Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli are co-directing a concert set to take place in the heart of Vatican City. The “landmark cultural and spiritual event” will take place in St. Peter’s Square and mark the closing of the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity with support from the Vatican.
According to a press release, the concert will “bring together music, reflection, and visual storytelling in a singular live experience,” and feature live performances by Bocelli, Williams with the Voices of Fire Gospel Choir, Teddy Swims, John Legend, and a 250-person international choir. There will also be an aerial drone and light show by Nova Sky Stories, including imagery inspired by the Sistine Chapel.
The event, which will also be celebrating the “2025 Jubilee Year,” is open to the public in Rome and will stream live on Disney+, Hulu, and ABC News Live on Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. ET.
Williams called the upcoming gathering “a rare cultural moment where the world stops and collectively tunes in. It is a message of unity and grace for all of humanity,” per the release.
“Let us shine a spotlight on humanity with music from the very heart of Christianity and the most important spiritual square, reaching the entire world with a single message of brotherhood and peace,” said Bocelli in his own statement.
The World Meeting on Human Fraternity, a conference held by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation (which was established by Pope Francis), has been attended by Nobel laureates, artists, athletes, and politicians in the past.
“On the evening of 13 September, fraternity will take center stage, expressed through the universal language of music and the stories of those who have made it a life’s choice,” said Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, O.F.M. “Concrete words and actions shall be proposed to be brought into our communities, so that fraternity does not remain a mere idea, but becomes a choice that transforms reality.”
Williams and Bocelli will also executive produce the event with musical direction by Adam Blackstone.
