The September Concert
Encyclopedia
The September Concert is a charity which organises free public concerts on the anniversaries of 9/11. It was founded by Haruko Smith, following the events of that day in 2001.
:
The September Concert started out as a local grassroots charity and has grown to have a worldwide presence involving 10,000 volunteers and 15,000 musicians.
The September Concert Foundation was incorporated in April 2002 as a 501(c)(3) public charity, inspired a small army of volunteers, and on September 11th 2002 the first September Concert was born. To date this organization has functioned solely through the efforts of volunteers.
In addition to the Board of Directors that included artists Jacques d'Amboise and Robert Rauschenberg
, The September Concert Foundation's Advisory Board was set up in 2002 with entertainers such as Quincy Jones
, Ravi Shankar
and Christy Turlington Burns. Business leaders such as Tom Freston
also joined in to help the foundation.
In 2010, 200 concerts were held all over the world on or near September 11. In New York City
58 concerts were held, joined by another 30 U.S. cities and 45 international cities including Edinburgh
London
, Rome
, Tamale
(Ghana), Cap-Haïtien
and Tokyo
.
The foundation accomplishes this by inviting musicians of every age and genre to bring their gift of music anywhere space is available on the days surrounding the anniversary of September 11. Concerts are held in parks, gardens, schools, libraries, churches, restaurants, cafes, galleries, office buildings, stores, senior centers, community centers.
There are three principles behind the September Concert:
Video of September 2009 concerts around the world
, Christy Turlington Burns, John Campi, Tom Freston
, Quincy Jones
, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Milton Moskowitz, David Ng, Todd Oldham, Nancy Ploeger, Howard J. Rubenstein
, Susan Rudin, William C. Rudin, Ravi Shankar
, Steven Spinola, Scott M. Stringer, Dennis Swanson
History
Following the events of September 11th 2001, Haruko Smith had the idea to fill the skies of NYC with music, inspired by the words of Aldous HuxleyAldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
:
The September Concert started out as a local grassroots charity and has grown to have a worldwide presence involving 10,000 volunteers and 15,000 musicians.
The September Concert Foundation was incorporated in April 2002 as a 501(c)(3) public charity, inspired a small army of volunteers, and on September 11th 2002 the first September Concert was born. To date this organization has functioned solely through the efforts of volunteers.
In addition to the Board of Directors that included artists Jacques d'Amboise and Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
, The September Concert Foundation's Advisory Board was set up in 2002 with entertainers such as Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
and Christy Turlington Burns. Business leaders such as Tom Freston
Tom Freston
Thomas E. Freston is an American entertainment industry executive. He currently is a principal in Firefly3 LLC, a consulting and investment company. Currently he consults Oprah Winfrey, among others....
also joined in to help the foundation.
In 2010, 200 concerts were held all over the world on or near September 11. In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
58 concerts were held, joined by another 30 U.S. cities and 45 international cities including Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
(Ghana), Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Mission and principles
The mission of the September Concert Foundation is to bring communities together, to reaffirm the hope for peace, and to celebrate our universal humanity.The foundation accomplishes this by inviting musicians of every age and genre to bring their gift of music anywhere space is available on the days surrounding the anniversary of September 11. Concerts are held in parks, gardens, schools, libraries, churches, restaurants, cafes, galleries, office buildings, stores, senior centers, community centers.
There are three principles behind the September Concert:
- Freedom for anyone to organise a concert with any genre and venue;
- Equality between the different musicians and styles of music; and
- Accessibility: all of the concerts are free
Media coverage
More news coverage of The September ConcertVideo of September 2009 concerts around the world
Organisers
Board of Directors
Haruko Smith, Founder and Chair, Taro Patrick Smith, Ph.D., Jacques d'Amboise, Robert Benezra, Ph.D., Faith Hope Consolo, Milagros del Corral, Ph.D., John Daly Goodwin, Darryl Pottorf, Rebecca Seawright, Sundaram Tagore, Randy Wayne WhiteRandy Wayne White
Randy Wayne White is an American writer of crime fiction and non-fiction adventure tales. He has written New York Times best-selling novels and has received awards for his fiction and a television documentary. He is best known for his series of crime novels featuring the retired NSA agent Doc...
Advisory Board
Marisa BerensonMarisa Berenson
Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson is an American actress and model.-Early life:She is the elder daughter of Robert L. Berenson, an American diplomat turned shipping executive, who was of Lithuanian Jewish descent; his family's original surname was Valvrojenski...
, Christy Turlington Burns, John Campi, Tom Freston
Tom Freston
Thomas E. Freston is an American entertainment industry executive. He currently is a principal in Firefly3 LLC, a consulting and investment company. Currently he consults Oprah Winfrey, among others....
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Milton Moskowitz, David Ng, Todd Oldham, Nancy Ploeger, Howard J. Rubenstein
Howard J. Rubenstein
Howard J. Rubenstein is an American lawyer and public relations expert. He has been called "the dean of damage control" by Rudolph Giuliani.Rubenstein grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on 74th St. near Bay Parkway with an older sister. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a crime reporter...
, Susan Rudin, William C. Rudin, Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, Steven Spinola, Scott M. Stringer, Dennis Swanson
International Committee
Camilla G. Hellman, Rosario Velasco Lino, Ludovica Rossi Purini, Mayo Shono, Koji Yoshikawa.External links
- WOR interview with Haruko Smith on the radio show Valerie's New York - 8/31/10 MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
audio file (9.6 MB) - The September Concert page of Compagnia per la Music in Italy
- The September Concert page from Japan (in Japanese)