MANCHESTER.- Yoko Ono invited members of the public to gather in Cathedral Gardens on 4 July 2019 to open Manchester International Festival 2019 with Bells for Peace, a mass gathering to send a message of peace to the world. Thousands of celebratory voices and a people’s orchestra of bells from the UK and abroad rung and sung out for peace and welcomed the world to Manchester.

Yoko Ono has been among the world’s leading artists for more than 50 years. From her early Bed-in collaborations with John Lennon in 1969, to her ongoing WAR IS OVER! campaign, Ono has boldly communicated her commitment to social justice throughout her career, creating works that blur the boundaries between art, politics and society. This new commission is the first major work she has created for the city of Manchester.

In the lead-up to the event, participants were invited to take part in bell-making workshops and choral groups prepared responses to Ono’s message of peace. Bells were provided for participants who joined on the day.

As the opening event for MIF19, Bells for Peace followed the success in 2017 of What Is the City but the People? which was an opportunity for the people of Manchester to present a self-portrait of themselves and the place they live.

Yoko Ono said: "The beauty of this piece will break the sky and more. One of the reasons this is very different is the fact that all of us will be making the sound together. More than ever, we must come together to heal each other, and the world. PEACE is POWER! I love you all."

MIF Artistic Director and Chief Executive John McGrath said: “I’m thrilled to be announcing the involvement of such extraordinary artists in Manchester International Festival 2019. Yoko Ono will be creating a very special opening event for Mancunians – and the world – in the city centre: a joyful response to our complicated times.”

Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival. Supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of My Festival. MIF19 runs from 4–21 July 2019 with artists from across the globe premiering a variety of new work in spaces throughout the city.