Music For Global Peace Project.
World Prayer for Peace by All Artists 2005 to 2016.
For twelve years, artists from around the world each sent a single line of prayer for peace — and every line was gathered into one recording, released annually from 2005 to 2016.
Music for Global Peace was established on a concept of universal peace, aimed at producing, projecting and promoting peace through music, by innovative musical ideas that influence global peace. We believe that music has the power to soothe the tendencies of rifts and conflicts, and in turn offer the spirit of compassion, nonviolence and a humane approach.
Every edition was organised entirely by email, at a time when there was no social platform to do it on. A poet in Romania, a music therapist in Singapore, a schoolteacher in Nepal and a chorus in the United States would each send a line; the lines were assembled into one continuous prayer, set to music, and released together.
Twelve years, counted
12
Annual editions
Released every year from 2005 to 2016, without a break
1,888
Artist participations
Counted across all twelve editions, 2005 to 2016
50
Countries at its height
In the 2010, 2011 and 2012 recordings
0
Gatherings required
Assembled entirely by email, one line at a time
The editions
Each bar shows the number of artists taking part that year.
85 artists from 19 countries
100 artists from 26 countries
85 artists from 26 countries
75 artists from 20 countries
275 artists from 50 countries
275 artists from 50 countries
273 artists from 50 countries
250 artists from 43 countries
187 artists from 42 countries
141 artists from 34 countries
80 artists from 24 countries
62 artists from 22 countries — the first edition
All twelve recordings are on the Music for Global Peace channel on YouTube.
How it worked
One line each. That was the whole invitation.
Artists were invited to send a single prayer for peace, in their own words and their own language. The lines arrived by email over the course of the year, were assembled into one continuous prayer, set to music, and released as a recording credited to every contributor. Twelve times, one year after another.
Nobody had to travel, nobody had to be famous, and nobody had to share a religion with anyone else. The 2006 prayer alone moves through Allah, God, the Creator, Om, Namaste and Amen without a break, because that is the order the lines arrived in.
Who took part — the 2006 roll
The 2006 edition gathered 80 artists from 24 countries. Music by J. Michele Bodine; voices by Muhammad Iqbal Behleem and J. Michele Bodine. It is the edition with a surviving published list.
Recognition
The 2008 recording received a Special Mention at the 3rd World Peace Film and Music Festival in Lucknow, India, presented before more than two hundred delegates from eighty-five countries, 12–15 December 2008.
Take part
In our quest for universal peace, we invite all artists around the world to join us and lend their whole-hearted support, to work together for love and peace. If you would like to contribute a line, get in touch.
