VIDEO: Rhythm of the Universe

Two years ago, a group of Berklee students set out to show just how powerful music can be. 

The orginal spark came from Emir Cerman and he was joined in his quest by a group of fellow Berklee musicians. The result is Rhythm of the Universe, a musical collaboration project that brings together the voices and sounds of musicians from more than 90 different countries. ROTU was created to promote unity through music and further promote the value of music education. In the past two years more than 300 Berklee students, from all walks of life, have been involved in this project, creating ROTU's "Anthem for the World"—a song written for the world, by the world.

The song is featured in this newly released video as the group sets its sights on the next step in its journey: composing new material and securing funding to tour.  

ROTU has performed at Symphony Hall alongside the Video Game Orchestra and Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, Alan Silvestri '70.More recently, the group performed as part of the 9-11 memorial event Massachusetts Remembers, on Boston's Esplanade. It's also used its influence, through a video posted on YouTube, to raise awareness of the devastation following the October 2011 earthquake in Van, Turkey; that video received more than 80,000 views and was also picked up by more than 15 major news and music channels in Turkey, Germany, and France, reaching more than 50 million people. 

"We're serving as a vehicle to show unity through music," said ROTU cofounder Gabriel Peguero. "To show that through this unity, collaboration is possible and together we can do great things."

And as ROTU embodies this unity, by representing so many countries it is also an example of Berklee's international reach.