Interview with David Sawyer Siemens Hearing and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project and Cultural Exchange
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AO/Beck: Hi David. It's always a pleasure to work with you. Hello Dmitri, it's a pleasure to meet you.
Sawyer: Hi Doug. Thanks for joining us, glad to have you here in New Jersey.
AO/Beck: This is a little bit different from the typical industry interviews we do. In fact, this is very different! Rather than talking about hearing aids, circuits, marketing, billing and related topics, I'd like to discuss the Siemens Artist-In-Residence program and the Silk Roads Project introduced by Yo-Yo Ma a few years ago, and then we'll speak with Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky about his experience and reflections too. David, why don't I start by asking you to give us the program overview?
Sawyer: Siemens Artist-In-Residence Program is an extension of Siemens' partnership with Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Project. The program was created to help unite cultures through the common language of music. Siemens Hearing Solutions was the perfect venue for the first composer in the Artist-In-Residence Program, as there is a natural link between music and hearing. This really has been an enriching experience for us and we're proud to be a part of it. When you think about the beautiful sounds of life, one of the things that comes to mind is, of course, music. As you know, many of our products and the programming software is geared towards music, and of course music is a very important part of each of our lives. So we are honored to be part of this program. It allows us to give back to the community and it allows us to be a better corporate neighbor. Dmitri is the first of the six composers that are planned as part of the Artists-In-Residence Program, so this is the prototype, and it's going very well.
AO/Beck: Let's talk about your new Artist-In-Residence.
Sawyer: Certainly, his name is Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky. He is a composer from Uzbekistan.
AO/Beck: And if I recall what I read yesterday, he is actually living at your house, with your family?
Sawyer: Yes, he is. It's been a great experience for all of us to examine the cultural differences and to explore the similarities. It's really been wonderful. In the early days when Siemens first decided to participate in this program, we thought about having Dmitri stay in a hotel and we thought about other options too. After a little while, we thought the best thing would be for him to actually experience American life and culture in a home. I volunteered to host him because we have four children, and we have lots of music in our home, and my wife and I thought it would be a great experience for all of us to broaden our horizons a little bit. He is an easy guest to have around, very polite and very pleasant. Dmitri has composed a few musical pieces for our family and specifically for the children, and we've all really enjoyed that!
AO/Beck: So in some respects, Dmitri living at your house and experiencing the American way of life is part of the cultural exchange. In other words, your families are exchanging and sharing on a smaller scale, while the music and the corporations are sharing on a larger scale?
Sawyer: Yes, I think so. I think the exchange of thoughts and ideas certainly makes it easier for us to understand other people personally, and on the larger scale, working together across other cultures helps us to understand how to work together to better meet each other's needs as we do business.
AO/Beck: David, how do you measure success in a program like this? With hearing instruments, batteries, assistive listening devices etc, you can look at the number of products sold, or revenues generated, or whatever, but this is a different type of project. I wonder how you'll know if it's a success?
Sawyer: That's a good point. Basically, as a corporation, we probably cannot objectively measure the success of this program. However, we do measure employee morale as we support the arts and other humanitarian programs, and we believe these programs are very worthwhile. We essentially view this program as one aspect of our corporate giving program. This particular program awards scholarships to six composers from Asian and European countries along the Silk Road. The composers each received a living stipend and transportation, two months of food and lodging with a Siemens host family, and work space within the Siemens facility for the artist to create their work here in the USA. Siemens is well known internationally for supporting the arts. So the Artist-In-Residence program is just one step on a much longer journey.
AO/Beck: Dmitri, thanks for joining us. I'd like to get your thoughts, insight and reflections on this adventure.
Yanov-Yanovsky: Thank you, I am happy to be here. This is a fabulous experience.
AO/Beck: Was this your first trip to America?
Yanov-Yanovsky: No, I've been here before. My first trip was in 1993. I came to New York because two of my compositions were being played at Lincoln Center, and that was very exciting.
AO/Beck: That really is an amazing accomplishment, you must be very proud.
Yanov-Yanovsky: It was an honor to have my music played at Lincoln Center. I was very happy.
AO/Beck: Do you listen to contemporary musicians? For example, do you listen to Billy Joel?
Yanov-Yanovsky: Yes, I do. I think he is very talented and I like many of the works he has created. However, pop music doesn't really influence me. I like Billy Joel, he is very talented, but my music is very different from his. I was introduced to the Siemens Artist-In-Residnece Program by Yo Yo Ma, the famous cellist. He has recorded some pop music, some jazz and some classical, so the borders are vague and they change all the time.
