Make Music New York

Make Music New York
Name	Make Music New York
Location	New York City
Years active	2007–present
Dates	June 21
Genre	Music festival

Make Music New York is an annual free music festival held on June 21 in New York City that presents thousands of simultaneous performances across streets, parks, plazas, subways, and public spaces. The event aligns with the summer solstice and connects to an international network of festivals including Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day (France), and sister cities such as Paris, Tokyo, and Berlin. It attracts musicians ranging from Yo-Yo Ma-level virtuosi to community choirs, amateur bands, and independent artists associated with venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Overview

Make Music New York is a citywide participatory festival that encourages spontaneous and scheduled performances by individuals, ensembles, schools, cultural institutions, and businesses across boroughs such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. The festival's model echoes international civic initiatives including Fête de la Musique and is similar in scope to events like National Arts Festival (Grahamstown) and Glastonbury Festival in its use of dispersed sites and volunteer networks. Programming spans genres associated with artists linked to Blue Note Records, Nonesuch Records, Motown Records, Columbia Records, and independent labels that have featured performers comparable to Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, and Björk in influence, while drawing community ensembles akin to New York Philharmonic outreach, Metropolitan Opera choruses, and student groups from institutions like Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

History

The festival grew from the global Fête de la Musique movement initiated in France and expanded through networks involving municipal arts agencies such as New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and nonprofit organizations like Make Music Alliance and local partners including City Parks Foundation and Tribeca Film Festival organizers. Early editions featured collaborations with cultural institutions including Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, and performing arts centers like BAM Harvey Theater. Over time, the event incorporated site-specific projects with civic partners such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority for subway performances and collaborations with educational institutions including Columbia University and New York University.

Organization and Funding

Make Music New York is coordinated by a nonprofit model that relies on a mix of public and private support: municipal grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, sponsorship from corporate partners comparable to American Express, philanthropic gifts from foundations similar to Carnegie Corporation of New York or Rockefeller Foundation, and in-kind support from cultural institutions such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall. Volunteer coordination involves alliances with community groups like Lower East Side Tenement Museum and neighborhood associations across Chelsea, Harlem, Williamsburg, and Flushing. Administrative oversight works with permitting bodies including New York City Police Department special events units and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.

Events and Programming

Programming includes street stages, rooftop concerts, subway busking, school workshops, and family-friendly events, featuring genres that reference traditions associated with artists like Aretha Franklin, Thelonious Monk, Patti Smith, Public Enemy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda-era musical theater. Collaborations with presenters such as City Parks Foundation produce park concerts, while partnerships with transit authorities enable performances reminiscent of busking traditions at Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, and Times Square. Educational programming has involved conservatories and community programs similar to Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Harlem School of the Arts, and public school music initiatives connected to New York City Department of Education.

Participation and Community Impact

Participation models mirror citywide festivals tied to civic engagement, drawing performers from ensembles like Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, community choirs analogous to Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., brass bands in the tradition of The Roots of Music and immigrant music collectives reflecting communities from Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, China, Nigeria, and India. Economic impact studies of comparable arts festivals show benefits for small businesses, restaurants, and neighborhood merchants in commercial corridors such as Astoria, Jackson Heights, Coney Island, and Greenwich Village. Community impact also includes arts education outreach that partners with organizations akin to Doris Duke Charitable Foundation grantees and initiatives modeled on collaborations with conservatories and public schools.

Notable Performances and Collaborations

Notable moments often involve cross-venue collaborations with institutions and artists of national prominence—examples in spirit include pop-up sets involving musicians with ties to St. Vincent (musician), David Byrne, Alicia Keys, and classical figures associated with Metropolitan Opera or New York Philharmonic. The festival has showcased experimental projects similar to programs presented at MoMA PS1, collaborative sound art aligned with Lincoln Center Out of Doors, and large-scale community choruses evocative of projects produced by HERE Arts Center and National Sawdust.

Reception and Criticism

Reviews and commentary in outlets comparable to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, NPR, and The Village Voice praise the festival's accessibility and civic reach, while critics drawn from cultural commentators referencing debates similar to those around gentrification in Brooklyn and urban festivalization raise concerns about noise, crowding, permit equity, and the balance between professional and amateur performers. Discussions also engage policy forums like hearings before the New York City Council and advocacy from arts unions and associations similar to the American Federation of Musicians.

Category:Festivals in New York City