Extension of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project Brings Composers from Europe and Asia's Ancient Trade Routes to the United States
PISCATAWAY, N.J., August 9, 2002 - Siemens Corporation announced today its sponsorship and launch of the "Siemens Artists-in-Residence Program." The "Siemens Artists-in-Residence Program" was created by Siemens Corporation in cooperation with the Siemens Arts Program, Munich, and the Silk Road Project in New York in an effort to help unite cultures and foster trust and understanding across the globe through the universal language of music.
The program will award scholarships to six composers from Asian and European countries that lie along the trade routes of the historic Silk Road. Each composer will reside for two months with the family of a Siemens employee and will work from a studio within a Siemens manufacturing facility. The program affords the artists the opportunity to share their culture with and demonstrate their work to new communities, to learn more about American culture, and to find inspiration in the everyday experience of American industry. During the residency, each composer will be encouraged to share his or her talents at community events and structured gatherings within the Siemens facility.
As an extension of the Silk Road Project, the "Siemens Artists-in-Residence Program" brings to life the true meaning of Yo-Yo Ma's original initiative. "One of the reasons I formed the Silk Road Project was to lay a strong foundation for cross-cultural communication," Yo-Yo Ma said. "The 'Siemens Artists-in-Residence Program' opens the door to a better understanding and appreciation of different cultures. It is my hope that this program and others like it will foster this critical sharing of ideas, talent and energy world-wide."
Siemens' first artist-in-residence is Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Yanov-Yanovsky was selected by the program's distinguished panel of judges, which include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Dartmouth Professor of Music Ted Levin, Jacques-Yves LeDocte from the Brussels Philharmonic, and composer Kojiro Umezaki. Yanov-Yanovsky will be living with a host family in New Jersey and will be composing from a studio in a Siemens Hearing Solutions facility in Piscataway, NJ. He will be in the US from mid-August through mid-October 2002.
The "Siemens Artists-in-Residence Program" echoes one of the company's core values, which is to foster a global network of cultures and people from around the world. "As a global company, it's important for us to understand the cultures and people of the countries where we conduct business," said William Lankenau, President and CEO of Siemens Hearing Solutions, the first company to host the Uzbek composer. "It's about more than making a profit. It's about becoming a good corporate citizen, and I think the 'Artist in Residence' program is an important step in achieving this goal."
David Sawyer, Vice President of Marketing for Siemens Hearing Solutions and his family volunteered to be the first host family in the program. "It's important to get to know people from other parts of the world and to foster a culture of understanding," said Sawyer. "By sharing the same emotions and feelings about family or music, we're building bridges of understanding and appreciation for one another that can change everything. That's what this program is all about."
About the Silk Road Project
The Silk Road Project, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1998 by Mr. Ma. The purpose of the Silk Road Project is to illuminate the Silk Road's historical contribution to the cross-cultural diffusion of arts, technologies, and musical traditions, identify the voices that best represent its cultural legacy today, and support innovative collaborations among outstanding artists from the lands of the Silk Road and the West. The Project has had extraordinary support from the private sector. In addition to Siemens, Ford Motor Company is the other Global Corporate Partner of the Silk Road Project. Sony Classical is the founding supporter. For more information on the Silk Road Project go to www.silkroadproject.org.
About Siemens
Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, Siemens Hearing Solutions, designs, engineers and manufactures advanced digital, basic digital, and digitally programmable hearing aids in all custom (In-the-Canal, In-the-Ear, and Completely-in-the-Canal) and Behind-the-Ear (BTE) models. The Company also offers audiologic software, and assistive listening devices (ALDs), such as amplified phones, which help improve the quality of life of the hearing impaired. Visit www.siemens-hearing.com for more information.
The Company operates as a subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions, of Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. Its innovative products include imaging systems for diagnosis, therapy equipment for treatment, hearing instruments, and critical care and life support systems, as well as a wide array of information technology and data management solutions that optimize workflow and increase efficiency in hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices. Employing approximately 30,000 people worldwide, the company reported sales of 7.2 billion EUR, orders of 8.4 billion EUR and EBITA of 808 million EUR in fiscal 2001 (September, 30). More information can be obtained by visiting us on the Web at www.siemensmedical.com. For more information about Siemens in the U.S., visit www.usa.siemens.com.
