From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends of the Foundation,
We just wrapped up our Peace Concert IN HIROSHIMA at the JMS Aster Plaza on July 3, 2015, and what a beautiful evening it was. There is something magical, definitely heartwarming, in watching artists of all ages and musicality join together to share in our message for peace worldwide. As their sounds harmonized and resonated through the hall, I believe that hope for a better tomorrow was restored in us all. Something so beautiful could only mean possibility, and that will keep Harmony For Peace Foundation striving for better understanding and friendship between cultures and nations.
Our special guests included South Korean Conductor Yoonhak Baek; Japanese duo Alchemist, known for their popular commercial hit for Sekisui House; and South Korean Baritone Daniel Oh. Violinist Honoka Kikukaw, our Junior Peace and Music Ambassador Japan, once again made us proud.
The participating local school choirs, that gave splendid performances, were the Hiroshima Noboricho Elementary School, the school of Sadako Sasaki and Hiroshima Motomachi High School, known for their high achievements in fine arts. The concert could not be complete without the beautiful harmony of the prestigious Hiroshima University Orchestra.
I must thank all our talented performers, directors, parents and special guests for their dedication and hard work. It is always a pleasure to work with passionate and like-minded people.
Prior to the concert, we opened our “Peace Art Journey” Exhibit from June 18-28. It was a success, sharing the message for “a world free of nuclear weapons” from talented youth artists around the world with the people of Hiroshima. The exhibit was hosted at the Former Bank of Japan in Hiroshima, and this historic building withstood the 1945 bombings, although just a mere 380 meters from the hypocenter.
As our Peace Project Japan 2015 finishes up with an art exhibit in Nagasaki, we are so pleased by the kind support and positive response our projects and events received while in Japan. It encourages us to continue on, spreading our message worldwide, using music and art as our medium.
I hope all our friends and supporters continue to join us in our efforts. As we have said before, spreading the message of peace does not fall to one person, but rather to a global family, working together to promote international and multicultural friendship and understanding.
With Harmony and Peace,
Tomoko Torii
Executive Director
Past Letters
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Peace Concert in Hiroshoma
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Concert Thank You
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Spring Greeting
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
New Year's Greeting
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Post Concert 2014 Thank You
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Summer Greetings
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Thanking You For Your Presence
From Our President and Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Fifth Anniversary Celebration
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends of Harmony For Peace,
Our project in Hiroshima fast approaching, as we continue our Peace Project Japan 2015. We travel to Hiroshima now, in line with the city’s 70 years long, and ongoing, efforts for peace in the world. We join these efforts, promoting global peace, friendship and above all, a world without nuclear weapons.
Beginning June 18, Harmony For Peace Foundation will showcase its “Peace Art Journey” Exhibit at the Former Bank of Japan in Hiroshima. This exhibit, open to the public, is an international collection of 12 artworks by peace-minded children around the world, supported by the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs in New York. Illustrating a universal desire for peace, the exhibit has been traveling globally to spread its message, including global stops in Vienna, Austria and Tokyo, Japan. This summer, the exhibit will continue on to Nagasaki.
For our feature event – an international call for peace through music - we will present Part II of our International Peace Concert Series; Peace Concert IN HIROSHIMA. On Friday, July 3, 2015, at the JMS Aster Plaza Main Concert Hall, we will be presenting this multicultural concert and inviting performers from the city and beyond, also honoring the friendship between its sister city Daegu, Korea.
Our special guests include Conductor Yoonhak Baek, professor at Yeungnam University and Music Director for ConcertOPERA in Philadelphia; Japanese Piano and Vocal, Alchemist, known for their popular commercial hit for Sekisui House; and South Korean Baritone Daniel Oh. The foundation’s Junior Peace and Music Ambassador Japan, violinist Honoka Kikukawa, will also take the stage with a feature performance.
