“Towers of Light”: A Healing and Hope Anthem for 9/11 and Beyond By Dr. Judy Kuriansky

The Healing Power of Music

I know from research, clinical work, and life that a meaningful song can offer comfort, give voice to emotion, and help restore hope after tragedy.

Few events in our recent history have been as tragic as the attacks of September 11, 2001, when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center twin towers and the Pentagon, while a fourth crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 9/11 became a “marker“ in our collective memory: a moment so profound that people remember where they were when the world changed.

The 25th anniversary on September 11, 2026, carries particular meaning for me. In the immediate aftermath and for months afterward, I served as a Red Cross mental-health responder at Ground Zero and later at the Family Assistance Center, providing psychosocial support to police officers, firefighters, electricians, other responders, survivors, and families.

This article chronicles the journey of the anthem Russell and I wrote, called “Towers of Light” created to honor those who perished, salute the heroes who answered the call, and offer solace to those left behind.

When we completed the song in 2002, neither of us could have imagined how far it would travel—or how many hearts and souls it would touch.

The Beginning of the Song

On March 11, 2002, six months after the Twin Towers that had defined the Manhattan skyline vanished, leaving the city’s skies eerily empty, two brilliant beams appeared where the towers had previously stood

Russell’s pursuit of viewing the “Tribute in Light“ at memorials; this one in downtown New York City on 9/11 in 2019 (photo: Russell Daisey)

Conceived by a team of artists and architects initially as a short-term public-art installation to shore up spirits during the recovery work at Ground Zero, the “Tribute in Light“ used 88 searchlights to create twin columns visible for miles on a clear night. The beams had such an emotional impact on people that they became an annual tradition.

The attacks had affected every dimension of people’s  lives. Couples argued about whether to communicate about their fears, or whether to bring children into this troubled world. Children suffered from nightmares and school phobia. People searched desperately for meaning amid incomprehensible loss, and questioned their faith.

That same year, I was teaching a course on relationships at Teachers College, Columbia University. For their final project, I gave my students an assignment that felt especially urgent: create something that could help New York City, the nation, and the world heal from the attacks.

Russell, then a master’s student in music education who took my course because I was a well-known media psychologist on radio and TV, decided to do his final project as a song. The choice was natural: he was already an internationally acclaimed composer, pianist, and singer-songwriter who had performed for audiences worldwide and for presidents, prime ministers, dignitaries, and public figures-including Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.

Each night, he had looked wistfully downtown toward the beams illuminating the place where the towers had stood.

Wanting the lyrics to be psychologically meaningful, Russell invited me to contribute to the words. Over five weeks, we worked together on language that acknowledged trauma while encouraging remembrance, resilience, connection, and hope.

Russell Daisey standing in front of the Tribute in Light memorial on 9/11 in 2021 (photo: Judy Kuriansky)

We wanted the song to honor the dead as well as the living without referring specifically to 9/11 so that its message could speak to people enduring any tragedy.

By the end of the summer semester of my course in late July 2002, we knew we had created something meaningful.

In the years since, “Towers of Light“ has been performed on five continents in countless settings, touching the hearts of adults and children around the world.

Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Russell Daisey at a concert at the Triangle Park Memorial in downtown New York City on 9/11/2008

A Songwriting Team Emerges

Over the years, Russell and I became a songwriting and performing team, and best friends. Together, we created numerous anthems connected to global concerns and initiatives of the United Nations, where I represented the International Association of Applied Psychology and the World Council for Psychotherapy. Our songs have been presented at peace summits, world congresses, conferences, religious services, and interfaith memorials around the world

Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Russell Daisey on the press terrace of the World Financial Center overlooking the newly opened 9/11 Memorial Reflecting Pool, on 9/11/2011, following Dr. Judy’s interview with Alhurra TV News
(photo: Todd Connor)

The anthems address mental health and well-being, the empowerment of women and girls, disaster recovery, peace, and interfaith harmony. Among them are “Stand Up for Peace,“ “Every Woman Every Child,“ “Happy People, Happy Planet,” “Hope Is Alive,“ “One in Faith,“ and “Hands Off Our Girls.“

The First Anniversary

On the morning of the first anniversary, I traveled to Ground Zero for the memorial observance, which included the now-traditional reading of the victims’ names and moments of silence, and ringing bells at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., when two planes struck the towers. Along the route, I spoke with families showing photographs of loved ones, and with police officers standing watch.

