Old Lyme, Conn. – February 26, 2010: “Hope For Haiti Now,� a global benefit for earthquake relief, which aired live on Friday, January 22, was the most widely distributed telethon in history, and has so far raised over $58 million, 100% of which goes directly to aid organizations on the ground in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Some 83 million U.S. viewers tuned in on the airdate, and over six million subsequent video streams continue to draw donations, which will be accepted for the next six months. The digital album, a compilation of the event’s most inspiring performances includes five outstanding Sennheiser/Neumann artists who contributed their talents to the effort.
The two-hour telethon aired from Los Angeles, New York and London. From Los Angeles, Sennheiser artist Alicia Keys, using a Sennheiser SKM 5200 with the MD 5235 capsule, opened the event with “Prelude To
A Kiss,� and Neumann artist Neil Young, singing through a wired KMS 105 microphone together with Dave Matthews, rounded things out at the end of the show with a cover of Hank William’s “Alone And Forsaken.� Celebrated Sennheiser artists Madonna, wielding her trademark chrome SKM 5200 with the ME 3005 capsule and Sting, who has preferred the evolution 865 for nearly a decade, performed in New York. Madonna delivered a choral-backed version of “Like A Prayer,� whereas Sting collaborated with The Roots in “Driven To Tears.� In London, using her traditional Sennheiser SKM 5200 with MD 5235 capsule, Beyoncé performed an acoustic version of “Halo,� accompanied on piano by Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
For the London broadcast, Britannia Row Productions, with John James as crew chief and monitor engineer, supplied all of RF and monitoring gear. Noted Bryan Grant, co-owner of Britannia Row Productions, “The Sennheiser equipment we supplied worked perfectly in what was quite a busy RF environment.�
Hope for Haiti Now is continuing to accept donations via the Internet (hopeforhaitinow.org), by phone (877-99-HAITI), by text (text “GIVE� to 50555), or by mail (see FAQ at hopeforhaitinow.org). Hope for Haiti Now absorbs all of the administrative and overhead costs so that 100% of donations go to seven proven relief organizations: Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation, Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, and Yele Haiti Foundation.
