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The seeds were planted....
On February 22, 2002, a day after the world learned that kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had been brutally murdered by his captors in Pakistan, conductor George Pehlivanian, Danny's neighbor and friend from Paris, was scheduled to lead the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest conductor. Deeply troubled by the news, he was initially reluctant to perform; instead, he decided to defy the evil by proudly dedicating the concert to Danny.
"As the orchestra played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, I finally understood the triumph of hope over despair," said Pehlivanian. It was an emotional and exultant concert, ending with 15 minutes of sustained applause.
After Danny's funeral in August 2002, in the spirit of his love for music, his family decided to inspire hope and unity by inviting people everywhere to dedicate a musical event on the day he would have turned 39 years old - October 10, 2002. Thus, the seeds were planted for Daniel Pearl World Music Days, now two weeks of worldwide "Harmony for Humanity" concerts- reminding the world of the principles by which Danny lived, the universal power of music, and our shared humanity.
World Music Days 2002 – 117 concerts, 18 countries
Daniel Pearl Music Days was inaugurated on October 10, 2002 and took off with over 100 concerts in 18 countries. Musicians ranging from small amateur bands to the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Boston and Chicago dedicated performances to the ideals for which Danny stood – friendship, tolerance and a love of all humanity.
World Music Days 2003 – 230 concerts, 29 countries
Tens of thousands joined in "Harmony for Humanity" on five continents from October 7-19, 2003 for the second annual Daniel Pearl Music Days. From school children to the Masters of Persian Music, from African drummers to Jewish Cantors, from classical ensembles to the Dixie Chicks, performers around the world used music to form a global community celebrating tolerance and mutual respect.
World Music Days 2004 – 406 concerts, 39 countries
The third annual Daniel Pearl Music Days held October 8-17 almost double in size from the year before. From the Boston Symphony Orchestra to REM, from Sir Elton John to school children in Afghanistan, people raised their instruments and their voices at "Harmony for Humanity" concerts and demonstrated the power of music to inspire hope and brotherhood across national, ethnic and religious lines.
World Music Days 2005 – 312 concerts, 41 countries
Daniel Pearl Music Days saw musicians from across the cultural spectrum perform in affirmation of diversity and our common humanity. Hundreds of live concerts, including Music Days honorary committee members Sir Elton John, dedicating a week of performances of the song “Daniel” in Las Vegas; and Itzhak Perlman, performing in America’s heartland; continued to ring the world in “Harmony for Humanity.” Other performances included an African hip-hop concert in Amman, Jordan; Pakistani pop singer Fail Kapadia in Karachi; and cutting edge vocalist Michael Franti in San Francisco. This truly was a global event.
World Music Days also expanded its presence in 2005 with the introduction of the “Harmony for Humanity” eStage, an online multimedia gallery featuring a Streaming Internet Radio Station, Song Lyrics, Poems, Dedications, Stories and Articles. Featured programs showcased Lullabies for Free Children, a collaboration of international composers and children from around the world, music inspired by Danny Pearl, world music from Iran, Israel, Italy, Ireland, the US and more.
World Music Days 2006 – 376 concerts, 36 countries
Legendary singer Barbra Streisand, eclectic strings virtuoso Mark O’Connor, rock pioneer Bo Diddly and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco joined with artists worldwide to affirm Danny’s belief that the universal language of music can bridge differences and create a hate-free world. Concert highlights included symphony orchestras in London, South Africa, Israel, Qatar, and the U.S.; jazz performances in India, China, Italy and Nepal and the world premieres of both master minimalist Steve Reich's "Daniel Variations" in London, New York, Porto, Paris and Los Angeles; and Avner Dorman's Violin Concerto by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra with Ittai Shapira, soloist.
In 2006, listeners in more than 108 countries tuned in to the World Music Days eStage Streaming Internet Radio Station offering original compositions and themed broadcasts – including a special dedication by Michael Stipe of R.E.M and rare recordings featuring Danny on fiddle, playing bluegrass and rock with his long time band mates, Todd Mack and David Keehn.
World Music Days 2007 – 537 concerts, 42 countries
World Music Days Honorary Committee member concerts included Elton John in Las Vegas, Herbie Hancock in Japan, Tania Libertad in Mexico, Itzhak Perlman in New York City, Theodore Bikel in Phoenix, Salman Ahmad of Pakistan’s rock group Junoon playing in Oberlin and Ravi Shankar with his daughter Anoushka Shankar in eight cities worldwide. FODfest (Friends of Danny Festival), coordinated by Todd Mack, had over 100 musicians participating in a unique East Coast tour from Atlanta to Boston, including many who had played with Danny. Other highlights were the Singapore Sun Festival; the Red Violin Festival in Wales; Beijing CD Jazz Club performance in China; concerts by vocalist Dianne Reeves, The Guarneri String Quartet and pianist Lars Vogt at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; cellist Michael Fitzpatrick dedicating a special invocation in conjunction with an appearance by the Dalai Lama; "Take Back the Mic", a US youth empowerment tour of major college campuses co-founded by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics with hip hop artists from Africa and Jamaica, and many more.
In 2007, listeners from more than 75 countries also tuned in to the World Music Days eStage Internet Radio Station offering original compositions and themed broadcasts- including new song Composition: "Isn't It Golden Now" (Peter Himmelman).
World Music Days 2008 – Featuring You and Your Music Events!
Whether you are a professional or an amateur, The Daniel Pearl Foundation invites you to participate in this year’s World Music Days global concert network & eStage. To register a performance, click here. To learn more about contributing to eStage, click here.
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