Musician Composes Groundbreaking 'Breathing Media' Multi Media Work As Part of
Company's Sponsorship of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project
PRINCETON, N.J., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens announced today the
arrival of Tamami Tono from Kanagawa, Japan, who, as the second composer for
its Artist-in-Residence Program, will live with a host family in New Jersey
and compose from a studio at the Siemens Corporate Research facility in
Princeton, NJ. Ms. Tono will work on her groundbreaking music form called
"Breathing Media", a fusion of audio and visual components derived from the
mechanics of the centuries-old sho instrument and combined with visual arts
and the 'digitization' of breathing. She will be living in the U.S. during
the months of February and April 2003, not only composing but also working
with Siemens engineers to enhance the technological aspects of her "Breathing
Media" project.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021029/SILOGO )
"The Artist-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," said Klaus Kleinfeld, president and chief executive officer of Siemens
Corporation. Our first composer, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky's, residence was a
tremendous success," Kleinfeld, added. "We are excited about Ms. Tono's
residence, as it's an example of how cultures can gain a better understanding
of one another, simply by sharing the gift of music."
Ms. Tono was selected by the program's distinguished panel of judges,
which include Artist Director and Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Dartmouth Professor of
Music Ted Levin, McGill Music Faculty Member and Silk Road Ensemble Musician
Kojiro Umezaki, and Jens Cording, Siemens Arts Program. She is an
accomplished musician, having performed Gagaku, one of the world's oldest
existing music and dance performing arts, at the National Theater of Japan
since 1990. Over the past several years, Ms. Tono has developed new media
performances called "Breathing Media," which explores the capacity of the sho,
a traditional Japanese instrument, as a sound media that synchronizes the most
fundamental and natural activity of life -- "breathing." She uses
sophisticated sound sensors that are activated according to the sound system
of the sho. The sensor then integrates all artistic expressions - voice,
sound, light, dance, computer graphics, and other visual arts that are
performed on the same stage into a digital form that produces acoustic and
visual effects. (For more information on Tono's "Breathing Media", go to
http://www.breathingmedia.org )
About The Siemens Artists in Residence Program
The Siemens Artist-in-Residence Program, a joint initiative between
Siemens Corporation and the Siemens Arts Program, Munich, awards scholarships
to musical composers from Asian and European countries along the ancient 'Silk
Road' trade routes. These Artists-in-Residence live for two months with the
family of a Siemens employee. The visiting musicians work from special
composition studios in Siemens facilities across the U.S. The program affords
artists the opportunity to study American culture, find inspiration in their
everyday experience of industry, demonstrate their art in a new culture, and
share their work and culture within their new communities. Each artist,
during their U.S. stay, is encouraged to display their talents at various
community events, as well as scheduled gatherings during the workday.
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 http://www.silkroadproject.org .
About Siemens
Siemens Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Munich-based Siemens AG
(NYSE: SI) a leading global electronics and engineering company. Siemens AG
employs 426,000 people in 192 countries and reported worldwide sales of more
than $84 billion in fiscal 2002 (10/1/01 - 9/30/02). The United States is
Siemens' largest market in the world, with sales of more than $21 billion in
fiscal 2002 and more than 74,000 employees in all 50 states. Corporate
headquarters for Siemens' U.S. businesses are located in New York City. For
more information: http://www.usa.siemens.com .
SOURCE Siemens Corporation
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