At the memorial celebration at Ground Zero on the first anniversary of 9/11 in 2002: Dr. Judy handing out a comfort bear to a child and with a family showing a photo of their lost loved one

I carried with me copies of the “Towers of Light“ song on a CD-the principal way music was shared at the time. When I reached the “pit“- the vast space where the towers had stood—a WCBS-TV camera crew recorded my encounter with President George W. Bush. I told him about my service at the site and, as the news footage that aired showed, he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. I gave him a copy of the CD and also presented copies to Secretary of State Colin Powell and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Later that day, Russell performed “Towers of Light”  at Milbank Chapel at Teachers College and at Columbia University’s standing-room-only memorial in St. Paul’s Chapel.

On that first anniversary, the anthem had begun its public life.

The song performed for Nobel Peace Laureates

One of the song‘s most remarkable journeys took us to Hiroshima in the autumn of 2006. We were invited to perform at the First Hiroshima International Peace Summit by the Hiroshima Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor of Hiroshima, and Japanese firefighters who had assisted at Ground Zero and who had heard us perform the song at the 2006 Annual 9/11 Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremony on the Hudson River.

The public gathering at the Astor Plaza Grand Hall drew an audience of 1,200 people. It opened with an address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on compassion and humanity, followed by a panel discussion with the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and Nobel Peace laureate Betty Williams. Williams had won the peace prize for courageously co-founding a grassroots movement in 1976 to help end the violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.

After the panel, with the three Nobel Peace Prize laureates still seated on stage, Russell performed “Towers of Light“ at the piano while my former student Neil Walsh, who had come on the trip with us, and I sang with him.

When the song ended, Betty Williams told Russell, “II want to play your song before every speech I give.“

One of Russell’s most unforgettable moments came when the Dalai Lama rose, crossed the stage, and took his hands. In his unmistakable resonant voice, the Dalai Lama offered his response to Russell about the performance of the song: “Powerful. Very powerful.“ 

On the second day of the peace summit, a luncheon was hosted by the Hiroshima Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Office of the Mayor. This celebratory event, held in the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima ballroom, consisted of speeches, toasts, and taiko drumming. It was especially meaningful to debut our newly composed peace anthem, “Stand Up for Peace.”

After the performance, we were again pleased with the reactions of the Nobel laureates. Archbishop Emeritus Tutu told us, “This is a great song for peace.“

And Betty Williams asked if she could get a recording of “Stand Up For Peace“ to learn the words, since she also wanted to sing it with us in the near future.

At the Hiroshima International Peace Summit second-day luncheon (left photo) Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Russell Daisey giving the debut performance of their “Stand Up for Peace“ song (right photo, seated from left to right) Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, HH the Dalai Lama, Betty Williams (standing, from left): Reverend TK Nakagaki, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Neil Walsh, Russell Daisey

Public Ceremonies with the Military

Performances at events with color guards and military salutes are especially moving. This is particularly true for both Russell and me, growing up as children of military fathers. On 9/11/2005, we were invited to perform the TOL song at a special ceremony at the Town Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut, featuring a color guard, a three-gun salute, and speeches by local politicians and dignitaries. The public sat in chairs on the sprawling lawn.

(left) Town Hall memorial in Greenwich, Connecticut on 9/11/2005 (from left); firefighter, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Juliana Oliveri, town official, fireman, Russell Daisey; (right) Russell Daisey & Juliana Oliveri singing (TOL)

Russell played keyboards accompanying the vocals of singer and good friend, Juliana Olivieri, who had lost many hospitality colleagues at the famous Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Olivieri’s singing was especially moving, as her Judy Garland-like voice gave the song a deep, resonant power. The experience for us was also especially emotionally vulnerable, given that Olivieri was about to start chemotherapy treatment for leukemia.

The team was then invited by Father Michael to perform the TOL song at the Sunday service at St. Michael the Archangel Church parish which followed the ceremony. This was especially significant given that eleven members of the congregation had died in the Twin Towers inferno.

