Make Music Day, an international celebration of the Summer Solstice, expands to Darke County on June 21. Darke County Center for the Arts has joined other groups in communities around the globe to coordinate an event where anyone can experience the joy of performing music, and where everyone is invited to participate. Begun in France in 1982 where it has become a national holiday, the “Fete De La Musique” created a music festival featuring free music being performed almost everywhere, with those performing being anyone who wanted to sing or play an instrument regardless of experience or recognized talent. Fourteen years ago, the festival crossed the Atlantic with the debut of Make Music New York, and has since spread to more than 80 communities across the United States resulting in 5,383 free concerts being performed in 1,862 locations on June 21, 2019. Last year when the COVID pandemic made public gatherings impossible, Make Music Day featured more than 1600 virtual and socially-distanced events across the U.S.
DCCA is seeking musicians and instrumentalists to participate in Make Music Darke County on June 21 in sites throughout the community. Solo acts or combos of all skill levels are welcome to sign up for a performance slot; church choirs, vocal quartets, and marching bands as well as groups of office staffs and employees of businesses who would enjoy making music together are invited to perform. If you and/or your group would like to participate in this worldwide festival, send a description of your music, how many people are in your group, your preferred time and location to perform (if you have a preference) along with any samples you may have of your work to darkecounty@makemusicday.org. Venues are currently being sought where performances will be staged from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 20 minute intervals
Darke County Center for the Arts is a non-profit organization whose mission is to present and promote performing and fine arts encouraging cultural enrichment. To keep this celebration of music free for everyone, donations in support of Make Music Day are also being solicited, and can be sent to Make Music Day Darke County, DCCA, P. O. Box 718, Greenville, OH 45331. More details will be announced soon. For more information, call DCCA at 937-547-0908.
