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Encounter with Stradivari

Encounter with Stradivari: a concert for human rights on 16 June

8 May 2018

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year, The Nippon Foundation, a Tokyo-based philanthropic organization, whose affiliates include the Nippon Music Foundation, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) are co-organizing a free concert on June 16th, which will take place at the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations in Geneva at 6.30pm.

The concert is also supported by the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Geneva.

This event is a lifetime opportunity to hear world-renowned musicians playing seven Stradivarius. Made by Antonio Stradivari in the northern Italian city of Cremona over 300 years ago, these instruments are renowned for their well-preserved condition and superb tonal qualities, and represent a precious global heritage. The Nippon Music Foundation, which has a total of nineteen Stradivarius and two Guarneri Del Gesù, owns the instruments and they are loaned gratis to promising musicians around the world.

The musical programme will include pieces from Leclair, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Moszkowski, Vladigerov, Sarasate, Chausson and Léonard. The concert will feature world-renowned musicians such as violinists Svetlin Roussev, Arabella Steinbacher, Akiko Suwanai, the chamber ensemble The Quartetto di Cremona and the pianist Yumiko Urabe.

We look forward to seeing you at this unique event. Registration for the concert is mandatory.


  • I will respect your rights regardless of who you are. I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you
  • When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone's rights are undermined, so I will stand up
  • I will raise my voice. I will take action. I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.

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