Music is a universal language that calls for friendship and peace

NEW YORK — The two-day Sixth New York Big Apple Music Festival kicked off at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on July 19, resonating with themes of friendship and peace.

The festival's theme, "Echoes of Humanity: From Origins to Unity", was highlighted in the opening concert, a theme that aims to convey a message of "friendship and peace to the world through artistic exchanges that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries", according to the Paulus Hook Music Foundation, the organizer of the event.

To celebrate International Friendship Day, which is observed annually on July 30, the three-hour concert featured artists from diverse backgrounds and included several thematic pieces.