Latest news with #Symphony
Vogue
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson on Her Fourth Tour With the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra—and Her Beloved Collection of Vyshyvankas
During World War II, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony became a shorthand throughout Europe. With Morse code for the letter V (three dots and a dash) following the same pattern as the symphony's iconic opening notes, the tune came to represent victory in occupied Europe. Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson also reads a sense of triumph in the work—as well as one of resilience. That's why it's being featured in her latest tour with the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, an ensemble comprising 74 musicians, all Ukrainian, including recent refugees and Ukrainian members of European orchestras. It was formed by Wilson (who is Canadian-Ukrainian) in the weeks following Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. The musicians initially came together that summer for a concert tour of Europe and the United States. It was a massive undertaking, one that Wilson thought would be a one-off, followed perhaps the following year by a victory tour. Three years later, however, 'here we are,' Wilson says. She's speaking from her dressing room in Warsaw, where the Freedom Orchestra's fourth tour (nicknamed the Resilience Tour) will launch on August 14. It concludes in London on August 29, with stops in Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, and the Netherlands along the way. On a rehearsal break, Wilson speaks to Vogue about the upcoming tour, her fall schedule conducting in Kyiv (where she is music director of the Kyiv Camerata) and Lviv, and—in between—her return to the Metropolitan Opera for a revival of Puccini's La Bohème. Vogue: How is it being reunited with the musicians of the Freedom Orchestra? Keri-Lynn Wilson: Everything's absolutely wonderful, despite the tragedy that's ongoing in our lives. We don't see each other for a year, so it's such an emotional experience when we all come together. And then the new repertoire, that's exciting. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is very powerful. It has a very strong message of resilience, which is our message on this tour. Has it gotten easier to bring these tours together each year? No—hell no! [Laughs.] With the war progressing, things are actually getting tougher. It's tougher to get the male musicians out of the country. For example, we have a player who, two days before he was to come here, was drafted, and we couldn't get him out. In the past, we had help from the Ministry of Culture. [But now] it's a huge problem in Ukraine: They are desperate for men. So we're very concerned. The best-case scenario is that he plays in the military band there, but at this moment he's in physical training.
Fashion Value Chain
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
Chennai's BCS Launches Agentic isAI, a No-Code, Self-Orchestrating AI Built for Business Automation
Agentic isAI is a no-code, autonomous AI platform that learns from behavior and automates enterprise operations without human prompts Business Core Solutions is a Chennai-based tech company delivering enterprise-grade automation platforms trusted by global industry leaders The Chennai-based technology company Business Core Solutions (BCS) has launched Agentic isAI, a path-breaking, autonomous AI platform that reimagines enterprise automation. This first-of-its-kind solution empowers businesses to proactively manage operations, reduce downtime, and automate critical workflows, all without the need for prompts, coding, or training data. Chennai's BCS Launches Agentic isAI, a No-Code, Self-Orchestrating AI Built for Business Automation True to its name, which is inspired by the Tamil word 'Isai' – meaning music, Agentic isAI has the ability to bring harmony and intelligence to complex enterprise systems. Unlike traditional AI systems that require extensive training data or manual prompts, Agentic isAI operates with true autonomy – it can observe system behaviour, detect anomalies, and initiate responses without human intervention. The solution is designed as a no-code platform – it learns from real-time patterns instead of relying on pre-trained models, making it faster to deploy and easier to adapt across industries. Built for enterprise environments, it seamlessly integrates with platforms like SAP, Azure, Salesforce, Oracle, and more. Already in production with leading global clients, it is helping reduce downtime, prevent job failures, optimise cloud usage, and automate critical business operations at scale. BCS is a Chennai-based enterprise technology company specialising in intelligent automation platforms for global businesses. Its flagship solutions, including Symphony for process