AO/Beck: Did you find that Siemens was what you expected?
Yanov-Yanovsky: No, not really! I thought the factory would be bright lights, all sorts of industrial noises, and lots of banging and clanging. I thought maybe I would use the factory noises in the composition using tape loops or something. But, in fact, the factory is a very high technology center and there's hardly any noise -- except in the lunch room! So I was surprised by the factory. It was not what I expected, but it has been wonderful. Not only has it been wonderful to have two months here to write music, but I've had the opportunity to improve my English, and I have also met many wonderful people.
AO/Beck: All of the parents will want to know this - How old were you when you started studying music and what is your primary instrument?
Yanov-Yanovsky: I was five years old when I started studying music. Piano is my primary instrument, but I also play violin. I started to study composition when I was eleven years old. My father was a composer and I had many fine teachers, conductors and musicians I worked with for many years, and they have influenced me very much.
AO/Beck: Has the two months in the USA been productive for you?
Yanov-Yanovsky: Yes, very much so. I have been composing music, and learning things. The primary piece I have written is titled Hearing Solutions . The process of hearing loss and then regaining the gift of hearing is reflected in my composition. I am sure that if I didn't have this opportunity to be at Siemens and have this time to compose, I would never have been able to write this. This piece is related to and influenced by Siemens, their factory and their people, the ability to hear and the people I have worked with and met here. So the music expresses the ideas and the feelings of my experiences here.
AO/Beck: What's the next step in your musical career? That is, what happens when you return to your home in a few weeks?
Yanov-Yanovsky: I have two concerts in Italy after I leave here. Then after that, I have other important commissions to compose more music too. I also have the schools where I teach, and other obligations as a composer too.
AO/Beck: Can you tell me the value of the Artists-In-Residence Program, from your viewpoint as a composer?
Yanov-Yanovsky: I think it is very valuable. It allows a cultural exchange, and allows diverse individuals to explore other viewpoints and to learn from each other. Artists and businessmen are an unusual grouping, but a good one! It is very important for people to share ideas and thoughts and to communicate on many different levels. I am very pleased to be here and I am grateful to Siemens for this opportunity.
Click here to visit the Siemens Hearing Instruments website.
Sawyer: Hi Doug. Thanks for joining us, glad to have you here in New Jersey.
AO/Beck: This is a little bit different from the typical industry interviews we do. In fact, this is very different! Rather than talking about hearing aids, circuits, marketing, billing and related topics, I'd like to discuss the Siemens Artist-In-Residence program and the Silk Roads Project introduced by Yo-Yo Ma a few years ago, and then we'll speak with Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky about his experience and reflections too. David, why don't I start by asking you to give us the program overview?
Sawyer: Siemens Artist-In-Residence Program is an extension of Siemens' partnership with Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Project. The program was created to help unite cultures through the common language of music. Siemens Hearing Solutions was the perfect venue for the first composer in the Artist-In-Residence Program, as there is a natural link between music and hearing. This really has been an enriching experience for us and we're proud to be a part of it. When you think about the beautiful sounds of life, one of the things that comes to mind is, of course, music. As you know, many of our products and the programming software is geared towards music, and of course music is a very important part of each of our lives. So we are honored to be part of this program. It allows us to give back to the community and it allows us to be a better corporate neighbor. Dmitri is the first of the six composers that are planned as part of the Artists-In-Residence Program, so this is the prototype, and it's going very well.
AO/Beck: Let's talk about your new Artist-In-Residence.
Sawyer: Certainly, his name is Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky. He is a composer from Uzbekistan.
AO/Beck: And if I recall what I read yesterday, he is actually living at your house, with your family?
Sawyer: Yes, he is. It's been a great experience for all of us to examine the cultural differences and to explore the similarities. It's really been wonderful. In the early days when Siemens first decided to participate in this program, we thought about having Dmitri stay in a hotel and we thought about other options too. After a little while, we thought the best thing would be for him to actually experience American life and culture in a home. I volunteered to host him because we have four children, and we have lots of music in our home, and my wife and I thought it would be a great experience for all of us to broaden our horizons a little bit. He is an easy guest to have around, very polite and very pleasant. Dmitri has composed a few musical pieces for our family and specifically for the children, and we've all really enjoyed that!
