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20th Annual FODfest (Friends of Danny Pearl) Community Concert Presented in Partnership with Music in Common
Thursday, October 10 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
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20th Annual FODfest (Friends of Danny Pearl Festival) honors the life of Daniel Pearl, the late Wall St. Journal reporter who was abducted and murdered by extremists in Pakistan shortly after 9-11. In addition to being an exceptional reporter, Danny was a fiercely talented musician who believed fervently in the power of music to connect people regardless of their differences. Wherever Danny traveled on assignment, he’d bring his fiddle with him and find local jam sessions to sit in on.
In that spirit, FODfest features local, regional (and occasionally national) musicians in a unique format that is part concert, part song swap, and part jam session. It is living demonstration of the power of music to connect people, generating a sense of community, hope, and healing. Artists include, GRAMMY Award-winner, Cathy Fink, SONiA of Disappear Fear, Seth Kibel, winner of 28 WAMMIE Awards, Valeria Stewart, and Slava Zonova, among many others. FODfest is FREE & open to all and takes place each October in honor of Danny’s birthday. Danny lived in DC while working for the WSJ and was actively involved in the local music scene. October 10th would have been his 61st birthday.
Music in Common strengthens, empowers, and connects communities through the universal language of music. We curate experiences for people across social divides to discover common ground through facilitated conversation and music. At our core, we hold high two foundational principles: it is hard to hate up close and music can change the world. and many others.
In October 2005, singer-songwriter / producer, Todd Mack, organized a backyard birthday jam to honor his friend and band mate, Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter abducted and murdered by extremists in Pakistan in 2002. Danny was a classically trained violinist, bluegrass fiddler and mandolin player who harnessed his musical gifts to connect with people wherever he traveled. His horrific murder was a call to action for Todd to combat and prevent the acts of hate that took his friend’s life. That backyard jam – FODfest (Friends of Danny Festival) – quickly grew to become Music In Common, an international non-profit organization with innovative programs to help communities in or at risk of conflict find common ground through facilitated discussion and music.
