“Middle East Transformation- A concert of sacred music in Bethlehem offers world peace”

“Middle East Transformation- 

A concert of sacred music in Bethlehem offers world peace”

Wishing for global peace and taking action on making it a reality is a vastly different thing but on Christmas Day, 2011, a stunning array of the entertainment industries’ finest gathered in Bethlehem, Palestine, to do just that. Project Peace on Earth delivered a featured song during the Christmas Eve Day celebrations held directly in front of the Church of the Nativity and across from a Mosque in Manger Square, Bethlehem. On Christmas Day, the organization put on a globally televised concert at the Bethlehem Convention Palace, located next to the famed Solomon Pools. 

Project Peace on Earth LLC  (PPOE) is a Los Angeles-based organization, and the result of 25 years’ worth of passion and effort on behalf of Steve Robertson, its Founder, Executive Producer & CEO. Robertson, who is driven to bring greater individual and collective world peace, has gathered some of the top transformational musicians, entertainment industry producers, leaders from higher education and personal development authors, amongst many others, in order to bring these concerts and other peace efforts from conception to reality on a global scale.

"Sacred Music is the most profound and expedient way to touch the heart and create a direct communion with the Divine.  The mission of Project Peace on Earth concert series is to deliver the most spiritually authentic musical experiences so that people are inspired to discover their inner most life calling and courageously act on it towards the overall goal of individual and world peace,” explains Robertson. 

The live concerts and worldwide telecast from Bethlehem are the first of many planned concert events, TV, and film content, centered on the subjects of personal transformation and world peace.   PPOE aims to bring superstar musicians, performing inspiring and sacred music, to some of the worlds’ most sacred sites. 

“We will plant a musical seed of love, peace and compassion that will forever uplift the heart and raise the spiritual vibration of the people.  Beginning in the Middle East and then around our world, the mission is to bring the possibility of a state of greater compassion, forgiveness, love and oneness. Ultimately, we will show that peace is profitable,” Steve Robertson said.

The musical artists that performed in Bethlehem included Joanne Shenandoah, a Grammy winning Native American singer and her daughter Leah, both of whom performed on Jonathan Elias’s new Prayer Cycle album entitled “Path to Zero.”  Gary Nicholson, the Grammy winning Texas Hall of Fame song writer, also performed. Hani Naser, the world renowned Jordanian percussionist and oud player and Fox Lima, co-composer and vocalist of Enigma MXX Social Song, rounded out this stunning list of performers. 

Peter Joseph, famed for the “Zeitgeist Film Series,” produced video segments for the broadcast. Rutger Hauer, famed “Blade Runner” actor, and Shaun Monson, director of the films “Earthlings” and “Unity,” also produced a video for the concert telecast. 

The shows’ live satellite telecast, directed by Marc Scarpa, was sent to tens of millions of homes worldwide through Melli TV/MTC and other broadcast carriers.  As well, viewers accessed the program via live-streaming, also directed by Scarpa, who has served previously as the Producer / Director for “40th Anniversary of Earth Day,” “Tibetan Freedom Festival,” and “X-Factor” digital.

Serving as the Director of Social and Digital Media and working with Scarpa, was Kent Speakman, of the ENGAGEIA Agency.  Speakman worked on the project that allowed millions of viewers’ access to connect via social media platforms in conjunction with Scarpa’s live television satellite broadcast coverage of the event. Viewers were able to watch the event live on Facebook by integration of the Live Stream channel embedded into the page. The full program is available for viewing at any time by visiting www.projectpeaceonearth.org

This first concert in Bethlehem brought thousands of people together live, and tens of millions from every nation and faith through the full concert broadcast which benefitted UNRWA and Palestinian Refugee Youth. The event was made possible through the generous sponsorship support of VisitPalestine, the Convention Palace Bethlehem, Consolidated Construction Corporation, NeTours and the Ambassador Hotel, the Swiss Government and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Brian Thomas, noted concert production manager, Sami Khoury of ABS Marketing,  Fritz Froehlich of the Swiss Govt. and UNRWA, George Bassous of the Bethlehem Convention Palace, and Steve Robertson formed the core of the production team and efforts.

PPOE brought a star-studded cast of talented people to this worldwide concert and also took important steps towards the promotion of inner and world peace in a region where peace is deeply hoped for and not yet realized.

Several other PPOE events are planned for this coming year in the Middle East and continuing forward globally.