After the song, Father Michael said, ‘Let us appreciate the many blessings that God has given us,“ adding, “This song has made it easier for us to pray.”

Russell, Dr. Judy and Juliana Oliveri at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, after the Sunday service with performance of the TOL song, on 9/11/2005

A Musical Bridge to Japan

The First Hiroshima International Peace Summit transformed our musical lives by introducing us to Japanese singer-songwriter and peace advocate Shinji Harada. A major rock star in Japan, Shinji is known by his many admirers as “the Beatles of Japan.”  Shinji invited us to perform in his Charity Peace Concert to happen the evening after the Summit, in front of the ancient Hiroshima Castle. The historic building from the 1590s had been reconstructed after being destroyed in the WWII atomic bombing.

The performance for us was historic. It happened on a beautiful 72-degree starry November night, attended by 1,000 appreciative people. The extravaganza consisted of stunning performances by the Hiroshima Boys Choir, traditional and hip-hop dancers, and virtuoso koto and taiko musicians. In the dramatic opening, Shinji appeared on, and descended from, a high staircase lit by lasers.

The Global Harmony Charity concert at Hiroshima Castle on 11/03/2006 (left to right: Reverend T.K. Nakagaki, Russell Daisey, Shinji Harada, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Neil Walsh

Over the next six years, we returned to Japan for Shinji’s Global Harmony Peace-and-Music tours, performing in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fukushima, and Tokyo. We also welcomed him to New York, to perform with us in concerts, memorials, and United Nations events, as well as to join us in Mexico City at the opening night concert of the 2009 United Nations Department of Public Information DPI/NGO world conference at the prestigious Foro de Ensayo de Orquesta de Bellas Artes concert hall.

Dr. Judy (far left) with a choir and Mexico City architect/peace activist Sergio Kopeliovich (back row) onstage at the opening night of the DPI/NGO world conference concert in Mexico City, 9/11/2009

Dr. Judy with Shinji Harada

Speaking on a panel in Japan before a Global Harmony concert

Concert trips throughout Japan were filled with celebrations with old and new friends, education including about the nuclear disasters, and visiting spiritual sites. The Buddhist statues align so emotionally deeply of my years of tantra teachings.

Concert trips throughout Japan 2008

From 9/11 to 3/11

Another important Japanese musical collaborator, besides Shinji, was classical-crossover soprano, Tomoko Shibata, whom we met through Reverend T. K. Nakagaki, former head resident minister of the New York Buddhist Church, longtime organizer of New York’s Annual 9/11 Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremonies. Beginning in 2010, Tomoko brought her extraordinary range and musical intensity to performances we did of the “Towers of Light“ song in New York, Hawaii and Japan.

With Tomoko, the song became a bridge between America’s September 11 tragedy (known simply as “9/11″and Japan’s March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, that came to be known as simply “3/11”

In March 2012, Russell and I were invited by Tomoko to join her in her sold-out and greatly acclaimed “Songs for Hope“ memorial concert at Tokyo’s prestigious Yamaha Hall, marking the Japan 3/11 disaster’s first anniversary. Proceeds supported a home for children orphaned by the catastrophe. In an especially significant gesture that opened our eyes even wider to the international relevance of our song, Shibata translated  “Towers of Light”  into Japanese. At the concert, she led a new classical-crossover arrangement featuring voices, flute, harp, cello and piano.

(left photo) Songs for Hope  charity concert in Tokyo’s Yamaha Hall on 3/11/2012) (third from left: Russell Daisey, Dr. Judy Kuriansky (speaking), Tomoko Shibata (in blue). (right photo): musicians with Tomoko congratulating Russell and Dr. Judy

(from left) Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Tomoko Shibata and Russell Daisey with the Hibaku (survivor) piano at the Annual 9/11 Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremony on the Hudson River, on 9/11/2010

In late September 2011, we performed TOL at another of Tomoko’s “Songs for Hope“ charity concerts, this time at Tokyo’s Hakuju Hall. Singing with a children’s  choir whose members had survived the tsunami gave the music an emotional depth none of us could forget.