Local schools will also be participating, including Hiroshima Noboricho Elementary School, the school of Sadako Sasaki; Hiroshima Motomachi High School, known for their high achievements in fine arts and the prestigious Hiroshima University Orchestra.
During this special time we ask for your support. Be it your presence at our concert or art exhibit, your generous donations or your dedicated time to volunteer, we graciously rely on the help of our friends. It is the work of a global family that makes our mission for international and multicultural peace and understanding possible.
Join us as a united voice for a more peaceful tomorrow. Please spread the word of our upcoming events, and we hope to see you there as well!
With Peace and Harmony,
Tomoko Torii
Executive Director
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends of Harmony For Peace,
We had the pleasure to hold our International Peace Concert in Japan at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre on April 10, 2015, and what a lovely evening it was! This was our first opportunity to present a concert in another country, and we have truly been able to reach an international audience.
Close to 1,700 guests and performers were present in a heartwarming display of unity, all while celebrating individual culture and heritage. Our talented artists, including cellist Ohad Bar-David, violinist Mariko Senju, conductor Reona Ito and Japanese Drummer Masahiro Uemura thrilled our audience, as did our young performers; our Junior Ambassador Honoka Kikukawa, Suginami Amanuma Elementary School’s Japanese Traditional Drum Ensemble, Yokohama International School’s Koto Ensemble, Tokyo International School Choir, Hiroshima Sotoku High School Glee Club and the Fukushima Asaka Reimei High School Choir.
When our performers, both young and professional and from over 50 different backgrounds, joined together for one final song, it managed to capture the essence of our mission; international and cross-cultural peace and understanding through music.
In addition, through coordination with Mayors For Peace’s Vision 2020, Toyuukai and other organizations, 60 Hibakusha attended the concert as special guests. The concert also hosted close to 150 children and their families from the Tohoku Disaster region with the help of Ashinaga, KiraKiraBoshi-Net and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It was a pleasure to have our special guests present.
I must thank all our talented performers, hardworking music directors, sponsors, partners and Peace Project Japan friends. And of course, a special thanks to our wonderful audience. Without this dedication and support, this concert and our additional projects would not have been possible.
After months of planning, this concert has come and gone so quickly. However, the Harmony For Peace Foundation will continue with its mission of promoting peace and friendship globally, using music and the arts as our vehicle. To expand our mission to an international audience has been a wonderful experience, and we hope to travel throughout the globe, expanding our reach and involving people of all nations and cultures.
We ask that you continue to support our foundation, and as we move forward with more events and projects, you join us in our efforts. Our mission does not fall to one organization – but to the kindness and hard work of a global family.
With Peace and Harmony,
Tomoko Torii
President, Co-Founder and Executive Director
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends of Harmony For Peace,
It is such a relief that Spring is just around the corner. In fact, the changing season inspires us to continue on with our newest initiatives and projects.
This April, our organization travels to Tokyo, Japan to present our Peace Project JAPAN, five separate initiatives all with the same ideals – promoting peace, friendship and understanding among cultures, nations and generations.
Our International Peace Concert Tokyo is our feature initiative - a festival of multicultural artists and school performers joining together for a message of peace worldwide. It will take place on April 10, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. It is our hope to see all our friends and supporters in Tokyo enjoying this beautiful event, for there is nothing that gives us more pleasure than to see our message reverberate through a packed concert hall. We would also like to welcome our special guests, a group of 60 Hibakusha invited through our cooperation with Mayors For Peace's 2020 Vision and other organizations. Also, 200 children who lost thier homes and families in the Tohoku Disaster - organized by Ashinaga and KiraKiraBoshi, will join us at the concert.
Our new Junior Peace and Music Ambassador Japan, Ms. Honoka Kikukawa, will represent Harmony For Peace as a feature performer at the concert, as well as at events throughout the coming year. We have also launched our Tokyo Art Competition, calling on young artists in Tokyo to submit art of all mediums, illustrating global friendship, free from conflict. The winning artworks will join our “Peace Art Journey” Exhibit, a 12 piece collection illustrating a universal desire for peace, first at the concert hall, and next on its global tour.
