Fête de la Musique

One of the most amazing things about living in New York City is that you can easily miss a major event. Like this one. I learned about this from a coworker in my office at the end of the day (and caught two performances - one in the photo). Make Music New York was NYC's participation in the international Fête de la Musique which is celebrated in 340 cities around the world. On the first day of summer, public spaces in all five boroughs become informal musical stages for all New Yorkers, amateurs and professionals, to perform for friends, neighbors, and passers-by, turning the city into a festival of live music making. The idea germinated in France in 1982, when a memo was sent from Maurice Fleuret, Director of Music at the Ministry of Culture to his advisor Christian Dupavillon and lamented the fact that the French owned more than 4 million musical instruments, most of them in storage unused. A concept was born to encourage individuals to bring out these instruments and professionals and amateurs alike would play everywhere, completely freely indoors and out - in public squares, under porches and on covered walkways, areas of school playgrounds and hospital gardens, at entrances to music academies or under café awnings just for the sheer pleasure of playing. Read about it here. This was New York's first annual celebration click here for the NYC website. Schedules were available and printed in various publications and on the web - click here. New York was a little late to get on board - I hope that it becomes successful in the coming years. I love the quote from Berthold Auerbach: "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" ...