OUR STORY

The United Nations Singers, founded in 1947, is a club affiliated to the UN Staff Recreation Council (UNSRC). Its members consist of current and former staff of the United Nations, affiliated organizations and national delegations, as well as members of their families and several talented singers from New York. They come from all walks of life and from all over the world.  The singers perform folk songs and classical choral music from many countries in their original languages. They are designated by the UN as unofficial ambassadors of goodwill and convey a message of peace and tolerance and a celebration of other cultures and religions through music. They are a small-scale example of what international cooperation can accomplish.

Our Mission

The UN Singers aims to spread the message of peace and understanding among nations through the art of choral music and its vision is a world in which all peoples are united for peace.

“Where words fail, music speaks” ― Hans Christian Andersen

UN SINGERS IN HISTORY

75TH anniversary

In 2022, the UN Singers marked its 75th anniversary with celebrations!

Established in 1947 and headquartered in New York, the United Nations Staff Recreation Council - UN Singers, is dedicated to promoting Peace through Music. Over the past 75 years, the choir has delivered performances across the globe, singing in approximately 50 languages and donning various national costumes. With members hailing from more than 30 different nationalities, Maestro Guillermo Vaisman has been leading the choir since 2003. For seven and a half decades, the UN Singers have been steadfast in spreading the message of peace and fostering understanding among nations.

ORIGINS

One of the UN Singers’ first recorded performance, from 1958 as part of the Dateline UN documentary series, presenting a Christmas show with the UN Singers, conducted by Donald Read and featuring distinguished guest artist Eleanor Steber. Watch the full video here.

70th anniversary

In 2017, the UN Singers travelled to perform in the Republic of Korea for the first time as part of their 70th Anniversary celebrations.

Watch the full video here.