Source: United Nations (video statements)
On Wednesday, 30 September 2026, the UN Chamber Music Society presents “Prayer – The Bell Within”, featuring the piano legend Jerome Lowenthal – a virtuoso of the fingers and the emotions, and who has served as the piano chair of the Juilliard School — in celebration of the month of the International Day of Peace at the United Nations. The event will be broadcasted internationally through the global platforms of the United Nations: UN Web TV and UN YouTube.
Released on the International Day of Peace, “Prayer — The Bell Within” is a new album of music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, performed by Brenda Vongova with her Juilliard teacher, the legendary pianist Jerome Lowenthal, and violinist Julia Hwang. It pairs the Six Morceaux, Op. 11, for piano four hands with Fritz Kreisler’s transcription of the Adagio from the Piano Concerto No. 2, titled Preghiera, or “Prayer.” Shaped from childhood by the sound of bells, Rachmaninoff let their resonance live throughout his music, and the music invites listeners to find the bell not in the striking, but in the resonance within.
The International Day of Peace is observed each year on 21 September and is dedicated to strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and peoples. At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the day is marked by the ringing of the Peace Bell.
In this spirit, the UN Chamber Music Society is dedicating 100% of its streams from this release to UN OCHA — just as the Peace Bell is rung each year as a call for peace, this album offers music of stillness and resonance, and every stream extends that call into support for people affected by crises around the world.
Founded in 2016 by Brenda Vongova, the UN Chamber Music Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council is dedicated to promoting the United Nations’ goals and values at large – through the universal language of music.
Listen to the UN Chamber Music Society’s “Prayer – The Bell Within” on Spotify, Apple, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube, TikTok, Pandora, and all the major music distribution platforms worldwide.
100% of the UN Chamber Music Society’s streams will be donated to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) — supporting its frontline response to climate-driven humanitarian crises worldwide.
Support the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) by donating to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF): https://crisisrelief.un.org/