12th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days is Underway

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This year's 12th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days, a global network of concerts, has just begun and will continue throughout the month of October. Musicians of all genres will 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 around our common humanity.

"Hundreds of musicians and artists from many countries join together each year to perform with the knowledge that music helps bring people together to fight intolerance, fanaticism and hate. I am very honored to be participating in the 12th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days," said Herbie Hancock.

This year, hundreds of performers from Australia to Japan to Uzbekistan have already registered for this awareness-raising initiative. Registration continues throughout the month of October at www.danielpearlmusicdays.org. There is no cost to register; participation is open to professional and amateur musicians, community music groups, orchestras and schools, houses of worship, embassies, consulates and more. Simply register the event[s] and make a dedication from the stage or in a printed program, to the theme of "Harmony for Humanity."

"Our son Danny was a talented musician who connected people through words and music in every country he visited, often joining local music groups and participating in impromptu jam sessions," explained Judea Pearl, Co-Founder of the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

"World Music Days' message has clearly struck a chord. Over and over we hear from artists -- many of whom participate year after year -- how the simple act of a few words of dedication empowers and inspires both the artist and audience with a sense of purpose and unity around our shared humanity," Judea Pearl added.

About Daniel Pearl World Music Days:

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, R.E.M, Barbra Streisand and more.

About The Daniel Pearl Foundation:

The Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed in 2002 in memory of the Wall Street Journal's South Asia Bureau Chief, journalist/musician Daniel Pearl, to promote the ideals 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).

For more information, please visit http://www.danielpearlmusicdays.org or contact:

Dana Larkin
Program Director
Daniel Pearl Foundation
2365 Westwood Blvd #21
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310.441.1400
[email protected]

SOURCE Daniel Pearl Foundation