At this event, I also made a speech about the powerful connection between the two countries of Japan and America about the tragic events. Research shows that close family and community connections foster healing; knowing that we are not alone-even across great distances-can be deeply comforting. I use this principle in an exercise I do with children around the world in my workshops after disasters. Children gather around the map I show them of disaster sites, showing intrigue and even glee when recognizing that children in different places around the world are feeling the same as they are.

I bonded with Tomoko on another level, namely, our commitment to advocacy on behalf of the rights and empowerment of women and girls. I had co-organized innumerable events for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) over years — at which Russell and I also performed many of our anthems.

For this reason, it was particularly rewarding that Tomoko performed our Towers of Light song at one of these events. The CSW conference occurs annually in March, with both a government and a non-government version that feature discussions and live and online meetings dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

Tomoko Shibata singing “Towers of Light” and the entire panel of speakers and performers at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women event on 3/12/2015

Symbols of Peace

The “Towers of Light“ song has been performed at many world peace events, given that the 9/11 terrorist attack demands awareness of the dire need for peace in the world. Appropriately for the peace theme of the occasions, we also sang our  “Stand Up for Peace“ song.

Given this connection between our music and peace, Shinji invited us to join many of his famous “Global Harmony Peace Symposia and Concerts“ (mentioned above) throughout Japan over the years 2007-2011. These occurred in Fukushima and Hiroshima (2007); Hiroshima and Tokyo (2008); Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2009); at the UN Department of Public Information opening night concert in Mexico City (2009); Hiroshima and Tokyo (2010, 2011); Sendai on the day after the first anniversary of the tsunami tragedy, in numerous schools and senior centers (March, 2012), and at the United Nations Culture of Peace High-Level Forum in New York City (2013).  

Performance during the United Nations Culture of Peace High-Level Forum on 9/06/2013, with Shinji Harada (seated at keyboard) and Russell Daisey and Dr. Judy Kuriansky (behind) surrounded by friends and event organizers.

On many of these occasions, we recruited local children’s choirs. Meeting children in each Japanese city was a joyous treat. We were especially delighted when the Japanese children had proudly learned the lyrics in English.

Besides the peace concerts for Shinji, we also performed the TOL song at Universal Peace Day ceremonies throughout 2007-2019, which were organized by our friend, peace activist SuZen. Particularly committed to preserving the history of the survivors of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Suzen started these events in 1984 and held them at various Manhattan sites, including Riverside Church, the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, the New York Buddhist Church, Dag Hammerskjöld Plaza, St. John’s Lutheran Church, and in Union Square Park at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. These Universal Peace Day ceremonies featured music, dance, poetry, speakers on peace and non-atomic proliferation and the “Hibakusha“ survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. Some of these concerts were performed on August 6 or August 9 — the days that mark the atomic bombings in 1945 — when Japan observes its major annual peace memorials and pray for a peaceful, nuclear-free world.

Russell Daisey singing TOL at Riverside Church for Universal Peace Day ceremony on 8/05/2008

The Floating Lanterns

Continuing the theme of peace, from 2006 through 2011, “Towers of Light“ was performed at New York’s Annual 9/11 Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremonies on the Hudson River.

Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Russell Daisey on the Hudson River Pier 40 at the Annual 9/11 Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremony on 9/11/2006

Russell Daisey at the keyboard performing TOL at the 9/11 Annual Floating Lantern Ceremony on Pier 40 on the Hudson River, on 9/11/2008

We had been first invited to perform this song by Reverend T.K. Nakagaki (mentioned above) in September 2006 after he heard Russell perform “Towers of Light“ at the Church Center for the United Nations. Reverend T.K. (as he is fondly called, as Shinji and Tomoko, became a very close friend, creating a circle of friends in an international bond that we cherish.

A Buddhist priest, Rev. Dr. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki is founder of the Heiwa Peace and Reconciliation Foundation of New York, an honorary board member of the Interfaith Center of New York, and New York City Police Department Clergy Liaison. A Hiroshima Peace Ambassador, he has organized an Interfaith Peace event to commemorate the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings since 1994 and organized the annual 9/11 Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremonies from 2002-2011.

