South Asian Symphony Orchestra Holds Concert for Peace

According to the South Asian Symphony Orchestra & Foundation (SASF), orchestral ensembles are the ideal vehicle for building peace. Orchestras can unite people across cultural differences—they are a place where participants cultivate a sense of shared responsibility, cooperation, and connection through the act of collective music-making. The SASF was founded to build peace and mutual understanding across South Asia, with a long-term strategy to support the development of an orchestral repertoire that includes both the western classical music canon and Indigenous music from South Asia. On July 30, the SASF performed their latest concert, “Peace Notes,” in Chennai, India, performing a repertoire that spans Asia and Europe. The concert opened with the benediction “Maithreem Bhajata,” which was sung at the United Nations in 1966 on U.N. Day to celebrate friendship between nations.