AO/Beck: So in some respects, Dmitri living at your house and experiencing the American way of life is part of the cultural exchange. In other words, your families are exchanging and sharing on a smaller scale, while the music and the corporations are sharing on a larger scale?
Sawyer: Yes, I think so. I think the exchange of thoughts and ideas certainly makes it easier for us to understand other people personally, and on the larger scale, working together across other cultures helps us to understand how to work together to better meet each other's needs as we do business.
AO/Beck: David, how do you measure success in a program like this? With hearing instruments, batteries, assistive listening devices etc, you can look at the number of products sold, or revenues generated, or whatever, but this is a different type of project. I wonder how you'll know if it's a success?
Sawyer: That's a good point. Basically, as a corporation, we probably cannot objectively measure the success of this program. However, we do measure employee morale as we support the arts and other humanitarian programs, and we believe these programs are very worthwhile. We essentially view this program as one aspect of our corporate giving program. This particular program awards scholarships to six composers from Asian and European countries along the Silk Road. The composers each received a living stipend and transportation, two months of food and lodging with a Siemens host family, and work space within the Siemens facility for the artist to create their work here in the USA. Siemens is well known internationally for supporting the arts. So the Artist-In-Residence program is just one step on a much longer journey.
AO/Beck: Dmitri, thanks for joining us. I'd like to get your thoughts, insight and reflections on this adventure.
Yanov-Yanovsky: Thank you, I am happy to be here. This is a fabulous experience.
AO/Beck: Was this your first trip to America?
Yanov-Yanovsky: No, I've been here before. My first trip was in 1993. I came to New York because two of my compositions were being played at Lincoln Center, and that was very exciting.
AO/Beck: That really is an amazing accomplishment, you must be very proud.
Yanov-Yanovsky: It was an honor to have my music played at Lincoln Center. I was very happy.
AO/Beck: Do you listen to contemporary musicians? For example, do you listen to Billy Joel?
Yanov-Yanovsky: Yes, I do. I think he is very talented and I like many of the works he has created. However, pop music doesn't really influence me. I like Billy Joel, he is very talented, but my music is very different from his. I was introduced to the Siemens Artist-In-Residnece Program by Yo Yo Ma, the famous cellist. He has recorded some pop music, some jazz and some classical, so the borders are vague and they change all the time.
AO/Beck: Did you find that Siemens was what you expected?
Yanov-Yanovsky: No, not really! I thought the factory would be bright lights, all sorts of industrial noises, and lots of banging and clanging. I thought maybe I would use the factory noises in the composition using tape loops or something. But, in fact, the factory is a very high technology center and there's hardly any noise -- except in the lunch room! So I was surprised by the factory. It was not what I expected, but it has been wonderful. Not only has it been wonderful to have two months here to write music, but I've had the opportunity to improve my English, and I have also met many wonderful people.
AO/Beck: All of the parents will want to know this - How old were you when you started studying music and what is your primary instrument?
Yanov-Yanovsky: I was five years old when I started studying music. Piano is my primary instrument, but I also play violin. I started to study composition when I was eleven years old. My father was a composer and I had many fine teachers, conductors and musicians I worked with for many years, and they have influenced me very much.
AO/Beck: Has the two months in the USA been productive for you?
Yanov-Yanovsky: Yes, very much so. I have been composing music, and learning things. The primary piece I have written is titled Hearing Solutions . The process of hearing loss and then regaining the gift of hearing is reflected in my composition. I am sure that if I didn't have this opportunity to be at Siemens and have this time to compose, I would never have been able to write this. This piece is related to and influenced by Siemens, their factory and their people, the ability to hear and the people I have worked with and met here. So the music expresses the ideas and the feelings of my experiences here.
AO/Beck: What's the next step in your musical career? That is, what happens when you return to your home in a few weeks?
Yanov-Yanovsky: I have two concerts in Italy after I leave here. Then after that, I have other important commissions to compose more music too. I also have the schools where I teach, and other obligations as a composer too.
AO/Beck: Can you tell me the value of the Artists-In-Residence Program, from your viewpoint as a composer?
Yanov-Yanovsky: I think it is very valuable. It allows a cultural exchange, and allows diverse individuals to explore other viewpoints and to learn from each other. Artists and businessmen are an unusual grouping, but a good one! It is very important for people to share ideas and thoughts and to communicate on many different levels. I am very pleased to be here and I am grateful to Siemens for this opportunity.
Click here to visit the Siemens Hearing Instruments website.
