On February 22, 2002, the day after the world learned that kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had been brutally murdered by his captors in Pakistan, conductor George Pehlivanian, Danny's neighbor and friend from Paris, was scheduled to lead the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest conductor. Deeply troubled by the news, he was initially reluctant to perform; however, he decided to go ahead with his concert (which he proudly dedicated to Danny), rather than give in to the despair wrought by the evil inflicted on Danny."As the orchestra played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, I finally understood the triumph of hope over despair," said Pehlivanian. It was an emotional and exultant concert, ending with 15 minutes of sustained applause.

After Danny's funeral in August 2002, in the spirit of his love for music, his family decided to inspire hope and unity by inviting people everywhere to dedicate a musical event on the day he would have turned 39 years old - October 10, 2002. Thus, the seeds were planted for Daniel Pearl World Music Days - now an entire month of worldwide "Harmony for Humanity" concerts - which reminds the world of the principles by which Danny lived, the universal power of music and our shared humanity.

The inauguration of Daniel Pearl Music Days on October 10, 2002 was launched with a huge impact as it involved over 100 concerts in 18 countries. Musicians ranging from small amateur bands to the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Boston and Chicago dedicated performances to the ideals for which Danny stood: friendship, tolerance and a love of all humanity.

By 2011 -World Music Days consisted of 2,249 concerts in 87 countries