What is “Sing
for ‘Stigma’”?
"Sing for 'Stigma"' is
counting down the days until 28th March when a Sing-A-Thon will be held to
raise funds for and awareness of 'Stigma', the only NGO in Cyprus that liaises exclusively
with female victims of trafficking.
March 28th marks the ninth anniversary of the death of Oxana Rantseva
who fell to her death from a fourth floor apartment in Limassol while attempting
to flee local traffickers. Rantseva’s death prompted priest Father Savvas
Michaelides to found ‘Stigma’ in 2004 in order to aid and advise trafficked
women. The organisation has since helped 440 women through providing shelter,
living expenses and liaison with legal, medical and welfare bodies.
Who
is behind the event?
Vocalist/ voice coach Cathryn
Robson in collaboration with ‘Stigma’ NGO, Cyprus.
When,
where and what exactly will it be taking place?
When: Sunday, March 28th,
between the hours of 9.00-18.00
Where: The Sing-A-Thon will take place
at Cathryn Robson’s private studio in Paphos, Cyprus.
What: Cathryn will be singing
sponsored songs between 9.00-18.00. All songs will be recorded and the event
will be documented through photographs and video.
Each song and the name of its sponsor will be recorded then emailed (MP3) or
snail mailed (disc) to the sponsor as a souvenir of their support of the event.
Selected songs will be uploaded onto Cathryn’s website as a record of the
Sing-A-Thon.
How Can I Sponsor a Song?
If you
would like to sponsor a song please contact Cathryn Robson directly on 99740592
or mail@thevoicecentre.com. Sponsors
will receive a ‘Song Menu’ of 50 songs from five different genres in eight languages from which they may make their selections. Special requests are also
encouraged with Cathryn Robson singing the following repertoire groups: light classical,
pop, music theatre, jazz and traditional. Sung languages are English, Greek,
French, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese.
As a
guideline the recommended amount for sponsoring a song is 10 Euros.
Donations
can be made before or after March 28th directly to Cathryn Robson on Stigma's behalf or into the ‘Stigma’
bank account or by cheque mailed to their offices in Limassol. Account and
address details will be made available to sponsors when song selections are
made with Cathryn Robson.
Who Do I Contact for Further Information?
Press/ Song Sponsorship:
Cathryn
Robson 99740592/ mail@thevoicecentre.com
Download Song Menu
Download Press Release
‘Stigma’
Elena Pissaridou (Administrator) 25770238/
stigma@cytanet.com.cy
Web: www.thevoicecentre.com/stigmasingathon.aspx
"Sing for 'Stigma' - Cyprus"
Notes for Editors
Stigma
‘Stigma’ was
established in 2004 and is the only NGO in Cyprus which liaises with and aids trafficked
women. During the past six years it has aided 440 women through providing
shelter, living expenses and liaison with legal, medical and welfare bodies.
The organisation is run voluntarily and relies on public contributions for its
running costs.
Cathryn Robson
Cathryn
is a Cyprus-based vocalist and voice coach. She was introduced to ‘Stigma’
after becoming interested in the case of Oxana Rantseva.
“I‘ve had the freedom
to pursue my own ambitions and career to the best of my abilities. I'd like to
sing for women such as Oxana who don't have that freedom and who, as a result,
end up in abusive and exploitative employment situations. In other
circumstances it could be me, my sister, my niece, my daughter, my mother...”
Cathryn
studied voice and composition at Brighton University and Goldsmiths College,
London in addition to performance training with English National Opera's 'The
Knack'. Her experience as a singer includes popular, jazz and classical
repertoire. Recent projects include collaborating with British composer Billy
Cowie on the installation 'Ghosts in the Machine', (Brighton Festival, UK,
2009). Cathryn was also voice coach for choreographer Lia Haraki, on her pieces
'Pretendance', (Cyprus, London, Prague) and 'Party Animals' (Athens, Kypria
Festival 2009). Cathryn is currently voice coach for Cypriot choreographers
Alexis Vassiliou and Evi Demetriou in addition to singing coach for the young
people at Limassol Arts Theatre School. She appears regularly on the Cypriot
circuit as vocalist with jazz/pop ensemble Da Capo.