Held annually on June 21, the summer solstice, Make Music Day is a daylong, musical free-for-all that celebrates music in all its forms. All across the world, free music events will take place, with a great deal of events held across New York State.
Make Music Day began in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique and now spans over 1,000 cities in 120 countries in 2023. Make Music Concerts, unlike conventional music festivals, encourage performances by anyone who wants to participate. In the same way, performances are enjoyed by everyone who wants to attend. Ranging from classical to folk, hip hop to opera, latin jazz to punk rock, live music of all kinds can be enjoyed on Make Music Day.
Make Music Troy
The first annual Make Music Troy, a wonderful mix of free, public musical events, will debut on Wednesday, June 21. This summer, over 100 U.S. cities will join the world’s largest annual music event, with thousands of Make Music performances nationwide. Participating organizations include Troy Public Library, Troy City School District, Oakwood Community Center, The Ruck, Song City, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and more. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate, regardless of musical expertise or age.
Make Music Troy will feature a variety of musical performances and activities throughout the day. Some highlights of Make Music Troy will include:
- Year End Celebration at Tenth Street Garden – Children’s Songs & Sing Along – 2:30pm – 3:15pm
- Color Run Music Celebration at School 19 – Performances by HEARD – Time TBD
- Drum Making Kits at the Troy Public Library – All Day
- Under the Mural Community Drum Circle at the Troy Saving Bank Musical Hall Parking Lot – Performance by Zorkie Nelson – 6:00pm-7:00pm
For those interested in participating, you can sign up here. Artists and performers sign up to note their interest. Businesses, buildings, schools, churches, and other institutions interested in hosting performances can visit the website to match with local performers.
A full schedule of events will be available and posted here.
Make Music New York
Returning for its 15th year, Make Music New York will feature an exciting roster of activations. During the week leading up to the 21st, there will be events on June 17 and 18, like Porch Stomp!, the tenth annual edition of NYC’s Americana and folk music festival featuring over one hundred musicians performing on Governors Island. Additionally, the Southeast Queens Gospelfest – an amazing lineup of gospel musicians headlined by award-winning songwriter Rich Tolvert Jr presented in partnership with NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation At Baisley Pond Par, Queens. It will also be the 15th year of the annual DIY Punk Festival, Punk Island, at the American Veterans Memorial Pier in Shore Road Park, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Highlights for June 21 include:
- Pueblo Harlem – the Afro Larin Jazz Alliance’s (ALJA) annual celebration of Hispanic heritage and cluture, which has taken place since 2014, including performances by the multi-Grammy-Award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, the Fat Cats, ALJA’s pre-professional youth ensemble, and special guests from ALJA’s family of performing and traching artists – at Johnny Hartman Plaza in Hamilton Heights. Presented in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation and The Brotherhood Sister Sol.
- Street Studios: From 12-4 pm in front of the Harman / JBL store at 19 E Houston Street in Soho. A small mobile recording studio will be set up on the shop’s sidewalk. Gust producers will invite the public and passerby to contribute original audio (by singing, rapping, playing an instrument) which they then record, mix, and loop and play back to create spontaneous, collaborative productions. This season’s producers are The Beatbox House, a NYC-based collective of World Champion Beatboxers comprised of five core members: Gene Shinozaki, Kenny Urban, NaPoM, Amit and Chris Celiz.
- Paul’s Pianopalooza: From 3-7 pm at Madison Square Park in the Flatiron District, the New York State Music Teachers Association, District 1 Manhattan-Bronx, will kick off with a piano-based marathon and a 90th birthfay celebration for beloved NYC composer and educator Paul Sheftel. Pianists of all ages and levels will perform a program of Paul’s works, including a visit from the maestro himself, to be followed with “Made in New York,” piano music by NYC composers of all stripes. Presented in partnership with the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
- Mass Appeal Guitars: Hosted by NYC Guitar School, from 4:30-7 pm at Union Square Park’s south plaza. You can bring your guitar to the park and join hundreds of guitarists of all levels in Union Square, for a massive guitar strum-along of beginner friendly songs like “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley, “Seven Bridges Road” by The Eagles, and more. Free guitar lessons from twenty guitar teachers from 4:30-6:30pm, the play-along is at 6:30pm, and then stick around at 7 pm for live rock music.
Yonkers
- At Riverfront Auditorium, 6pm: Library Jazz Band – Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions – 50th anniversary!
- The Library Jazz Band, a new 17-piece jazz orchestra, shares originals of every track of the landmark album.
- For more information, visit their site here.
- At Riverfront Library, 11-11:30am: Sing, Sign & Story Time (Riverfront branch)
- More information available here
- At Crestwood Library:
- 9:30-10am: Music & Merriment
- 5:30-7:30pm: Make Music with Tom Flammia and Trio of Friends
- At Will Library:
- At Untermyer Performing Arts
- 6-7pm
Auburn
Auburn, New York, will have live piano music at Café 108 (owned and operated by Auburn Public Theater) from 11:00am to 2:30. They will also have live music in Stage Right at Auburn Public Theater from 4:00pm to 9:00pm.
Albany
The Egg will celebrate international‘Make Music Day’ on Wednesday, June 21st at 12:00 pm with a free outdoor concert by the group Heard.
Heard is a collective of musicians that brings their skills and passion for world music, jazz and improvising together to create irresistible grooves from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond, set in a unique sonic tapestry. For this special ‘Make Music Day’ concert, they will invite the audience to sing, stomp and shake along with them, with free egg shakers for the first 100 people who arrive for the show!
In the event of inclement weather, the concert will take place on the South Concourse at the Empire State Plaza. The event is presented in cooperation with the NYS Office of General Services Special Events with support from M&T Bank.
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