orchestration, Anugal for identity governance, and DQView for data quality management, are trusted by Fortune 100 companies and industry leaders across the US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. With the launch of Agentic isAI, BCS continues to push the boundaries of scalable, AI-driven enterprise automation. In his comments, Mr. Prakash Palani, Founder, Business Core Solutions, said, 'We're proud and excited to launch Agentic isAI, a product that reflects years of deep enterprise insight and cutting-edge innovation. What makes Agentic isAI truly path-breaking is its ability to act autonomously, without prompts, training data, or code, and still deliver reliable, enterprise-grade automation. We believe this platform has the power to fundamentally transform how businesses operate, making them more responsive, efficient, and resilient in a fast-changing world.' He added: 'Innovations like this are often expected to emerge from Silicon Valley or other global tech hubs. But Agentic isAI was imagined, engineered, and brought to life right here in Tamil Nadu. It proves that world-class enterprise technology can be built anywhere, as long as there is intent, talent, and vision. This launch isn't just a milestone for us. It's a moment of pride for the entire region.' Beyond Agentic isAI, BCS offers a suite of powerful enterprise platforms designed to address core operational challenges. Symphony is an AI-powered orchestration platform that streamlines IT and business processes, enabling seamless automation across complex systems. Anugal focuses on identity and access governance, helping organizations ensure compliance, manage risk, and enforce security with precision. Meanwhile, DQView is a modern data quality platform that brings visibility, validation, and trust to enterprise data landscapes. These solutions reflect BCS's commitment to building deeply integrated, scalable technologies that drive measurable impact for global businesses. At the heart of BCS is a belief that technology and social responsibility can grow together. The company has consistently invested in inclusive hiring, with over half its workforce comprising individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, including first-generation graduates, rural youth, women returning to work, and persons with hearing and speech impairments. Through initiatives like the BCS Academy, which trains and places students, and HERizon, which supports women re-entering the workforce, BCS has created not just jobs, but opportunities for transformation. Its social initiatives also extend to improving public education, installing clean water systems, and nurturing local talent, making it a company where business success and human impact go hand in hand. For more details, please visit:
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis has a message she wants you to hear
When Ayling-Ellis' character, Alison, watches CCTV footage of suspected gang members, she scrutinises their facial expressions and observes how they stand. Like any good detective, Alison must study the scene, piecing together clues. In a clever visual conceit, jumbled subtitles appear on-screen and gradually unscramble as she decodes each sentence. Code of Silence first screened on ITV in Britain in May, and its debut episode drew over 6 million viewers, according to the broadcaster. Ayling-Ellis was already known to many from Strictly Come Dancing, the wildly popular BBC show that inspired the Dancing With the Stars franchise. She won the show in 2021 with a routine, to Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson's Symphony, that fell silent halfway to mirror her experience of being deaf. Kieron Moore and Rose Ayling-Ellis in Code of Silence. She plays a deaf woman who is recruited by the police to eavesdrop by lip reading. That victory made her a household name and landed her TV presenting gigs, including as a sportscaster at the 2024 Paralympic Games. But after being 'on the TV as myself quite a few times,' she said, she wanted to get back to acting. This year, Ayling-Ellis has also starred in the miniseries Reunion, a revenge thriller about a deaf man recently released from prison, and played opposite Ncuti Gatwa in an episode of the cult sci-fi series Doctor Who. Though she has been acting professionally for 13 years, Code of Silence is her first leading role. Her character in the show is working in a police station cafeteria when one of the officers recruits her, and she also has a side hustle as a pub bartender to make ends meet. 'I feel like that is what is currently happening in the UK,' Ayling-Ellis said. 