Following the close of the concert, our visiting US musician, cellist Ohad Bar-David, will lead a cross-cultural forum and music presentation with high school students, teachers and instructors at the Symphony Space of Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre on April 11. Through musical and cross-cultural lessons, students will learn that music can bridge relations among cultures and countries, especially the US and Japan. We hope to see you there!
Worldwide peace and nonviolence, especially today, is a grand mission. Yet it is the small efforts and peace-minded initiatives that give hope to such a cause.
Join us in our efforts for promoting peace, for the sake of the happiness, security and lives of all the peoples of the world, regardless of background, faith, culture or nationality.
One Voice ...One World.
Help music be the universal language to share this powerful message and mission.
With Harmony and Peace,
Tomoko Torii
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends of Harmony For Peace,
Warm Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year. May the new year bring us all more peaceful surroundings and greater love for all.
As we launch our new year, we ask you for your continued support in our mission and activities this year.
Last year, we were able to have many exciting programs and events. In the spring, we celebrated our fifth anniversary as a foundation; our Second Annual International Peace Day Concert on September 21 reached over 1000 guests, 300 young and professional performers and 200 Gift of Music recipients; and finally, we launched our World Tour, “A Peace Art Journey” exhibit, showcasing first in Harrisburg, Philadelphia and New York City – and in December, at the Hofburg Palace and the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, with more stops in Europe to follow.
It is a whirlwind of activities, planning and executing, however, it is without doubt that all gives us an utmost pleasure and joy. And, you all are a great part of this peace building effort Harmony For Peace is fortunate to serve. Our projects, concerts and initiatives are only made possible through the generous support of our friends. Each day we are encouraged by peace-minded people to move forward with our mission, promoting international and cross-cultural peace and understanding for a world free from violence and most of all nuclear weapons. It is a grand mission, but each day has the potential to make a difference.
We will continue working towards our goal, and therefore, we ask that you continue to join us in our efforts. Your generosity will keep our projects and initiatives strong and ongoing.
Thank you for your belief in Harmony For Peace Foundation, and may we wish you greater prosperity and joy in 2015.
With peace and harmony,
Tomoko Torii
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends,
After months of planning and preparation, our hard work finally amounted to a beautiful and successful Second Annual International Peace Day Concert. Not only did we thrill the audience with splendid musical performances and talent, but we brought together many cultures and backgrounds to celebrate International Day of Peace.
We were able to merge many of our initiatives into one spectacular night, with our core mission of "peace one day" shining through. This year’s concert hosted over two hundred Gift of Music recipients, featured Harmony For Peace’s first Junior Peace and Music Ambassador and showcased our “Art For Peace” winner exhibit. All of these initiatives will continue, made stronger with their presentation at this concert.
We sincerely thank all the young performers, directors and parents, special guests for their dedication and hard work. We hosted a truly spectacular group of artists.
Yet it was only with the help of our supporters and friends that this concert was made possible. Spreading the message of peace does not fall to one person, but rather to a global family, working together to promote international and multicultural friendship and understanding.
Although this concert has come and gone, Harmony For Peace’s mission remains, steadfastly goes on. We will continue to spread a message of peace and nonviolence through music and the arts, and we ask that you continue to join us in these efforts. In today’s world, with threats of war and conflict present each day, our work is needed now more than ever.
With peace and harmony,
Tomoko Torii
President & Executive Director (Founding Partner)
Harmony For Peace Foundation
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Dear Friends,
Summer Greetings! I am amazed at how the time is just flying by us. Our Second Annual International Peace Day Concert is just two months away!
This year our concert centers around the concept “Celebrate Peace, Embrace Diversity.” Every concert, we invite musicians from around the world, each with their own musicality. We bring these performers together, not to merge their sounds, but rather embrace the many cultures and origins that influence their music. Yet their different sounds still harmonize beautifully together. This year, we will feature an ensemble of international friends with an Eastern and Asian influence in classical rendition.
