9th annual September concert expands to 3-day celebration of peace through music

NEW YORK, NY – On the weekend of September 10-12, across America and around the world, the skies will come alive with music as The September Concert Foundation presents its 9th annual celebration of peace and humanity.

From a concert of flute, cello, and violin at the top of the steps in the beautiful Atrium at Winter Garden in the World Financial Center and a neighborhood pop/rock concert in the backyard of a home in Menlo Park, California, to the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh featuring a police choir and school children’s concert in Cap-Haitien in Haiti (which is being made possible by the gifts of The September Concert community), concerts large and small, featuring amateurs and professionals alike, will bring music to our city, our nation, and our world.

All concerts are free and organized by volunteers. Some of the public concerts taking place in New York City include St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Central Park at Merchants’ Gate, Union Square, Washington Square, and the NY Public Library Main Branch. The Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) will be hosting a very unique September Concert – it will be performed entirely by their own members who happen to be incredibly talented musicians.

This year’s first concert already took place, in the form of a video-taped performance by the fifth grade chorus of PS 22 out of Staten Island, New York. Their inimitable performances have become a YouTube sensation and garnered millions of fans. Founder Haruko Smith believes that children’s involvement is very important, as they are the future builders of a “culture of peace.” This belief was reinforced by the NYC Schools chancellor Joel Klein who renewed his endorsement of The September Concert this year.

Smith started the Foundation in 2002 with a vision to turn the 9/11 tragedy into something positive: “I thought we could wrap the world with music and hopes for peace just one day out of the year.” Nine years later, with a 3-day event ahead, she said, “There was a reason why I called it ‘The September Concert,’ not ‘The September 11th Concert!'”

Concert registrations are still underway. Nationally, cities that have already signed up include Chandler and Mesa in Arizona; Los Angeles, Palm Desert, and Santa Barbara in California; Fort Myers and Jacksonville in Florida; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Houston and Forth Worth, Texas.

Internationally, London, Edinburgh, and Rome are leading the way. Schola Boys Choir of the London Oratory School will sing in Grosvenor Square in London, and internationally-acclaimed Maestro Lorin Maazel will once again conduct an international orchestra in Rome. In Japan, nearly 50 concerts are being planned.

All concerts will feature the unifying anthem of “Give Us Hope” composed by Jim Papoulis.

For a full listing of concerts, visit www.septemberconcert.org .