Road to Lisbon · Devcon 9 · 11–13 October 2027

Join the Open Source Orchestra

The Open Source Orchestra is an open circle of people who make music together at Ethereum gatherings, from Devcon 6 in Bogotá and Devcon SEA in Bangkok to the Devcon 8 Music Sanctuary in Mumbai. Now we are walking toward Lisbon. Anyone can join. You don't need to know anyone, and you don't need to go through one person: a circle of stewards answers every application.

🎻 Every contribution is equal. Code and music, artist, developer or steward: one voice each.

Apply to join → Recommend an artist you love

One open form for both. No Google account needed. Open jams never need an application: just come and play.

🌍 Who can join

Anyone. First-timers and professionals, people who live in Portugal and people joining from the other side of the world. These roles are all equal in the circle:

  • 🎸 Musician
  • 🎧 DJ
  • 🎤 Singer
  • 💻 Developer
  • 🎨 Designer
  • 🌱 Steward
  • 🎚️ Sound
  • 🗣️ Translator
  • 📸 Photographer
  • ✨ Something we haven't thought of

🌀 How the stewards circle works

A circle, not a gate

A rotating circle of at least 3 stewards reads every application. No single person decides, and that includes Shaka, who is one steward among many.

Everyone gets an answer

Every application gets a personal answer within 14 days, even when the answer is "not this time, but come to the jam".

What the circle looks for

Consent, kindness, and the open-source spirit: sharing the stage, playing together, giving back. No fame or follower counts, and no auditions.

Open jams stay open

The jams are permissionless. Anyone can pick up an instrument and join. The form is for curated slots, the rider, travel help, and getting to know you.

Curated slots, chosen openly

When there are more people than slots, the stewards circle chooses together and publishes how it chose. When sets collide, artists share the floor. Nobody is trimmed.

Stewards rotate

Stewards don't review their own applications or close friends'. The circle changes each season, and anyone in the orchestra can become a steward: just pick "Steward" in the form.

🪪 From application to artist card

You bring everything the circle needs (your bio, links to your music and photos, your rider, your press kit) so nothing has to pass through one person's inbox.

  1. You apply with the open form. Use links (Drive, Dropbox, YouTube, SoundCloud, GitHub, any URL) instead of uploads, so nobody has to sign in.
  2. The stewards circle reviews it, and you hear back within 14 days.
  3. If you said yes to a public card, the stewards draft your artist card from what you sent and show it to you first.
  4. You approve it, change it, or say no. Nothing goes live without your yes.
  5. Your card joins the circle on opensourceorchestra.org (the Garden Circle and the artist pages), and your rider goes to the sound crew.
  6. It stays yours. Change it or take it down whenever you like.

💌 Recommend an artist you'd love to see perform

Know someone who should be in the circle? The same form has a section for recommending them: their name, their links, how to reach them, and why. The stewards only reach out if the person has agreed to be contacted, so please ask them first. If they haven't said yes yet, we wait.

🇵🇹 Why Lisbon sings

Portugal is part of where our music comes from. In 1879, families from Madeira sailed to Hawaiʻi with a small four-string guitar, the machete (braguinha). In Hawaiʻi it became the ʻukulele. Lisbon is also the home of fado. We want Portuguese and Lusophone musicians at the heart of the Lisbon circle, as cultural anchors and not as guests.

🗺️ The road to Lisbon

  • Now: the form is open. Apply or recommend at any time, and the circle answers within 14 days.
  • Through 2027: online jams and circle calls, plus music at Ethereum gatherings along the way, with remote contributions (code, design, translation, mixing) welcome at every step.
  • When Devcon opens proposals for Devcon 9: the Open Source Orchestra proposes a Lisbon music space on the public Devcon forum, as we did for Devcon 8.
  • Once a space and days are confirmed: the stewards circle shares the curated slots and the schedule openly.
  • 11–13 October 2027: Devcon 9, Lisbon.

To be clear: this is the Open Source Orchestra's own community process. Devcon has not approved a Devcon 9 music space yet, and nothing on this page speaks for Devcon or the Ethereum Foundation.

📒 Every participant is invited into the DAO

Everyone who joins is invited into the Open Source Orchestra DAO as an equal member. The form asks if you're IN now or would like to hear more LATER. Grants are applied for on behalf of the whole circle and shared equally by default, and every application and award is on the public ledger. Tips go straight to artists. We never take a cut of your music.

  • Each consent question in the form is separate: a public card, photos, recordings. If you leave one blank, the answer is no.
  • Your answers live in a private sheet that only the stewards circle can read. Your email and contact details are never published.
  • Wallet or ENS is optional and only for gifts. Nobody will ever ask for your seed phrase or private key. If anyone does, it isn't us.
  • You can change your mind at any time. Our takedown rule is that it comes down first and we ask questions second.
  • Want your application deleted? Write to [email protected].

❓ Questions

Do I need to be a professional?

No. The circle is open to first-timers. Open jams need no application at all, and curated slots are chosen for spirit as well as skill.

Do I need a Google account to apply?

No. The form asks for an email so the stewards can answer you. Everything else is links, so no uploads or sign-in.

Do I need crypto or a wallet?

No. A wallet or ENS name is optional, only for receiving gifts and tips.

Will I be paid?

We can't promise that yet. The circle applies for public-goods grants together and shares them equally by default, and every grant is on the public ledger. Tips from listeners go to you directly.

I can't come to Lisbon. Can I still join?

Yes. Join the online jams and calls, livestream from where you are, or contribute code, design, translation or mixing remotely. Every contribution is equal.

What about my music rights?

Your music stays yours. The form asks whether you belong to a rights society (for Portugal that might be SPA, GDA or Audiogest) so the stewards can handle licensing properly with the venue. Recordings are only shared openly if you say yes.

Who are the stewards?

The circle is forming now, starting with stewards from the Devcon 8 Music Sanctuary. Names go up here only once each person says yes. Want to steward? Pick "Steward" in the form.

Can I apply in my own language?

Yes. Write in any language. Translators are part of the circle.

🎶 See where we've been

🌺 Ready?

Open the form →

Questions? [email protected]