At these floating lantern ceremonies, leaders representing many faiths offer prayers, meditations and blessings. Members of the public write messages on rice-paper lanterns, which are set afloat at sundown. Some carry photographs of rescue workers who had died; others bear messages from children in Japan

“Through this tradition, peace and harmony are sent out over the waters into the universe,“ Reverend Nakagaki said.

At the 2010 ceremony, Russell played the Hibaku piano that had survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The instrument had been brought from Japan – costing tens of thousands of dollars expended willingly because of love — as a living witness to survival and reconciliation.

Continuing the Japanese connection, Russell performed “Towers of Light“ and an original song, “He Stood There Watching”, composed to commemorate the statue of Shinran Shonin that has great significance in that it survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It now stands in front of the New York Buddhist Church on Riverside Drive in New York City. 

Dr. Judy Kuriansky with Russell Daisey seated at the Hibaku (survivor) piano, beside the Shinran Shonin statue (which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima) in front of the New York Buddhist Church on 9/13/2010

Towers of Light” in Sacred Spaces

The spiritual resonance of “Towers of Light“ has also brought it into many houses of worship representing a variety of denominations and religious traditions. Performing at these various venues has given us an intense spiritual awakening and appreciation of the power of worship. The traditions include; Roman Catholic (Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Greenwich, Connecticut); Episcopal (St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church); interdenominational—American Baptist and United Church of Christ (New York City’s Riverside Church); Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America AKA St. John’s Lutheran Church); Methodist (the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew); nondenominational and multi-faith (St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University); nonsectarian academic (Milbank Chapel at Teachers College, Columbia University); ecumenical and interfaith (Tillman Chapel at the Church Center for the United Nations); Jewish (Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation in Old Westbury, New York); and Buddhist (the New York Buddhist Church and the Buddhist Church of San Francisco, California).

(Top) inside and outside the Tillman Chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations; (bottom) Riverside Church and Dag Hammerskjöld Plaza,

Pearl Harbor and other traumas

One of the most formidable sites in America invoking the need for peace is Pearl Harbor, the U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was the site of the devastating surprise attack by Japan on December 7, 1941, which forced the United States to enter World War II.

For that reason, it was significant for Russell to perform our “Towers of Light“ song on September 11, 2014, at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum (aka Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum) at Pearl Harbor. It was also significant that once again our Japanese friend Tomoko Shibata joined in song. The invitation came from a friend, Vincent Forras, a volunteer firefighter who had rushed to Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks and spent months searching for survivors in the rubble. Vincent and Dr. Judy particularly bonded because, like many other responders at the site, they both experienced respiratory problems from toxic exposure to the dust and rubble, spending extensive time at the “pit“. Though suffering terribly from these physical ailments but with his heart of gold, Vincent became an advocate for sick responders and founded the GearUp Foundation, a non-profit that provides fire and rescue equipment to international fire brigades.

The event was hosted by our good friend, award-winning journalist and host on TV and radio, Rita Cosby, who also has a heart for military events, given her father’s role as a teenage Polish resistance fighter in WWII. Rita, who wrote about his life in the best-selling book “Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father’s Past“, actively supports veterans, military families, and awareness programs for PTSD.

Also performing were her partner, musician/singer Tomaczek Bednarek, from a famed military family, who performs at numerous 9/11 and patriotic events; Daniel Rodriguez, the retired New York City police officer who became known after 9/11 as  “the Singing Policeman”, who sang patriotic and other powerfully emotional songs; musician/singer actress and iconic 1980s model Kelly LeBrock (known famously for saying “Don’t hate me because I‘m beautiful”  and the Highland Divas.

A song has value when it speaks to people on sacred occasions like 9/11/2014 at Pearl Harbor, and wherever people have experienced trauma.  

For that reason, singing “Towers of Light“ has been powerful in inspiring resilience on so many occasions where Russell and I have conducted my resilience workshops around the world after traumatic natural disasters.  The tempo of a song can be changed to be slow and solemn or more lively and uplifting.

Russell singing with children in Haiti

Another towering sculpture “rises“ to the occasion

Architectural structures help with healing from disasters as they serve as symbols of strength and as places that bring communities together. They can inspire a spiritual sense of renewal, resurrection, and hope.