'Everyone needs two or three jobs to be able to pay the rent.' She said that she and the show's creator and screenwriter, Catherine Moulton, wanted to reflect that times were 'hard for everyone' in Britain at the moment, and 'even harder for disabled people'. The British Government's treatment of disabled people has been in the spotlight this year, and last month Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed restricting welfare benefits to tamp down on rising social security spending. 'This Government is trying to get disabled people back to work, but not providing the help for us to be able to work,' Ayling-Ellis said. While she wanted to draw attention to the barriers that disabled people face, she said, she also wanted to show that they live complex and varied lives. 'We've got personalities. We make mistakes. We have love interests,' she said. In the show, as in life, Ayling-Ellis said, lip reading is 'like a puzzle.' Photo / Max Miechowski, The New York Times Hungry for adventure and against her better judgment, her character in 'Code of Silence' strikes up a romantic relationship with one of the gang members she is investigating. That was in contrast, Ayling-Ellis said, to a desexualised perception of disabled people, who often 'get treated like a child'. She shook her head. 'I'm a woman. I'm 30 years old.' During her childhood in Hythe, a seaside town about 95km southeast of London, she often felt like 'the only deaf person in the whole word,' she said. After high school, she studied fashion at an art college, and specialised in embellishments like beading. 'I don't need to be able to hear to do that job,' she recalled thinking. Now, she felt 'a little bit angry about that,' she said, adding, 'I should've chosen what I wanted to do, rather than what I thought other people would accept me doing.' As a teenager, Ayling-Ellis had attended a film-making workshop for deaf children. But being behind the camera was 'slow and boring' – whereas being in front of it was another story. 'It's energetic, and I'd really get into a role,' she said: 'I loved performing.' She joined Deafinitely Youth Theatre, part of a London-based company for deaf people, and looked for other gigs on the side. 'At that time, I didn't have an agent,' she said, 'so I used to get jobs through Facebook.' Ayling-Ellis said she was first 'noticed' after being cast in a BBC miniseries called Summer of Rockets, a role that landed her representation. She went on to appear in the long-running British soap opera Eastenders, which she described as 'my film school for two years'. Ayling-Ellis has been acting professionally for 13 years, but Code of Silence is her first leading role. Since winning Strictly Come Dancing, Ayling-Ellis said she had 'felt a responsibility to try and educate people, to shift their minds in how they see deaf people.' She has presented several documentaries about deafness and published a children's book, Marvelous Messages, which highlights what she called 'the many other ways' of communicating 'that are not speaking or listening.' The book also includes inspiring deaf figures from history, like stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil. When Ayling-Ellis was growing up, deaf role models were scarce, she said: 'Helen Keller? Great lady! She's blind and deaf and a Victorian woman. But I'm not relating.' Moulton, the Code of Silence creator, who is partly deaf, said that she became a fan of Ayling-Ellis watching Strictly Come Dancing and wrote the TV show with her in mind. She also cast deaf actors Fifi Garfield and Rolf Choutan as Alison's mother and ex-boyfriend. Moulton said she hoped to create roles for deaf actors 'who haven't always got those chances to be able to build a career, to get to the place that Rose is now'. Samantha Baines, a British actress who wears hearing aids, said that Ayling-Ellis had a similar attitude. 'Rose ensures that any live event she takes part in has live captions as well as British Sign Language interpretation, any radio show has transcripts and promotes the hiring of other deaf creatives,' she said. 'Rose isn't pulling the ladder up after herself.' Ayling-Ellis said she had begun noticing that her TV work was having an impact – not just for deaf people, but among hearing audiences, too. 'Lately, I'm starting to see people signing to me more,' she said. 'I think they're a bit more excited about meeting deaf people, rather than terrified of getting it wrong.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Simran Hans Photographs by: Max Miechowski ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
Web Release
05-08-2025
- Business
- Web Release
TikTok, Promofix and BDD Empower Lebanese Businesses and Creative and Media Agencies With Hands-On Workshop in Beirut
