St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican will become the stage for a free public concert open to the world. Next Saturday, September 13 at 9:00 pm, Pharrell Williams, Andrea Bocelli, Karol G and K-Pop superstar BamBam will lead the “Grace for the World” show, an unprecedented staging with live music, a line-up of international artists, more than 3,000 drones and a universal message of fraternity.
The event will also be streamed live on Disney+, Hulu and ABC News Live. Sign up here to receive your live streaming links and access updates on Grace for the World.
A Night for History
The concert, co-directed by Pharrell and Bocelli as executive producers, will feature the gospel choir Voices of Fire, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll, Clipse, Angélique Kidjo and an international choir of 250 voices, including the Choir of the Diocese of Rome. All under the musical direction of renowned producer Adam Blackstone.
But beyond the musical, the show will include a show with thousands of drones and lights inspired by the Sistine Chapel, developed by Nova Sky Stories. It will be an unprecedented technological display: more than 3,000 drones and a light show that will transform the Roman night into a moving sky. The show will be free to the public present in Rome and will be broadcast live on Disney+, Hulu and ABC News Live at 21:00 (Spanish peninsular time).
The event marks the closing of the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity. For two days, international leaders, Nobel laureates and activists from around the world will have reflected in Rome on global challenges and the need to reconnect as humanity. And to top it all off, the Vatican will transform its architectural heart into a platform for music.
Karol G: a Latin landmark at the Holy See
One of the great novelties of the event is the participation of Karol G, who will make history by becoming the first Latin American artist to perform in front of the Pope. According to sources close to the organization, she could perform a version of Vivo por ella together with Bocelli, in addition to her song Milagros, in a clear bid to build bridges between the urban and the spiritual.
“This is a very rare cultural moment when the world stops and connects collectively,” stated Pharrell Williams. Andrea Bocelli has also defined what the event will be: “Let’s shine with music from the heart of Christianity to send the world a message of peace”.
But to stay “only” in the musical show or in the drone show, would be to obviate the intention behind this historic event. The World Meeting on Human Fraternity invites to reflect on what it means to be human today, in an era marked by conflicts, loneliness, new forms of poverty, environmental crises and challenges linked to technological progress. The awaited appointment is conceived as an opportunity for dialogue, the exchange of experiences and the construction of new forms of hope. And it is open to everyone.