U.N. choir to join August 6 ceremony to observe 70th anniversary of A-bombing
Mar. 11, 2015
by Masanori Wada, Staff Writer
A U.N. choir comprised of officials from United Nations headquarters in New York will take part in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony at Peace Memorial Park on August 6. The group will join in the singing of the “Hiroshima Peace Song.” The executive committee of the “U.S.-Japan Cultural Exchange Project in Hiroshima,” composed of citizen volunteers, sought the participation of the U.N. choir to create an opportunity for Hiroshima citizens to connect with the world. About 30 members of the group, from various nations, will visit Japan. At the end of the ceremony, the group will sing the song together with some 300 people making up a choir of Hiroshima citizens.
As part of the City of Hiroshima’s efforts to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the executive committee planned to hold a concert with the U.N. choir at Aster Plaza on August 6 at 6:30 p.m. When committee members asked the group to also take part in the ceremony in the morning, the invitation was kindly accepted. At a press conference at Hiroshima City Office on March 5, Yasuo Harada, the chairman of the committee and former president of Hiroshima University, said, “I hope the voices of the U.N. choir, singing for peace, will reverberate in Hiroshima.”
During their visit to Japan, the U.N. choir will also go to Tokyo and Nagasaki and stage concerts in these locations to remember the war dead and the A-bomb victims. Tokiko Kato, a singer, will perform as a guest artist at all venues, including Hiroshima.
(Originally published on March 6, 2015)
A U.N. choir comprised of officials from United Nations headquarters in New York will take part in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony at Peace Memorial Park on August 6. The group will join in the singing of the “Hiroshima Peace Song.” The executive committee of the “U.S.-Japan Cultural Exchange Project in Hiroshima,” composed of citizen volunteers, sought the participation of the U.N. choir to create an opportunity for Hiroshima citizens to connect with the world. About 30 members of the group, from various nations, will visit Japan. At the end of the ceremony, the group will sing the song together with some 300 people making up a choir of Hiroshima citizens.
As part of the City of Hiroshima’s efforts to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the executive committee planned to hold a concert with the U.N. choir at Aster Plaza on August 6 at 6:30 p.m. When committee members asked the group to also take part in the ceremony in the morning, the invitation was kindly accepted. At a press conference at Hiroshima City Office on March 5, Yasuo Harada, the chairman of the committee and former president of Hiroshima University, said, “I hope the voices of the U.N. choir, singing for peace, will reverberate in Hiroshima.”
During their visit to Japan, the U.N. choir will also go to Tokyo and Nagasaki and stage concerts in these locations to remember the war dead and the A-bomb victims. Tokiko Kato, a singer, will perform as a guest artist at all venues, including Hiroshima.
(Originally published on March 6, 2015)
