© Burton Morris
Music for Relief is proud to be named the beneficiary of the Global Ode to Joy. At a time when fear, isolation and division dominate so much of our world, we invite you to unite and celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday by flooding the internet with positivity, hope and joy. Join the international arts community and post your joy-filled video to social media with the hashtag #GlobalOdeToJoy. A diverse array of the most joyous videos will be selected for an official Global Ode To Joy playlist, and your video might be chosen for the grand finale video – a Global Ode To Joy highlight reel set to a performance “Ode to Joy.” See all these inspiring videos at Google Arts & Culture’s YouTube channel
Created in collaboration with YouTube and Google Arts & Culture, with support from Germany’s official Beethoven anniversary campaign, the Global Ode To Joy draws inspiration from the Beethoven’s beloved “Ode to Joy” chorus and its uplifting message of joy and unity for humankind.
Led by conductor Marin Alsop, the “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Ninth “Choral” Symphony will be performed on the video finale by Austria’s ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the international Stay at Home Choir. Participating virtually from all over the world, this choir of thousands will premiere a new English adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s original Ode to Joy poem, commissioned from former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith by New York’s Carnegie Hall. In addition to submitting your own videos, you can also sign up to take part in the Stay at Home Choir’s performance.
Funds raised by Global Ode To Joy will benefit musicians struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic and programs providing mental health support through music.
As Tracy K. Smith writes, in her new English adaptation of Schiller’s poem,
“O friend, my heart has tired
Of such darkness.
Now it vies for joy.”
