activities and introduced the new patron, the High Commissioner of Britain, Philip Barton.
Peter Heyward said he and Susan had attended as many programmes of the ASG as it was possible for them to do and found it a great way to meet people outside the diplomatic community. “We interacted with men and women and their families — people whom we may not have met otherwise — and it was great,” he said. “We laud the effort being put in to promote the positive image of Pakistan and hope Parvin and her team will continue the good work.”
Committee member (publications) Sajjid Munir then read out the names of the winners of the calendar contest and they were awarded prizes, after which Peter Heyward and Parvin conducted the quiz, which had been prepared by committee member, Misbah Alam. Many door prizes were given out after dinner.
At last it was time for the much anticipated performance by Zoe Viccaji and The Band and they did not disappoint — an hour of hit numbers, both her own and those sung by others vocalists, followed. The audience clapped along, whistled and thoroughly enjoyed themselves — with the expats in the audience keen to know who this talented vocalist was and was she really from Pakistan?! Yes, she is and we are proud!
Zoe is an internationally recognised musician, singer and songwriter, who has also been an integral house band member of ‘Coke Studio,’ Pakistan and been featured solo as well. An exemplary performer, she is known for her mesmerizing emotional voice and unique song writing ability. She began her career as a singer of jazz and over time has incorporated different genres of music into her style, resulting in an interesting hybrid of east and west. Apart from her original music, Zoe also performs renditions of old classics - both in Urdu and English.
The musicians accompanying Zoe Viccaji belong to the exceptional musically- oriented Goan Community. If there was rhythm, colour and distinction associated with the music scene in the Pakistan of 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, it came in part from the magnanimous contribution of this unique community, setting precedents for today’s gurus in music.
A rich mix of seasoned and multi-talented musicians, the four member band exhibits versatility of music ranging from rock, funk, pop, blues and ballads from the ‘60’s, ‘70s, ‘80’s right up to modern-day contemporary classics.