Siemens : Opera Contest chooses first winner in France

In the final, Timoshenko beat off competition from 11 other contestants. Dr. Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG, officially presented the award at yesterday's gala at the Paris Opera. Klaus Helmrich, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG will also be in attendance along with Christophe de Maistre, CEO of Siemens France.

The Siemens Opera Contest is a professional singing competition for the best young singers. In 2018, the contest will return to the original venue in Istanbul/Turkey to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The contest is one element in the company's sustained commitment to promoting culture and became part of the Siemens Arts Programs in 2016, making it one of Siemens' globally significant cultural projects. 2017 saw the contest taking place in France for the first time.

Having been a partner of the Paris opera houses for many years now, Siemens has set itself the goal of giving sustained support to the intellectual, social and economic development of our society.

As Christophe de Maistre, CEO of Siemens France, put it: 'Besides science and research, Siemens also supports creative talents from the world of the arts. Creativity from all sections of society forms the basis for future-oriented activities.'

Stephan Frucht, Artistic Director of the Siemens Arts Program, on the prizewinner: 'In spite of his youth, Mikhail Timoshenko impressed us with his mature artistic personality and his sensitive interaction with the ensemble.'

Siemens displays wide-ranging social commitment ('Business to Society') all around the world and cultivates a distinctive corporate culture ('ownership culture'). The Siemens Arts Program focuses on music, visual arts and cultural education. It sees itself as a creative platform for the company's arts and culture projects.