Harmony for Humanity Concert
Honors Legacy of Daniel Pearl

October 15, 2006

A “Harmony for Humanity” jazz concert was held this evening at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in memory of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl.  The Latin Jazz All-Stars, a trio that appeared in this year’s Jazzmandu festival, performed at the event.

Pearl was the South Asia Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal, America’s largest financial and business newspaper.  He was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002. 

Charge d’Affaires Nicholas J. Dean hosted the event with Lauren Moriarty, wife of Ambassador James F. Moriarty, who is in the United States.  “It is Daniel Pearl’s humanity that we celebrate this evening,” said Dean.  “His life-long love of music and travel together opened up the entire world to him and gave him a way to connect with other people.  In this spirit, our theme tonight is Harmony for Humanity.”

Harmony for Humanity is the name given to concerts by the Daniel Pearl Foundation that celebrate Pearl’s life and legacy each year around his October 10 birthday.   Inspired by his life, the concert uses the universal language of music to diminish hatred, respect differences and inspire "Harmony for Humanity." Pearl recognized the ability of music to bridge differences among people. In the spirit of his love of music and commitment to dialogue, the Daniel Pearl Foundation launched the first Daniel Pearl World Music Day on October 10, 2002, which would have been the journalist’s 39th birthday.

Ghanashyam Ojha, Senior Reporter of The Kathmandu Post, shared his experience with the concert audience on being a Daniel Pearl Fellow in the United States for six months this year. Ojha worked at The North Adams Transcript/Berkshire Eagle newspaper in Massachusetts, where Daniel Pearl began his career.