TikTok, Promofix and BDD Empower Lebanese Businesses and Creative and Media Agencies With Hands-On Workshop in Beirut TikTok and Promofix, its official sales partner in Lebanon, hosted a one-day workshop in Beirut, in partnership with BDD, designed to equip businesses and creative agencies with the knowledge and tools to drive tangible results on TikTok. The event brought together marketing leaders, media agencies, businesses and government stakeholders for an immersive program that included deep dives into TikTok's latest product offerings, including its Symphony suite of AI-powered creative tools, hands-on creative enablement sessions, and tailored breakout consultations with TikTok product experts. A highlight of the day was a panel discussion with H.E. Minister of Displaced Persons and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Kamal Shehadi and Shadi Kandil, General Manager, Global Business Solutions, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central and South Asia – TikTok, moderated by Mouhamad Rabah, CEO Beirut Digital District, which explored the intersection of creativity, technology, and economic growth in Lebanon. H.E. Kamal Shehadi commented: 'In Lebanon, we're laying the foundations to leapfrog ahead in the tech space. With world-class talent, a vibrant creative economy, and deep roots in education and healthcare, we're building an ecosystem where innovation can thrive. My vision is for Lebanon to become a place where digital companies don't just recruit, they build. A place where our entrepreneurs can scale ideas from zero to a billion without leaving home.' Throughout the day, attendees were introduced to TikTok's growing suite of creative and advertising tools that are helping brands streamline content production and scale campaigns with greater ease and efficiency. These tools are lowering the barrier to entry for businesses of all sizes in Lebanon, enabling them to tell compelling stories, connect with the right audiences, and drive meaningful results on the platform. Shadi Kandil, General Manager, Global Business Solutions, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central and South Asia – TikTok, said: 'Lebanon has long been a hub of creative and entrepreneurial energy. This workshop is part of our ongoing commitment to equipping local businesses and agencies with the tools they need to connect with today's audiences and turn creativity into commercial success.' The event also featured a panel of leading TikTok creators, including Ali Hennawi, who shared how they've used storytelling and experimentation to grow and engage audiences. In parallel, a business panel spotlighted brands that have successfully leveraged TikTok to meet key marketing goals in Lebanon. Imad Jomaa, Founder and President of JGroup, and the visionary leader behind Promofix, said: 'Our collaboration with TikTok marks a pivotal step in Promofix's mission to accelerate Lebanon's digital advancement. Together with TikTok, we are building a dynamic ecosystem where businesses can thrive by combining global expertise with local excellence, underpinned by creative media, commerce and strategic collaboration.' TikTok is continuously developing innovative solutions to help brands embrace creative freedom, experimentation and create at scale. These tools will help brands and businesses of all sizes across Lebanon chart new territories on the platform, by scaling their creativity and performance. Fatih Kafadar, Head of Government Relations and Public Policy, Türkiye and Levant – TikTok, said: 'We're proud to collaborate with both public and private sector partners in Lebanon to support the country's digital growth. Events like this reflect our broader commitment to empowering local ecosystems with tools, knowledge, and access to innovation that fuels inclusive economic opportunity.' With a strong turnout from the country's marketing community, the workshop reaffirmed TikTok and Promofix's joint commitment to nurturing Lebanon's creative economy and digital business landscape.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WPP plc (WPP) Announced Expanding its Partnership with TikTok
WPP plc (NYSE:WPP) is one of the . On June 16, WPP plc (NYSE:WPP) announced expanding its partnership with TikTok by integrating Symphony, TikTok's generative AI suite, into WPP Open. This move makes WPP plc (NYSE:WPP) the first in the industry to use Symphony, by giving its team early access to TikTok's latest AI tools. As a result, the company's teams can now create more engaging content to reach the vast audience of TikTok. Moreover, the teams can also develop AI-driven content strategies and stay ahead of TikTok trends. A media buying executive looking out a window at a brand advertiser's billboard. Some other key features of this collaboration include the addition of AI-generated digital avatars and an AI dubbing tool to WPP Open, which allows teams to produce content in more than 15 languages. WPP plc (NYSE:WPP) is a UK-based company that helps businesses with advertising, marketing, and communications. While we acknowledge the potential of WPP as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
