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{\pard\f0\li0\ri0\sa360\sl360\fs22 Basel, 21 August 2004\line \line {\b Composer 
Chen Yi receives second {\i Roche Commission} } \line World premiere of 
Sir Harrison Birtwistle\u8217?s \u8220?Night\u8217?s Black Bird\u8221?, the first {\i Roche Commission} \line \line This 
morning Roche awarded the second {\i Roche Commission}  for a musical composition to 
the Chinese-American musician and composer Chen Yi. A presentation ceremony at the Roche Forum Buonas 
in Lucerne marked the start of the second round of this innovative cultural project. Chen Yi\u8217?s work 
will be performed for the first time on 26 August 2005 at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Center during 
the Lucerne Summer Festival. The US premiere at New York\u8217?s Carnegie Hall is planned for 17 October 2005.\line \line Commenting 
on the second {\i Roche Commission} , Roche Chairman and CEO Franz B. Humer said: \u8220?I 
am delighted that the second {\i Roche Commission}  has been awarded once again to an 
outstanding contemporary figure. Chen Yi\u8217?s music draws together East and West in a unique way. The decision 
to choose her for this award underscores the spirit of {\i Roche Commissions}  \u8211? we 
want this cultural project to demonstrate the close affinities between innovation in the arts and innovation 
in medical research and at the same time build bridges between different cultures.\u8221?\line \line Chen 
Yi, who was born in the Chinese city of Guangzhou in 1953, had a broad musical training as a violinist, 
composer and ethnomusicologist. In 1988 she emigrated to the United States with her husband, who is 
also a composer. Her work combines Western music with the sound of traditional Chinese idiom. For Chen 
Yi, music is a universal language, but one that is inextricably bound up with the composer\u8217?s cultural 
and psychological makeup. As such, she believes her work is shaped by her Chinese roots, philosophy 
and customs. Chen Yi describes her music as a marriage of the consonant and dissonant, the tonal and 
atonal, expressing the sound of speaking Chinese in the Western music idiom.\line \line The 
first {\i Roche Commission}  was awarded last year to the British composer Sir Harrison 
Birtwistle. The premiere of his {\i Roche Commission}  work, \u8220?Night\u8217?s Black Bird\u8221?, will 
be performed tonight at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Center as part of the Lucerne Summer Festival. 
The US premiere at New York\u8217?s Carnegie Hall will take place on 4 February 2005.\line \line {\b {\i Roche 
Commissions} } \line In 2003 Roche, the Lucerne Festival and Carnegie Hall, in partnership 
with The Cleveland Orchestra, announced their agreement to cooperate on a novel cultural sponsorship 
project to be known as {\i Roche Commissions} . Within the framework of this unique 
commitment, Roche will commission one new work a year by an internationally renowned composer of contemporary 
music. The composers are selected by Roche based on recommendations by the artistic directors of the 
Lucerne Festival, Carnegie Hall and The Cleveland Orchestra. Each commissioned work will premiere at 
the Lucerne Summer Festival and will be performed by The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Franz 
Welser-M\u246?st. Welser-M\u246?st will also conduct the US premiere at Carnegie Hall during the concert season 
starting later that year. \line \line {\b Roche} \line Headquartered 
in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world\u8217?s leading research-intensive healthcare groups. Its 
core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services 
for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts 
to improving people\u8217?s health and quality of life. Roche is number one in the global diagnostics market, 
the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. 
In 2003 the Pharmaceuticals Division generated 19.8 billion Swiss francs in prescription drug sales, 
while the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 7.4 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 
people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including 
majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. In addition to its active involvement in humanitarian 
projects, Roche has a long history of supporting the arts, particularly modern classical music and the 
modern visual arts. In 1996, for example, to mark its centenary, Roche funded the construction of Basel\u8217?s 
Jean Tinguely Museum, designed by Mario Botta. The company provides full operational funding for the 
museum.\line \line {\b Additional information} :\line - 
The Lucerne Festival (http://www.lucernefestival.ch): www.lucernefestival.ch \line - The 
Cleveland Orchestra (http://www.clevelandorch.com): www.clevelandorch.com 
\line - Carnegie Hall (http://www.carnegiehall.org): www.carnegiehall.org\par}
{\pard \par}
{\pard\sb180\f1\fs22 {\b F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd}\line 4070 Basel\line Switzerland \par}
{\pard\sb180\f1\fs22 Corporate Communications\line Roche Group Media Relations \par}
{\pard\sb180\f1\fs22 Tel. +41 61 688 88 88\line Fax +41 61 688 27 75\line www.roche.com \par}
}