Daniel Pearl World Music Days Surpasses 10,000 Global Concerts Since Program's Inception in 2002

Daniel Pearl World Music Days Surpasses 10,000 Global Concerts Since Program's Inception in 2002

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Daniel Pearl Foundation (www.danielpearl.org) announced today that a significant milestone was achieved during this October's Daniel Pearl World Music Days as more than 10,000 global concerts had been presented since the program's inception in 2002.

"This year, which marks the 10(th) anniversary of Daniel's murder, we take pride in the global symphony that his life has inspired," said Daniel's father Judea, President of the Daniel Pearl Foundation. "Danny traveled the world with a pen and a fiddle, connecting people through words and music. This October, his journey was echoed by 1,905 performances ringing the earth for sanity and humanity."

Daniel Pearl was the Wall Street Journal's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and murdered by Islamic militants in Pakistan in 2002. That October, his birthday month, his family and friends organized concerts around the world with his musician friends in honor of Danny's love of music and ideals of tolerance and common humanity. What began with 123 events in 15 countries has over the decade grown to 10,124 Daniel Pearl World Music Days performances in 125 countries through last month.

Elton John, a member of the Daniel Pearl World Music Days honorary committee, made a dedication to Pearl during his October concerts in Las Vegas. Earlier, he told an audience of some 12,500 at his Peace One Festival in London's Wembley Arena that journalists such as Pearl "put their lives on the line for people like us to find out the truth." So, he said, "every year we dedicate a song in his memory because he loved music, [and] so that he won't be forgotten."

Some other notable musicians who dedicatedtheir music to the theme of "Harmony for Humanity" included Peter Gabriel, Philip Glass, Kool and the Gang, Young the Giant, Earl Klugh, Grouplove, Switchfoot, Indigo Girls, Ozomatli, Jane Monheit, George Pehlivanian, Dave Koz, and Mark O'Connor. In addition, more than 40 U.S. Embassies throughout the world gathered musicians from diverse cultures to participate.

"As always, we are inspired by the kindness, dedication and talent of the musicians and entertainers who have joined us in uniting the world through music," said Ruth Pearl, Daniel's mother and co-founder of the Foundation. "The music resonates in sharp defiance of the forces that took our son's life, and will reinforce our unshaken conviction that, at the end of the day, music will triumph and humanity will prevail."

About The Daniel Pearl Foundation:

Formed in 2002 in memory of the Wall Street Journal's South Asia Bureau Chief, journalist/musician Daniel Pearl, the Daniel Pearl Foundation promotes the ideals of tolerance and our common humanity that inspired his life and work. The Foundation works domestically and internationally to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, to counter cultural and religious intolerance, to cultivate responsible and balanced journalism, and to inspire unity and friendship through music (www.danielpearl.org), journalism and dialogue.

For more information, please visit http://www.danielpearlmusicdays.org or contact Executive Director Narda Zacchino at narda@danielpearl.org.

SOURCE The Daniel Pearl Foundation

The Daniel Pearl Foundation

CONTACT: Media, Danielle Newman, Sitrick And Company, c/o The Daniel Pearl Foundation, +1-212-573-6100

Web Site: http://www.danielpearl.org


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