The Daniel Pearl Foundation today announced that the 12th Annual World Music Days was celebrated at 867 events in 29 countries.
The annual event, which takes place every October 1-31, encourages musicians of all genres to take a moment during their performances to acknowledge and celebrate with audiences the ideals that journalist and musician Daniel Pearl stood for: Uniting people through words and music and promoting tolerance and understanding.
Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in 2002 In Karachi, Pakistan. In honor of Danny’s love of music and belief in the oneness of humanity, his family contacted his musician friends around the world and invited them to commemorate his October 10 birthday through music and thus defy the hatred that took his life. More than 100 concerts in 18 countries marked what would have been Danny’s 39th birthday by inspiring hope, not despair. Since its inception in 2002, World Music Days has inspired more than 11,000 performances in 129 countries. The Daniel Pearl World Music Days Honorary Committee includes some of the world’s pre-eminent artists: Herbie Hancock, Sir Elton John, Dave Koz, Alison Krauss, Mark O’Connor, Matisyahu, Itzhak Perlman, Steve Reich, Barbra Streisand and more.
“This year musicians spanning the globe from Afghanistan to Australia joined together in a common bond to eradicate the root causes of intolerance, fanaticism and the hate that took our son’s life,” stated Judea Pearl, Co-Founder of the Foundation and the father of Daniel Pearl.
“Over the years we have found that the simple act of a few words of dedication empowers and inspires both the artist and the audience with a sense of purpose and commitment,” Judea Pearl added.
Participants in this year’s World Music Days included professional and amateur musicians, community music groups, orchestras and schools, houses of worship, embassies, consulates and more.
“Danny was a gifted musician and talented writer who knew how to bring people together through words and music in every country he visited,” added Ruth Pearl, Co-Founder and the mother of Daniel Pearl. “Even if he was not able to speak the local language, he often joined musical groups and participated in impromptu jam sessions, using the universal language of music to unite people around their common humanity and to promote tolerance and understanding.”
