The Human Rights Orchestra (HRO) under the musical direction of Alessio Allegrini is the first major initiative of Musicians for Human Rights. It includes instrumentalists of major symphony orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra Mozart Bologna, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and others. The HRO performs to raise awareness of human rights issues and to raise funds to support effective grassroots organizations.
Past concerts have included performances at the Festival Sull‘Acqua Colico in July 2009 and the Abbazia di Farfa in September 2009. The concert in Farfa promoted the international work of the Italian branch of Doctors Without Borders. On 19 May 2010, the HRO will perform with pianist Maria Joao Pires for the 7th International Forum for Human Rights in Lucerne, Switzerland. The proceeds of this concert will be donated to AfriAfya, a leading agency that works with rural and urban poor communities in Kenya and Somalia to improve their access to health and development information.
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