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The United Nations Staff Singers Recreation Committee was established in 1947 under the UNRSC. It is a choir composed of current and former staff from the United Nations and affiliated organizations from different countries. It aims to promote harmony and understanding among people of different cultures through the universal language of music.
The choir primarily performs folk and choral music in about 50 languages, wearing colorful traditional costumes, singing mostly a cappella. They have held many concerts at UN Headquarters and various churches, theaters, and music halls in New York City. Singers are often invited to perform at holiday and commemorative events. As unofficial UN “ambassadors of goodwill,” the choir has toured and performed in the U.S., Canada, and many countries in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. In 2015, the singers traveled to Japan and China to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. They visited cities in both countries, met with mayors, atomic bomb survivors, veterans, and visited schools, hospitals, churches, and nursing homes.
Guillermo Vaisman studied at the “Julián Aguirre” and “Juan José Castro” conservatories in Buenos Aires and continued his studies at the Faculty of Arts and Musical Sciences of the Argentine Catholic University. He completed further studies in choral conducting and participated in many workshops and courses with prominent Argentine professors.
After moving to New York in 2003, Guillermo Vaisman was appointed in 2004 as the Music Director of the United Nations UNSCR Singers, an amateur group composed of UN employees, specializing in international folk music and aiming to convey the UN's core messages through concerts and tours.
He is a founding member of the Argentine Choral Conductors Association (ADICORA), a member of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). In 1994, he founded Cappella Buenos Ayres and served as its conductor until December 2002. In New York, he founded the Canopus Singers chamber choir in 2005, and later Cappella Sur, a mixed ensemble focused on South American and Spanish choral literature.
Over the past 30 years, Maestro Vaisman has held more than 600 concerts in Argentina, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and Uruguay. His repertoire includes a cappella works from the entire field of choral literature, with a particular focus on traditional South American choral and folk music.
Fall Concert Program ~ November 4th , 2022
1. “Song of Peace” by Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), lyrics by Lloyd Stone • Finland
2. "E si fa Sera" (It is the night) – Lyrics: Dante Pani – Music: Luigi De Marchi • Italy
3. “Kalliolle Kukkullalle” (To the Rock on the Hill) by Kaj Chydenius • Finland
4. “Ye ke Omo Mi” (Don’t Cry, My Child). A lullaby • Nigeria
5. “Bozhe Velykyj Yedynyj” (Prayer for Ukraine) by Mykola Lysenko, lyrics by Oleksandr Konysky • Ukraine
6. “Otche Nash” (The Lord’s Prayer) by Nikolai Kedrov (1871–1940) • Russia
7. “Hirvoudou” (Lament) by César Geoffray (1901–1972) • France
8. “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel. Arranged by Bob Chilcott • USA
9. “Moon River” by Henry Mancini. Arranged by Ed Nepomuceno • USA
10. “Good Night, Dear Heart” by Dan Forrest. Lyrics by Robert Richardson and Mark Twain • USA
11. “Embraceable You” by George and Ira Gershwin. Arranged by Jan Johansson • USA
12. “Lamma Badaa Yatathanna” (When She Begins to Sway). Traditional Andalusian/Arabic song. Arranged by Joy Ondra Hirokawa.
13. “Ani Dodi” (I Am My Beloved’s) Yemeni tune. From the Song of Songs.
14. “Son de la Loma” (Son of the Hill) by Miguel Matamoros (1894–1971). Arranged by Electo Silva • Cuba
