Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Sting celebrate UN Day with music

World Today

2014 United Nations Day ConcertNEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: Musician and UN Messenger of Peace Lang Lang performs at the 2014 United Nations Day Concert at United Nations on October 24, 2014 in New York City. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images/AFP

The United Nations threw a party Friday night to celebrate its 69th birthday. The U.N. had a cast of international all-stars on hand, headlined by world-renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang and joined by British rock-and-roll  Hall of Famer, Sting.

One of the hottest tickets in New York Friday night was the U.N., where the newly-renovated General Assembly Hall became a concert hall, showcasing the talents of the UN’s official “Messenger of Peace,” Lang Lang. The concert drew hundreds of guests, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to commemorate the United Nations Day.

United Nations Day, observed every year on Oct. 24, is dedicated to the global achievements of the U.N. since its founding on this day in 1945.

Performing with Lang Lang was an international orchestra of 80 young musicians from five continents. The conductor Manuel Lopez-Gomez and many of the orchestra’s young musicians study with the world renowned El Sistema program that provides music education to children whose families can’t afford to pay for it.

Lang Lang accompanied 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer and composer, Sting, who brought the crowd to its feet with one of his most popular songs, “Englishman in New York.”

The United Nations hosted the concert in collaboration with the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

“Our aim is also, as the U.N. Messenger of Peace, and on behalf of my foundation, to create this concert with our aim is to have a better, more peaceful world through the next generations,” Lang Lang said. “So I hope people will support us.”