Adam Ryan is the Festival curator for The Great Escape. A role he has held for 6 years. The Great Escape is the largest new music conference and festival in Europe and has been running for 15 years. The Great Escape takes place in Brighton (UK) over three days in the middle of May showcasing over 450 artists. Representing 27 around countries, across 30 plus venues. Over 4,000 music industry delegates and professionals attended each year. The next The Great Escape will be 11 – 14 May 2022.
Donna is the Director of the British Council in Viet Nam. With more than 20 years’ experience of British Council international work, involving team leadership and development in the UK, Middle East, Latin America, Sub Saharan Africa and East Asia, Donna’s various country and regional leadership roles have helped strengthen relationships across our work in English, Education, Arts and Society with public, private and voluntary organisations and institutions.
Ellis grew up in the Scottish Borders – having “one too many ceilidhs” has led him down a career in the arts. Ellis joined Hijinx theatre as a full time member in 2017. Hijinx is a Cardiff based professional theatre company making provocative, contemporary theatre that tours the world. Hijinx productions always include actors with learning disabilities and the ability of these effortlessly talented performers is at the heart of every performance.
Lola Lely is an artist, designer and maker based in Walthamstow, East London. She was born in Hanoi and was raised in London and Kent. Lola's work is process and narrative-based and the outcomes may take the form of an event rather than just a product: a resting point rather than an end point. She practices craft in fresh and unexpected ways by linking contemporary practices and technology with age-old techniques. Storytelling, heritage and a respect for craft are important elements of her work.
Mai Thang Programmer, Music and Conference of Monsoon Music Festival. Since 2014, MMF has become the ideal place to be for music lovers and culture enthusiasts right in the historical setting of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. With extensive hours of live performance from both local and international artists, Monsoon attracts over 40 thousand festivalgoers every year. The festival has become an icon of the city of Hanoi and recognised as an official cultural event of the capital.
Thảo is an arts manager with experience in varying disciplines from visual to performing arts, music, film, publishing, photography, and contemporary dance. Thảo has worked both full time and as contributor on numerous art projects, mostly in Viet Nam or closely connected to Viet Nam. Joining the British Council in 2016, Thảo heads up the Arts and Creative Industries team in fund raising and implementing a wide range of arts for social change projects in Viet Nam.
Nguyễn Quốc Trung is Director of Monsoon Music Festival (MMF). Since 2014, MMF has become the ideal place to be for music lovers and culture enthusiasts right in the historical setting of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. With extensive hours of live performance from both local and international artists, Monsoon attracts over 40 thousand festivalgoers every year. The festival has become an icon of the city of Hanoi and recognised as an official cultural event of the capital.
Nguyễn Thị Mộng Thu is Social Department Manager of Tòhe. Tòhe is a Vietnamese social enterprise established in 2006 with the mission of providing disadvantaged children with a playground for learning, creative training, and artistic experiences. Tòhe offers an exciting programme for children in Hanoi, such as their Kidstallation which is the first installation art programme in Viet Nam for children.
Nguyễn Vũ Tú Hằng is Business Strategy Manager of Hanoi Grapevine – one of Viet Nam’s longest running cultural hubs. Hanoi Grapevine provides bilingual content in English and Vietnamese of high-quality art and culture events in the contemporary cultural landscape in Viet Nam, together with art reviews, artist interviews, news of Vietnamese artists’ activities overseas, exhibition photos and introduction of indie films, as well as open calls for creative practitioners.
Linh Valerie Pham is an experimental theatre and puppetry artist based in Vietnam. Valerie is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Mat Tran Ensemble, a performing arts collective with a focus on inclusive and socially-engaged practices. Her works and those of Mat Tran have been showcased in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Yogyakarta, New York, Malaysia and Singapore.