I don’t usually write about events ex-ante, because it’s
difficult to have an opinion on something before it happens. But Make Music
Rochester is different for two reasons: first, it will only happen once a year,
so writing about it right after it occurs wouldn’t be useful in generating any
interest in it, and second, I’m involved in organizing it!
Make Music Rochester is modeled after a Parisian
tradition (Fête de la
Musique) that began in 1982 as a tribute to the Summer Solstice. In 2007, New
York City caught the bug, and Make Music Day is now a worldwide event that
includes 38 cities in North America. It is completely free to attend, and
embraces performers of all ages and ability. Our motto is: Music For Everyone,
By Anyone. I’d never heard about it until I reconnected with Maria Furguiele,
Interim Executive Director of Community Design Center Rochester. We were
talking about the ‘outdoor living spaces’ in our city, and how to utilize them
better. Since we are such a musical town, this seemed like a natural fit.
We began hatching our plans only in March,
so we didn’t have a lot of time to pull this off. We consulted with folks at
the Make Music Alliance, in NYC (sort of the mother ship of Make Music Day in the
U.S.), who have been incredibly helpful and supportive. In the meantime, Maria
and I recruited two additional organizers (Julie Schnepf, co-owner of Bernunzio
Uptown Music, and Monika Reifenstein, from my a cappella group, Rocappella),
who dove in head first to get our organic event off the ground.
We then had to reach out, quickly, to both
potential venues and potential performers. Not everyone ‘got it,’ but those who
did were extremely enthusiastic. Julie and I both begged our mutual friend Sandy
Gianniny to play her harp, and she graciously agreed. Locations include
Bernunzio’s, of course, as well as Hart’s, House of Guitars, the Rochester
Museum & Science Center (RMSC), and the newly opened Charlotte Square.
Rocappella is performing at Tower280 between 7 and 8 pm. There are even a
couple of participatory events, including a harmonica lesson and jam at Record
Archive, and a kiddie sing-along at RMSC. Some of the venues are inside, but
most are outdoors, so we’re hoping for a pleasant, dry day…
Our goal, of course, is to make this an
annual event, and expand to more locations (including public parks) and involve
more musicians. You can check out the entire lineup here: http://www.makemusicroc.org and comedown to
listen to some music and maybe have a bite at one of our many restaurants! The
good news is that, since this is under the radar, parking lot fees won’t be
ridiculously high like they are for some other festivals…
