship is treasured." Further awards in 2006 went to Lynda Bellingham (actress), Sir Ken Robinson (educationalist), Terence Stamp (film actor), and David Stark (founder and editor of 'Song Link').

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, China, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA.

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