Communities Across Connecticut Host Performances for Make Music Day, Friday, June 21

Thirteen cities and regions in Connecticut, including New Canaan will join forces to present hundreds of free outdoor musical events on Friday, June 21 for Make Music Day.

— an announcement from Make Music Alliance

The celebration, the world’s largest annual music event, takes place on the summer solstice each year, bringing people of all ages and skill levels together to make music.

More than 150 communities in the United States are hosting thousands of Make Music Day performances. In Connecticut, they include Bethel, Bridgeport, Danbury, Fairfield, Hebron, Middletown, New Canaan, Northwest CT, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Southbury, Southeast CT, and Waterbury. Make Music Day is the world’s largest annual music event.

Make Music Day began in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, and today it is celebrated in thousands of cities across 120 countries.

Make Music Day is a free and open invitation for everyone to perform, teach, learn, and experience the joy of making music on the longest day of the year. Reimagining their cities and towns as stages, every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, porches, rooftops, gardens and other public spaces to celebrate, create and share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.

“Since 2018, Connecticut has embraced Make Music Day like no other state,” said Aaron Friedman, Executive Director of the national Make Music Alliance. “Working with the Connecticut Office of the Arts, communities from the Long Island Sound to the hills in the North organized more than 400 free musical performances last year on June 21. We are looking forward to another extraordinary day of music-making in 2024!”

Some Make Music Day Communities

Highlights in Connecticut (for more information on each community see the Connecticut Make Music Day website):

Close to Darien

• NEW CANAAN: This year the Carriage Barn Arts Center is partnering with New Canaan Library to present Make Music Day. Highlights planned for the day so far include many new bands and acts.

—At 10 a.m., the day will kick-off at theNew Canaan Library with a pre-school singalong led by Meghan Murphy Gould and Storytime with Miss Marie from the New Canaan Library. All families and children are welcome to join.

—At 12 noon, there will be a classical concert at the Carriage Barn Arts Cener.

—Starting at 3 p.m., there will be an Acoustic Sessions featuring performances on the keyboard, guitar, instruments, and vocal showcase for 10-minute slots. The New Canaan Town Brass Bandwill play from 4:40 – 5:00 pm

—From 5 to 6:30 p.m., School of Rock will play with other selected bands following until 8:00 pm

—At 8 p.m. and later, bands and musical acts will play at various venues around town.

A Bit Farther

• FAIRFIELD: Neighborhood to neighborhood, this year’s Make Music Fairfield is bigger than ever with 100+ performances planned – from sunrise to sundown, Jennings Beach to Ye Yacht Yard, The LOT@FTC, the SHU Theatre plaza, Black Rock Theater, the sidewalk at the Fairfield University Bookstore, all three Fairfield Libraries, Fairfield History Museum, lawns and front porches, retail stores, an art studio and more. The day will begin with yoga and a sound bath on Jennings Beach and Sing and Stomp active storytime at Sherman Green. It will be ceremonially opened at the Gazebo by Fairfield’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of the Talking Heads, striking the handmade gathering drum crafted by Jim LoPresti.

• RIDGEFIELD: This will be Ridgefield’s sixth year participating in the event! We are anticipating 2024 being our biggest year yet, topping the 17 venues, 71 performances, and 120+ musicians last year. The following performers are slated to take part: Angry O’Haras, Scott Robert Sextet, Waiting on Mom, Tony & The West Siders, Charlotte Roth, Eric Christensen, Ridgefield Suzuki School of Music, School of Rock, Barrett Jones, Maggie Seligman, Greg DiMiceli, Novadust, Noreen Mola Quartet, The Four Horsemen Songwriters and many more.

Elsewhere in Fairfield County

• DANBURY: Danbury will host music from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. around the Danbury Library with solo acts, duos and bands.

• BETHEL: Bethel Arts is working to build Bethel’s first celebration of Make Music Day. Local downtown and uptown (Stony Hill Road) restaurants and businesses will host a variety of musicians and groups during the daytime music crawl. There will be exciting music events at the Bethel Municipal Center and P.T. Barnum Square, and Food Truck Friday will feed the hungry and complement the fun.

Elsewhere in Connecticut

• HEBRON: The Town Center Project has once again lined up a “Mile of Music” along Main Street in Hebron. Starting at 3 p.m. at Old Town Hall, the public will have the opportunity to wander and listen to numerous musical performances at local eateries, like rock ‘n’ roll at the Green Leaf Café and a jam session on the Dunkin’ Donuts patio. Ted’s Supermarket and the shops at The Village Center will host two local favorites: November Sound at Colebrook Village at 3 p.m., and the famous Kazoo Parade at 4 p.m. This year the children learned kazoo songs in school. The Clan Ross Pipe Band will play in front of Company One Fire Dept. As our Mile of Music Day ends, the Grand Finale Concert will be in the field behind the firehouse from 7-9 p.m.

• MIDDLETOWN: Make Music Middletown returns with performances at libraries, music academies, and residential homes. Featured artists include James Cookson, Michael Coonan, Danielle Montemerlo, and more.

• SOUTHBURY: Heritage Village has a full day of music planned with over 25 performers across our campus. We are excited to offer a range of musical performances including from the Mohegan Tribe, Chinese Cultural Drumming, Naugatuck Valley Community Band, Rockin’ Rooster Square Dance, and Mattatuck Fife and Drum Band. Numerous musicians will play everything from bagpipes to ukulele, with food trucks adding even more flavor to the day.

• SOUTHEAST CT: Returning again this year, Make Music Old Lyme hosts its annual music stroll along Lyme Street with more than 15 locations hosting food and entertainment for the whole family. Additionally, Make Music SECT is partnering with Spark Makerspace and Makey Makey to build a giant piano out of the “Welcome to New London” sign. Artreach Inc., an organization that specializes in reducing stigma for those with a mental health diagnosis, will host a ukulele class and open jam session.

• WATERBURY: The City of Waterbury will host Make Music Day from 5 to 8 p.m. in front of Waterbury City Hall. Enjoy music from local artists Quinn Mitchell, Andréa Deyo, Ben Righter, Four Peace, Police Pipes and Drums, and Orlando Ortiz y La Yunquena Orchestra. Come hungry and purchase food and drink from: The Police Activity League Food Truck, Dad’s Cannoli Truck, The Mobile Pub, Mexirican Food Truck and more. There will be free parking in the library lot adjacent to City Hall.

More About Make Music Day

Any musician, amateur or professional, young or old, is invited to visit MakeMusicDay.org to find the nearest Make Music Day celebration and sign up to participate. Likewise, businesses, buildings, schools, churches, and other institutions can visit the website to offer their outdoor spaces as concert locations.

Make Music Connecticut is presented statewide by the Connecticut Office of the Arts. For links to participating communities throughout the state, visit makemusicday.org/connecticut.