Music is a universal language that calls for friendship and peace


Notably, the United Nations Symphony Orchestra performed two pieces highlighting friendship and peace, including Flowers of Peace, composed by Liu in 2022. The piece draws inspiration from the inaugural United Nations meeting in 1945 when each delegate's room featured a "Peace" rose, a symbol of a shared wish — "We hope for peace".
Nearly 300 members of the UN Symphony Orchestra, UN Singers, and others staged the finale, Voice of Humanity, the third movement of Ode to Peace, composed by Luo Wei with lyrics by Nuo Xu.
Through music, "we are not only reminded of our shared humanity but also inspired to act with greater kindness and compassion toward one another", said Peter Dawkins, president of UN Staff Recreation Council, to the audience.
"In a world often divided by borders, politics and misunderstandings, events like this give us hope. They remind us that we may come from different corners of Earth, but we share the same sky; and, more importantly, we share the same future," said Dawkins.
The concert featured hundreds of artists and performers and attracted an audience of 1,000 people.
"It was a beautiful experience to see all the different cultures come together and play various instruments," says Ludney Jean-Philippe, an audience member.
The audience also had a chance to engage with a series of classic Chinese compositions, including selected movements from The Dream of the Red Chamber Suite and Moon Night on an Autumn Night, performed on traditional instruments such as guzheng (a Chinese zither), pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute), guanzi (a copper pipe with holes and a reed), dizi (a Chinese bamboo flute), and more.