Like the Freedom Tower built at Ground Zero, “The Rising“ at the Kensico Dam in Valhalla, New York, is a notable example. This Westchester County 9/11 memorial is an 18-ton stainless-steel sculpture, formed by intertwining rods that reach toward the sky in memory of the one hundred and eleven local residentswho died in the attacks.

“The Rising“ is purposefully named after the Bruce Springsteen song, with lyrics about a New York City firefighter who climbs the smoke-filled stairwells of the World Trade Center to save others, overcoming any fear out of the drive for duty, self-sacrifice, and love of others.

In 2018, Russell and Tomoko joined up again to perform TOL at “The Rising”, at the invitation of Russell’s dear friend Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who served the county in the U.S. House of Representatives for 32 years.

Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Russell Daisey, and Tomoko Shibata with community leaders at “The Rising” 9/11 memorial

Remembering, with Governor George Pataki

George Pataki was Governor of New York at the time of the attacks and led the state’s recovery response alongside then-Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, who had become known fondly as “America‘s Mayor“ for his admired handling of the recovery after the attacks. The Governor, also admired for his response, especially to rebuild the downtown area and restore the economy, holds annual events for his Pataki Center, which I attend, that recall the courage and resilience of the recovery, honor his team, and promote education and support for other disasters, like in Ukraine. He is credited with coining the name “Freedom Tower“ for the structure that now stands at the attack site.

Dr. Judy Kuriansky with Governor Pataki and replica of the Freedom Tower given out at his Pataki Center Gala 2026

Russell Daisey, Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Governor George Pataki at the annual 9/11 Pataki Center awards ceremony and cocktail reception, 9/11/2025

“Towers of Light“ with Notable Figures

Through the years, “Towers of Light“ has been presented on programs with notable persons. These include scholars (Professor Robert Thurman); politicians (Congresswoman Nita Lowey); faith leaders (Reverend Dr. James A Forbes, Riverside Church senior minister for 30 years); media personalities (Rita Cosby, Stephanie Miller); as well as other singers, musicians, composers (Peter Yarrow; soprano saxophonist Paul Winter famed for his Winter Solstice Celebrations at St. John the Divine and 30-year-long producer of sold-out new-age concerts; David Amram, New York Philharmonic composer-in-residence and composer of film scores “Splendor in the Grass“ “Seven Days In May” and “The Manchurian Candidate“; and Bunken Nagano, noted Hiroshima-native classical guitarist who accompanied me in a poetry reading at Riverside Church.

Family and Friends Matter Most

Research shows that support (and love) of others is the most important factor in healing. Family matters. For Russell and me, bringing our mothers, Sylvia and Ellie, when we performed “Towers of Light“ at the Tillman Chapel of the United Nations Church Center in 2010 was especially meaningful. That occasion was boosted by also having good friends present. Shinji and Tomoko joined us in singing an extensive concert and ceremony with the “Hibaku Survivor Piano“ that survived the Hiroshima Bombing (mentioned above). Tomoko and Russell performed TOL. Tomoko also sang Puccini‘s “Vissi d’arte“ with Russell’s piano accompaniment. In the spirit of peace, Shinji performed his world-famous peace anthems, and our vocal quartet group sang the “Stand Up for Peace“ anthem.

The affirmation of friendship was deepened by the presence of our dear friend, Father Wismick Jean Charles, a Haitian Catholic priest, who traveled from Haiti to join us. My bond with Father Wismick is intense, especially over recovery from tragedies, from the fateful day in 2010 when I traveled with him immediately upon learning of the tragic earthquake in his country. After that, Russell and I went to Haiti every year to conduct my unique psychosocial recovery workshops for the communities — until the recent gang kidnappings that made going there too dangerous. Russell always sang many songs for the groups and for Father Wismick‘s conferences, including our Haitian post-earthquake recovery anthem “Reeds in the Wind“ -even singing in the native language of Creole. He also led conga lines with the children, much to their delight.

