Make Music NY Announces Updated Schedule

Make Music New York, a one-of-a-kind festival occurring each June 21 and featuring more than 1,000 free outdoor concerts, music lessons and jam sessions in public spaces across the five boroughs, today announced its updated schedule of events. The daylong musical celebration on the summer solstice is the flagship event of Make Music Day, which is being held in 80 U.S. cities and has become a global phenomenon observed by hundreds of millions of people in 800 cities in 120 countries.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in all of us, regardless of ability. Reimagining their cities and towns as stages, every kind of musician - from bucket drummers and opera singers to hip-hop artists and marching bands - pours onto streets, parks, plazas, porches, rooftops, gardens and elsewhere to celebrate, create and share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers.

Launched in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day is presented in the U.S. by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. Highlights of Make Music New York (MMNY) will include:

· Harlem to Broadway! - At the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park, a concert celebrating music from the "Great White Way" will be held featuring selections from the songbooks of legendary composers and Harlem residents. Presented in partnership with Jazzmobile and the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.

· Twilight Chorus (for Humans) - At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a choir of sixteen voices will be dispersed across the grounds singing slowed down transcriptions of birdsong to create the world premiere of composer Peter M. Wyer's "Twilight Chorus (for Humans)"

· WTC @ WTC: The Well-Tempered Clavier at the 9/11 Memorial - During the evening hours of 5 pm to 8 pm, four grand pianos will be placed at the corners of the 9/11 Memorial plaza to allow for three continuous hours of performances of J.S. Bach's masterpiece by a rotating cast of dozens of pianists of all ages.

· Midsummer Mozart Mass Appeal - The National September 11 Memorial & Museum and the Music and Art Department of the Borough of Manhattan College (BMCC), home of the Downtown Chorus and Downtown Symphony, will partner with MMNY at noon at the National September 11 Memorial to present one of Mozart's great musical masterpieces and also his last: Requiem in N*E*R*D Minor, K.626. Singers and instrumentalists from around New York are invited to join.

· On the Waterfront - At Pier I in Riverside Park South, a special program of minimalist Western classical music for piano celebrating the repertoire of esteemed composer Terry Riley will be performed by professional and student players from city music schools. Presented in partnership with Summer on the Hudson and generously supported by PianoPiano.

· Mass Appeals - Large groups of musicians will participate in impromptu single-instrument performances including guitars in Union Square Park, ukuleles and harmonicas in Central Park, banjos at Governors Island, mandolins in Theodore Roosevelt Park, bucket drumming in DUMBO, plus accordions, cellos, French horns, vocals and more

· Street Studios - At five different locations across the city, including Union Square, Prospect Heights, Long Island City and Ocean Beach, DJs and producers, including Naim Hakim, Erik Paredes and Spencer Kurlow, will set up their gear on sidewalks, engaging passersby and musicians in the spontaneous collaborative production of original music tracks

· Swamped - Esteemed composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp will lead members of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club in a new piece performed from a kayak flotilla making its way up the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The work will be amplified via waterproof speakers towed by the boats, courtesy of Ultimate Ears.

· Live at the Archway - In the Archway under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo, Argentinian singer Natalia Clavier (Thievery Corporation) will perform in a tie-in with Argentina's World Cup match against Denmark. Presented in partnership with The Dumbo Improvement District.

· Joe's Pub Block Party - The famed showcase venue for live music and performance will bring renowned talent out into the sunlight at Astor Place Plaza for a daylong celebration of NYC's cultural vibrancy, featuring performances by MAKU Soundsystem, Martha Redbone, Mohsen Namjoo Migguel Anggelo, Yemen Blues and more

· The Mp3 Experiment Number Fifteen - ImprovEverywhere will debut a new interactive experience to be performed by thousands of participants wearing ear buds and using drum sticks provided courtesy of Vic Firth. Created by Charlie Todd & Tyler Walker

· Stevie Wonder Piano Bar - In celebration of the iconic musician, the Make Music mobile piano bar - a pickup truck decked out with a keyboard and PA system - will make stops at several East Harlem hotspots throughout the day, beginning at the National Black Theatre. At each location, songbooks and microphones will be passed out so that fans can sing their favorite Stevie tune to live keyboard accompaniment. Generously supported by Casio.

· Muscota Marsh Harmony - This site-specific, vocal program by composer John Hastings integrates the local environment, community and history of the northernmost part of Manhattan Island and invites the audience to wander through the performance as it unfolds.

· The Dominican Festival of the Summer Solstice - In Inwood Park, Neo-Dominican singer/songwriter and folklorist Irka Mateo, Afro-Dominican band Gaga P'al Pueblo and The Legacy Women Drum lead this Taino Summer Solstice ceremonial festival with live music and a ritual dance procession. Presented in partnership with IgniVox Productions.

· LIC Block Party - Long Island City partners will join together for an evening of music, food and drinks underneath the train tracks in historic Dutch Kills. The event will feature special performances by the Brooklyn-based Afro-Funk brass band Underground Horns and jazz guitarist Avi Bortnick. Presented with LIC Partnership and the Rockrose Development Corporation.

Additionally, Punk Island and Porch Stomp - each of which is a festival within Make Music New York - will be held on the special dates of June 23 and 24, respectively.

Punk Island will take place at the Harlem River Picnic Area on Randall's Island featuring over 80 bands performing from five separate micro-curated stages throughout the day.

Porch Stomp will take place from the historic porches surrounding Nolan Park on Governors Island. This daylong folk festival will feature over 80 of the city's best Bluegrass, old-time, roots and American music, plus square dancing and a Banjo parade around the island for the whole family.

All Make Music New York events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or to host musical events, may register at MakeMusicNY.org. A full schedule of events will be posted on the website in early June.