On Thursday evening, Pop!Tech hosted a dinner in New York City’s Harvard Club to benefit 2006 Speaker and AIDS Activist Zinhle “Zinny” Thabethe and the Siphithemba Choir (formerly Sinikithemba Choir).

But the evening was more than just a charity dinner, it was a call for action. We invited 40 senior level executives and change agent from varied fields to put our minds together for three discrete projects. The Choir, comprising of HIV + men and women from Durban, South Africa, have become independent of the McCord Hospital and are in the process of being a legally incorporated entity. Pop!Tech is helping them to achieve this as well as to secure studio recording time to produce another album, increase the Choir’s international visibility and to help them develop a self-sustaining business model.

Zinny presented her compelling story to the guests and even surprised everyone with a moving musical performance in Zulu. Copies of Keefe Murren’s documentary film iThemba | Hope were also distributed to help spread the amazing story of the Siphithemba Choir.

The dinner is the first step Pop!Tech’s growing mission to amplify the signal of inspiring projects like the Choirs and the work of Partners, the AIDS treatment program in rural South Africa where Zinny works with Dr. Krista Dong.

Check back for more developments on this project and we would also like to extend the ask to everyone on the blogosphere who would like to learn more about the Choir and help to bring awareness to their work by contacting me at june (at)poptech.org.

photos by Joshua Bright.

On December 18th, in the mind-blowingly beautiful Soho loft of world-class designer, Cheryl Heller, our friends and NYC neighbors gathered to celebrate the very first music release from Pop!Tech.

Pop!Tech CEO Thomas LeVine and Producer Beth Cohen

Andrew started off the evening speaking about Pop!Tech and how this amazing project came together. Losang Rabgey, director of Machick - the charity to which 100% of the CD price is being donated- offered a few words about the work that she and her organization do in rural Tibet. And then there was the much anticipated live performance of Yungchen Lhamo and Reggie Watts. Completely improvised and completely amazing, the two artists unique sounds filled the loft space.

Reggie and Yungchen perform live

Projects like “AntiBabel” and Pop!Tech Giving (A website to make donations to the many amazing organizations featured at this years conference) help us to carry out our mission to “amplify weak signals” as Andrew put it. Pop!Tech is dedicated to supporting and calling attention to organizations that are enforcing real change in our word. We encourage you to purchase an “AntiBabel” CD for yourself, your friends and family. Also visit Pop!Tech Giving to make a tax-deductible donation to any or all of the featured charities.

amshied Sharifi, Yungchen Lhamo, Andrew Zolli, Reggie Watts and Losang Rabgey

Thanks to Yungchen Lhamo, Reggie Watts, Jamshied Sharifi, Larry Braverman, David Meinert, Ben Arons, Andy VanDette

And a special thanks to the generous financial support from Banana Republic and Etymotic Research, Inc.

Photos by HeuiChul Kim