Cultural Education - intercultural dialogue
We enable individuals in our own company and beyond to be enriched by participation in the creative process. The program gives interested employees an insight into different art forms, thus fostering cultural and intercultural dialog - and also beyond the work environment. There are, for instance, regular outreach events in leading cultural institutions with curators, artists and collectors.
The Siemens Arts Program, in partnership with prestigious arts organizations and artists, also offers a unique development program for high potentials and future managers - SCENE (Siemens Cultural Empowerment for New Executives). Intensive engagement with artistic and cultural creatives and the associated development of cultural and intercultural competence is one of the keys to cultivating an innovation mindset within management.
In the USA there is currently a lively discussion about the relationship of "STEM to. STEAM”, in other words whether or not schools should teach the “A” in “The Arts” as an integral part of human education. Advocates of STEAM argue that a well-rounded education for children should include art and music alongside the STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Artistic Director of the Carnegie Hall, Sir Clive Gillinson and the CEO of Siemens USA, Barbara Humpton spoke about artistic education in schools and the support of the arts and culture. We can learn a great deal, not only from music but from musicians too - that was the message from our interview with soloist Kristīne Balanas, who is herself actively involved in music and cultural outreach.
What influence does digitalization have on the music landscape? Artists earn around 0.006 cents per stream at Spotify. To earn the minimum wage of 1414 euros in Germany, an artist needs around 393,000 streams a month. Only when songs are streamed millions of times musicians can make a good living from their music (source).
After the #SiemensArtsProgram had started its own project in the field of digital music, we wanted to stick to the topic. We invited representatives from the arts, media and politics to a panel discussion in the Siemensstadt The guests discussed how artists and labels deal with the changes in the production and distribution of music. Many musicians and smaller labels can only survive if they concentrate more on live concerts. On the other hand, thanks to streaming platforms, the artists reach music lovers all over the world. Niche music from Germany finds fans from Lagos to Seoul.
But just listen to the podcast yourself!
(in German)
When the conference hall becomes a concert hall
A treat for the senses - this was offered by the first Siemens lunch concert in Berlin. The outstanding ARD music prize winner Kristīne Balanas (violin) and the Neue Philharmonie Berlin (conductor: Andreas Schulz) thrilled the audience in Siemensstadt with a breathtaking performance that was literally absorbed by the audience. A subsequent lunch offered employees and musicians the opportunity for mutual exchange.
Sound experience of a special kind
The violinist Kristīne Balanas opened the lunch concert together with the Neue Philharmonie Berlin under the direction of Andreas Schulz. The Latvian soloist is one of the fastest-growing talents on the international music scene and has undoubtedly demonstrated her skill and professionalism.
With a remarkable ease she took the audience on a journey through Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor. The audience honoured her excellent performance with minutes of applause.
In the second part of the concert, the Neue Philharmonie once again showed its class and presented excerpts from Ludwig van Beethoven's 7th Symphony. Conductor Andreas Schulz demanded top performance from his talented young musicians, which was again rewarded with sustained cheers. As a thank you for this appreciation, the orchestra, founded in 2017, rounded off the concert with an encore.
Networking with aspiring artists
After the concert, employees and musicians were given the opportunity to exchange ideas with each other and gain insights into the other's working world in an informal atmosphere. Soloist Kristīne Balanas also took plenty of time after her performance to let this unconventional lunch break fade away. She spoke in German, English, Latvian and Russian - obviously the sympathetic prizewinner is also a language genius. In order to keep this unique concert in special memory, she took photos with interested employees. Siemens can be proud to support young talents like her through the International ARD Music Competition.
CULTURE FOR COLLEAGUES
Lunch Concert: On August 24 the first Siemens Lunch Concert took place at Siemens Headquarters in Munich. As Siemens now partners with the ARD International Music Competition, the Siemens Arts Program invited the last year’s prize winner Dominik Wagner (Double Bass) and Maciej Skarbek (Piano) to perform at the lunchtime concert (August 2017).
Art for (w)all
With the support of art experts from Siemens' cultural partners, the Siemens Arts Program offered a unique photo project for employees at the new Siemens headquarters. The colleagues at the Munich Headquarters captured images of everyday things that they hold dear and that motivate them daily. The teams then entered into a creative process of collaboration with the Siemens Arts Program.
More than 45 teams took part, and submitted over 400 photographs. A jury of experts assessed the pictures and selected the best. These are being displayed since May 2017 at the office walls of the new Siemens headquarters.
SCENE - Siemens Cultural Empowerment for New Executives
Experience, explore and benefit from culture and the arts
SCENE is a unique professional development program for high potentials and individuals with substantial management responsibility. We initiate specific trainings with renowned players from today‘s creative scene, e. g. curators, visual artists, and musicians. The program is an integral part of the Siemens Arts Program.
Active involvement beats passive consumption
Through a well-rounded combination of lectures, seminars and interactive workshops, participants experience how artists work and have the opportunity to get actively involved themselves. They receive the chance to improve their ability to handle “failures” constructively.
The program generally comprises the following workshop modules: music, performing arts, visual arts, new media, architecture, and literature.