Photos from the Hibaku (survivor) piano concert at the Tillman Chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations. (bottom left) my mother Sylvia Sporn with Hibaku piano tuner; Russell and I with our moms, Sylvia Sporn and Eleanor Daisey; Father Wismick Jean Charles with my mom; (upper left): group including Heather Nakagaki, Tomoko Shibata, Rev. TK Nakagaki, Eleanor Daisey, Russell Daisey, Barry Gruber, SuZen, Sylvia Sporn, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Shinji Harada; (upper right, left to right, back row): Juli Cooper, Kenji Nagano, SuZen, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Sylvia Sporn, Eleanor Daisey, Russell Daisey, Tomoko Shibata, Barry Gruber, Heather Nakagaki.

Special occasions of close friends have been especially meaningful times of singing “Towers of Light.“ It was perfectly touching in times of joy, like when we performed it for our good friends, the Chiniya Lama of Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal, and his wife Durga. And also, in times of extreme sadness, as when we traveled to Palau in November 2018, to the three-day-long State funeral memorials of my beloved friend and colleague, Ambassador Caleb Otto. A gift to the world with his big heart, kindness, and brilliant mind, Ambassador Otto and I teamed up for one of the most impactful experiences of my life – conducting a successful advocacy campaign to ensure the inclusion of mental health and wellbeing in the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. So much credit goes to his being so respected by the government member states at the UN. He loved the song. Russell had sung it on many occasions at our UN events.

The 50th anniversary of the Chiniya Lama of Nepal and his wife

An Educational Tool

Music is not only entertaining and empowering but also educational.  Over the past 22 years of my teaching at Columbia University Teachers College – since that first year when we wrote the “Towers of Light” song as homework healing from the terrorist attacks — Russell has sung the song innumerable times in my class.  Students were moved and awed, saying they had never been to a class like mine — in many ways — but especially where music accompanied so many subjects. His singing “Towers of Light” was exceptionally appropriate for the modules on peace or on trauma, which I taught in my class about “Psychology and the United Nations” every fall and spring semester. This was particularly powerful in those years when classes already started before the actual date of September 11 when singing such a song was so timely and set the tone for lessons on “cultural diplomacy” and on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (which include peace) and on the connection between mental health and wellbeing with goals for a better future for the world

My Columbia Teachers College class with Russell (back row, behind me in turquoise) after one of his performances and guest presentations (on different days) by Ambassadors to the United Nations: (left) Zambia (right upper and lower) Oman and Pakistan

In the Media

“Towers of Light” has been played on radio on Clear Channel Radio, the Curtis Sliwa radio show, NPR Radio, Florida, and the Joey Reynolds talk radio show on WOR Radio on the 7th & 8th anniversaries of 9/11. On TV, Tomoko’s Blueshore Tribute Concert performance was broadcast on Tokyo TV, and performances have been on Good News events and broadcasts.

On the Joey Reynolds Show: Russell (far left), Joey (in the middle in white pants), ShinjiHarada, Reverend T.K. Nakagaki, and Dr Judy

Tomoko Shibata singing “Towers of Light” on TV in Tokyo

Also, I have been interviewed many times by media outlets, speaking about my experiences as a first responder, giving psychological advice, and referencing the Towers of Light song. These have been on shows in America but also for other countries, including Turkey and the Al-Hurra TV interview shown in a photo above.

Dr. Judy Kuriansky being interviewed by Frank Ucciardo for TRT World International News Channel about 9/11 anniversary reactions at the Oculus on 9/11/2021

Art and Recovery

The “Towers of Light“ anthem’s message has often intersected with other art forms. At an event at the Art Students League of New York, we performed the song to accompany the unveiling of an impressive 30-foot scroll painting chronicling the journey from the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami crisis to recovery. Japanese artist Jave Yoshimoto called his work “Baptism of Concrete Estuary”. At this event, I gave a plenary speech about the role of art and music in healing. This theme continues to inform my work in cultural diplomacy at the United Nations, and in the Arts4Peace signature events that I participate in for Women4Diplomacy International, an organization I co-founded with my good friend, Her Excellency Katalin Bogyay, a former ambassador of Hungary to the UN and current President of the Hungarian National Commission for UNESCO.

