Hungarian music and dance, at Telecom World 2019

One of the highlights of the ITU’s Telecom World this year was the generous hospitality of our Hungarian hosts.  Preceding the impressive (if slightly concerning) drone display over the Danube, there was an excellent performance of music and dance in the recently refurbished neo-Renaissance Castle Garden Bazaar complex overlooking the Buda riverfront.  I hope that the images below capture something of the evening’s entertainment.  The men dancing were truly spectacular!

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Trinidad Panorama 2015

I was very fortunate to be invited to attend the 2015 Panorama in Port of Spain this afternoon, as a guest of iGovTT – and part of the iPOSSE.  Despite the mud, it was an amazingly vibrant and energetic event – that made me feel both very old and very white!  Panorama is the annual steelpan competition in Trinidad and Tobago, and for the semi-finals held in Queen’s Park Savannah in the centre of Port of Spain, there are many side events in a separate location just to the west of the main stands.  Companies and organisations pitch their ‘tents’, and each have their own posses, many replete with T-shirts personalised by people cutting them into all sorts of patterns. The DJs compete with the steelpan bands, booming out the loudest possible music, and as the alcohol levels rise the dancing becomes much more explicit!  I hope that the images below do justice to some of the vibrancy of the event!

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Open Mic/Jam session at ICTD2010

Thanks to Ugo for bringing together such an amazing set of ICT4D talent for last night’s party in the Stumble Inn.  It was an fine start to the social programme – and thanks to everyone for being so willing to contribute with everything from teaching us how to do Flamenco (Nicholas Negroponte style), to poetry to dancing.  The evening finished off with a guest performance from singer-songwriter Roxanne de Bastion…

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The Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Choir

The creation of an exciting new orchestra – the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Choir – has just been announced.  Its mission is “to bring together young musicians of the 54 countries of the Commonwealth, uniting them in the pursuit of musical excellence while transcending all cultural, political, social and economic boundaries, and promoting, by example, these values of excellence for the benefit of all people throughout the Commonwealth”.

The Orchestra has four aims:

• To give students of the Commonwealth (aged 18 – 24) the opportunity to perform concerts throughout all the 54 countries of the Commonwealth.
• To give composers of the Commonwealth international opportunities to have their music performed.
• To give conductors of the Commonwealth international opportunities to conduct a world-class orchestra.

• To give young soloists of the Commonwealth international opportunities to perform with a world-class orchestra.