The KT Wong Foundation is the proud founder of the First UN Youth Orchestra, which marks its debut at the reopening of the UN General Assembly Hall on October 24, 2014. The event is part of the United Nations Day celebrations and the second annual Lang Lang & Friends Annual Gala by the Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF). Lead by Manuel López Gómez and joined by award-winning musician Sting, world famous pianist Lang Lang will perform with an orchestra of 80 children from over 20 countries and four continents.
“The concert offers an opportunity to highlight the UN’s focus on youth and the education of global citizens,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a recent daily news briefing. ” It also marks an important milestone – the global observance of the 70th anniversary of the UN.
The United Nations Day is traditionally reserved as a special concert for the General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, with the aim to reflect the global impact the UN has offered the world in its work, through the most universal of all languages, music.
As the main benefactor of the UN Youth Orchestra, KT Wong Foundation continues its commitment to supporting young talents and fostering cross-cultural dialogue. In 2011, the KT Wong Foundation was the sole foundation partner supporting renowned conductor Sir Daniel Barenboim and his West Eastern Divan Orchestra’s (WEDO) first tour of China. Barenboim and the late Edward Said created this trailblazing orchestra of young musicians from widely divergent beliefs with the express goal to bridge cultures and promote dialogue between them through music.
The founding of the UN Youth Orchestra is an extension of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to use the global language of music to empower and motivate young talents.