New York City
A Concert of Hope for New York City
August 5, 2003
"A Concert of Hope for New York City" was an evening of inspiration to
commemorate selfless acts of courage, acts that serve as symbols of hope for
our world. It was a concert to celebrate the greatness of the human spirit.
This important New York City event took place on August 5, 2003 at the Merkin
Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, New York City, as a contribution to the
observance of the United Nations International Day of Peace. The program was
sponsored as a free community service by the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center
and Gallery, 306 Fifth Avenue, 2nd floor, the Brahma Kumaris Center serving
New York City and vicinity. Supporting partners for the concert were The
Foundation for Universal Sacred Music, Friends of the Institute of Noetic
Sciences (FIONS), and The Hartley Film Foundation.
Every year, on the International Day of Peace: September 21, people
throughout the world gather to reiterate the sentiment, "Long live absolute
world peace," to remember the victims of conflict, and to rededicate
themselves to the age-old quest of building a safer and more just world.
The program opened with a story of Hope about New York City by Elliott
Forrest, Master of Ceremonies. Elliott is a Peabody Award-winning
broadcaster. He is the host of "Breakfast with the Arts," seen every Sunday
morning on the A&E Television Network, and is currently heard on WQXR Radio
in New York City.
Elliott also told the story of "Peace and Religious Harmony," the mural
that enhanced the stage, created by artist Fauzia Aziz Minallah, together
with children from Katchi Abadi, Pakistan. The mural is part of The Art Miles
Mural Project, which began in 1997 with the objective of creating global
harmony through art. "Peace and Religious Harmony," depicts a woman and a man
reaching out for a bright world where children of different religions are
holding hands in harmony. Different colored pieces of cloth have been
stitched together to form this mural, since acrylic paint and canvas are very
expensive in Pakistan. The mural, measuring 18 feet by 5 feet, will be a part
of 12 miles of murals from different countries of the world, to be joined in
New York in 2004 as a contribution to the International Decade of a Culture
of Peace, sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The powerful sound of the group Bliss, from Oxford, England, was the
musical headliner. The Concert of Hope marked their New York City debut in
their first US tour. Bliss performed in nine east coast cities, and the
entire tour served as a contribution to the observance of the International
Day of Peace.
Formed by Andy Blissett and Lucinda Drayton, Bliss moved out of the world
of pop music when they discovered meditation, and gradually a new sound was
born that blends light folk/pop with inspirational music. With Andrew,
Lucinda has also written and produced four albums of music for meditation.
The lyrics are from Lucinda's personal experiences. Robert O. Smith is on
guitar and Jonathan Hughes plays the cello. Bliss performs around the world
in a variety of community settings, such as prisons and schools, linking
spirituality with the world. The songs of hope performed for this concert
moved the hearts of the audience. Web site: www.blissfulmusic.com
The program also featured a dance performance by Amy Marshall and Chad
Levy from The Amy Marshall Dance Company (AMDC) AMDC is establishing itself
as one of the most exciting new modern dance companies. In their first piece,
Amy and Chad were accompanied by Andrew Blisset performing his lovely
instrumental, "Grace". For the encore, they swept the audience away with
their dance to the inspiring 'Om Shanti'.
One of the voices of hope for the program was Dawn Johnston-Britton,
Acting Chief of the Public Inquiries Unit at the UN. Her inspiring talk
explained the meaning of the International Day of Peace, and how it came to
be.
Hope was the theme of a talk by Brahma Kumaris Mohini Panjabi, who was
later accompanied by Andy Blisset and Bliss for a meditation commentary.
Sister Mohini has been a spiritual educator with the Brahma Kumaris for more
than 40 years. She is presently the coordinator of activities nationally in
the USA and regionally in the Americas and Caribbean. She is also the
representative of the Brahma Kumaris at the United Nations. As a spiritual
leader, Sister Mohini shares knowledge and spiritual principles regarding the
connection between self-realization and global peace and harmony.
Everyone was invited to join in a reflection on Hope, by responding
silently to the following questions: Of the many things I am doing, what is
it that reflects my deepest sense of hope? If I had one wish to manifest this
hope, what would that be?
The audience was deeply touched by the evening at the heart level. Their
response at the end of the concert was extremely warm and appreciative.
8 June 1999
The first Images & Voices of Hope conversation took place in New York City on June 8 1999. The
Images and Voices program included the following key
elements:
 Conversation: Roundtable of Thought Leaders Dr. David
Cooperrider, director of the SIGMA Program for Social Innovations in
Global Management and professor at Case Western University, served as
the host and facilitator of the Roundtable Conversation. Participants
included thought leaders from all sectors of society: journalists,
artists, photographers, writers, advertising executives, those in
publishing and media companies, leaders in education, those from the
public sector and from religious organizations. Participants gathered
-- first in small groups and then as a plenary group -- to consider a
series of questions that have bearing on the subject. These questions
included:
- What are some of the most powerful images, voices, and stories
that stand out in media today?
- What examples do we have of times when media has had a
significant impact on the way the world understood what was
possible?
- What is the range of possibilities created by images and
messages of hope?
- What is the responsibility of media to serve humanity?
After the small groups had time to consider the questions, the
plenary group came together for a conversation of the whole, sharing
significant insights and possible future actions from the collective
insight and experience of the group.
Reflection: After the collective thinking of the
roundtable conversations, participants were invited to participate in
shared silent reflection to consider how we each can contribute to a
positive vision of hope in the world.
Celebration and Reception: Participants were then joined by
others for an evening celebration of live music and dance as well as
recognition of a select number of men and women who have shown unusual
creativity and courage in creating images and voices of
hope.
Exhibition: An exhibition of images and messages from the
fields of photojournalism, fine art, and advertising was created. The
purpose was to heighten consciousness and move individuals to
understand the importance of choices in creating a responsible
society.
Picture
Gallery
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