A songwriting partnership endures

“Towers of Light” began as a creative partnership of Russell and me, that produced many events and songs connected to global concerns and United Nations initiatives. Our anthems have addressed peace, disaster recovery, mental health and well-being, interfaith harmony, and the empowerment of women and girls. They include “Stand Up for Peace,“ “Every Woman Every Child,“ “Happy People, Happy Planet,“ “Hope Is Alive,“ “One in Faith“ and “Hands Off Our Girls.“ But these have been appreciated and sung by others from varied cultures, showing the songs’  appeal to hearts and souls across borders.

These works have been presented at memorials, peace summits, religious services, world congresses and international summits, and public concerts. They’ve gone from the simplest of places – a small New York City park to Times Square to stages around the globe, including at the famous Palais des Congrès in Paris.

Two concerts at Duffy Square in Times Square, New York City, produced and broadcast by Good News Planet CEO Paul Sladkus

Russell Daisey, Shiang Chen & Shinji Harada playing at Triangle Park in downtown Manhattan on 9/11/2008

Considering all this, “Towers of Light”  became a song from which so much light has shone.
Its verses acknowledge the disorientation of grief — the feeling of being broken, the desire to return to the morning before everything changed, and the struggle to imagine “normal“ again – but its chorus transforms the memorial light beams above Lower Manhattan into a pathway for souls through the image of light to become a symbol of transcendence and enduring love.

Over this quarter-century, the song has been performed on five continents, on over 170 occasions, within various contexts, and even in a different language. It has honored the victims of terrorism, war, and the holocaust, comforted survivors of disasters, and connected people across national, cultural, and faith boundaries.

As the world marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, our anthem “Towers of Light“ continues to carry the heartfelt and healing purpose with which it was created: to remember those we lost, to honor those who served and survived, and to affirm that love can outlast hatred.

Music cannot erase tragedy. But it can give a voice to sorrow, bring people together, and illuminate a path toward healing and hope.

When we perform “Towers of Light”, tears often fall but hearts are filled.

Russell Daisey singing the “Towers of Light“ song at the Tillman Chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations on 9/11/2025 with signature outraised arms signifying hope

Verse 1
I feel like I’m broken inside me.
I feel that it’s so hard to heal.
There must be a sane way beyond this…
to accept this insanity’s real…
I want to wake up and remember
that morning before it all changed.
But sadly it’s real, not a bad dream.
Our lives have been all rearranged.
Chorus
Towers of Light shine in the night.
A pathway for new stars.
Souls taking flight move to the light…
where they become new stars.
Bridge
They ‘re our friends. They’re our lovers.
They ‘re our sisters and our brothers.
They ‘re our fathers and our mothers taken away
They ‘re our husbands. They‘re our wives.
They ‘re the children in our lives…
and their spirit that survives that fateful day.
Verse 3
They told us to get back to normal.
But normal’s so far from my mind.
I‘m looking for some kind of closure…
to leave all this sadness behind.
Bridge
But right now let’s honor the heroes…
who sacrificed all for our lives.
There must be a far greater purpose…
where love over hatred survives.
Chorus
Towers of Light shine in the night.
A pathway for new stars.
Souls taking flight move to the light…
where they become new stars.
There they are new stars.
We‘re still here,
Gazing at new stars.
New stars.
New stars.

Selected Responses to “Towers of Light”

“Powerful. Very powerful.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama

“I want to play your song before every speech I give.”
-Nobel Peace laureate Betty Williams

“A beautiful song.” _Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

“A very heartfelt song.” —Radio host Joey Reynolds

LINKS:

20th Anniversary “Towers Of Light“ Music video
https://youtu.be/1rEsmrHdshc?feature=shared

TOL performance at the First Hiroshima International Peace Summit
https://youtu.be/wPDM6LWHI3c

Performance at the Greenwich Connecticut Town Hall Memorial, 9/11/2005
https://youtu.be/mY2FenYv8vg

TOL Audio MP3: Rena Strober singer, 2006 http://indiemusicpeople.com/songs.aspx?SongID=88563&ArtistID=148662

Russell Daisey, Dr. Judy Kuransky, and singer Rena Strober at one of many “Towers of Light” recording sessions, this one in August 2006

Media and Performance Information

Recordings, performance tracks, lyrics and sheet music are available for media use and live performance.

Contact:
RussellDaisey@gmail.com