From Thursday, May 18th, to Sunday, May 21st, the High End 2023 will take place at the MOC in Munich, Germany. Al Di Meola is the new brand ambassador, taking over from Alan Parsons, who was the face of Europe’s biggest audio trade show in 2022.
The High End Society carries the message of the High End to the world each year with a distinguished musician. From May 18-21, 2023, the established specialty trade show will once again take place at the MOC in Munich. Over four days, the location in the north of Munich will thus become a vibrant center for high-quality audio technology. Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19 are reserved as trade visitor days. On Saturday and Sunday, the High End 2023 opens its doors to hi-fi enthusiasts.
“With the signing of Al Di Meola, we have once again succeeded in attracting a world-renowned artist as a testimonial for the High End,” said Stefan Dreischärf, managing director of organizer High End Society Service GmbH. “Di Meola is an excellent, passionate musician and is thus a perfect fit for our trade show, where everything revolves around the enthusiasm for first-class, unadulterated sound.” The US-American with Italian roots is one of the best guitarists of his time. In the music business, he is an outstanding jazz great. At the High End, he will attend the official press conference as a guest of honor. Following the conference, fans will have an opportunity to get signed autographs.
An illustrious career
Di Meola started his solo career in the mid-1970s after gaining his first experience as a band musician. Already in the early years, he was awarded numerous music prizes. Among others, he received a Grammy for the best jazz performance by a group together with the formation Return to Forever. The title of “Best New Talent” by the popular magazine Guitar Player in 1976 was followed by the honor of his second album as “Best Guitar LP”, which was awarded to him a total of four times. Using percussive techniques, Al Di Meola developed his very own characteristic of guitar playing early on. It characterizes his jazz fusions of different musical genres as well as an unmistakable sound image created with it.
He reached the peak of his career with the live album “Friday Night in San Francisco”, released in 1981. The recording of the concert, which he played together with his no less brilliant colleagues John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, sold over two million copies. In addition, the exceptional guitarist caused a sensation last year when he released “Saturday Night in San Francisco,” the four-decade-old recordings of the subsequent performance. On it are songs that were not used for the classic.
With over 40 years of stage experience, Al Di Meola still tours regularly across the globe. He can often be seen performing live at German jazz festivals. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, who is from Saxony, where he is also involved in social projects.
About the High End 2023
The High End – the internationally renowned audio trade fair – sets the undisputed tone for first-class music reproduction. For four decades, it has been a driving force for producers, sellers and consumers of high-quality consumer electronics. For four days in May, the entire professional world comes together in Munich when hundreds of exhibitors from around 40 countries present their innovations in the halls and atriums of the MOC.