As the concert date approaches, there is still so much to do. We recently began an international music competition, inviting young musicians to audition to be our Junior Peace and Music Ambassador. The winner will both have a feature spot at our concert, as well as represent Harmony For Peace during the year with musical performances among communities.
We also launched an online fundraiser to fund our Gift of Music program for this year’s concert. With the help of generous donations, children of the Philadelphia and surrounding areas will be able to experience a night of moving and multicultural music. Perhaps this night could have a lasting impression on our young guests, inspiring them to take up an instrument and to play for peace.
To make this all possible, we need your support and generosity. No matter where you are, you can join in the effort to not only conceive a superlative musical concert, but spread the message of peace and nonviolence through music.
With peace and harmony,
Tomoko Torii
President & Executive Director (Founding Partner)
Harmony For Peace Foundation
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Thanking you for your presence…
Dear Friends,
Thank you for joining us at our celebration event, “Peace and Tranquility” on April 26th at Shofuso, in Philadelphia. The day began with a downpour of rain until four o’clock. Magically the sky brightened up and the sun came out just before we opened our gate to welcome our guests. After the rain, cool and clean air spread through the ground of the Shofuso.
We welcomed close to eighty guests to the historical tea house. The evening was filled with many programs; a tea ceremony, Japanese sake & cuisine, a silent auction presentation by Kimono Society with a performance of a few arias sang by our guest opera singers, Eunmi and Yungbae which made it a perfect evening. (You can view the photos from the event from here.)
It was the one of the most memorable evenings surrounded by many good friends. I would like to thank again to our guests, performers, volunteers and helpers at the event making it a wonderful celebration for the Harmony For Peace's fifth anniversay.
With sincere appreciation,
Tomoko Torii
President & Executive Director (Founding Partner)
Harmony For Peace Foundation
From Our President & Executive Director, Tomoko Torii
Celebrating Our Fifth Anniversary This Year!
Dear Friends of Harmony for Peace,
The Harmony For Peace Foundation was founded in 2009, thus celebrating our Fifth Anniversary. As we look back to our beginning, it is very humbling but at the same time it brings a sense of pride and joy that we have made it through our first five years. This is of course due to the people who support us, help us, advise us and encourage us in many ways and that makes us go forward with strides. We thank you for your continued and warm support. Our BIG THANK YOU to you all.
To celebrate this special year, on Saturday April 26, we are holding a benefit event “Peace and Tranquility” at the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia. Please join us to celebrate the occasion! You can find more details here.
Last September, we presented our first International Peace Day Concert in Philadelphia, “The City of Brotherly Love” with the strong message of non-violence and unity through music by many young artists. We were able to work with over 160 young performers joined from both in and out of the United States, bringing a beautiful harmony for peace onto the stage of the Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts. We were so encouraged with the large attendance that enjoyed the concert, our second International Peace Day Concert will be staged again at the Verizon Hall on September 20 this year. We will be making an announcement of the performers very soon. Please click here for more details.
Excited by this strong bond and unity of music by so many young artists in Philadelphia, we are planning our Peace Concert in Tokyo, Japan this year. Again the details will be soon published on this website. All of our friends in Japan, please look out for this exciting news soon!
Our New Global Peace Campaign, “From Guns to Butterflies for Peace” will be launched shortly and will be an initiative of an art competition and online exhibition. This is another opportunity where everyone can participate. So look out for the “How to Participate” in your email soon!
In 2014, we ask for your continued warm and strong support for Harmony For Peace!
With gratitude, much peace and harmony
Tomoko Torii
President & Executive Director (Founding Partner)
Harmony For Peace Foundation
At Harmony For Peace, we believe in a role of art as a messenger to play a social progress
to transform our society to bring peace for our children and their children.
Peace and Unity through Music