Make Music Day Nassau County is June 21
An annual global event celebrates an ideology that people from different backgrounds and foundational beliefs can share: Music is a right that all people should be able to enjoy.
Make Music Day, the largest music event in the world held June 21, has made its way to Nassau County.
Nassau joins dozens of countries and thousands of cities on the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, to celebrate the musical holiday.
Richard Restiano, president of Nassau Council of Arts and Culture, has a vision for Make Music Day Nassau County.
“You’re in downtown for the day for no reason, you’re just window-shopping, and Bingo! There’s two or three people across the street making some music — down at the Depot the opera singers are going to sing at 10 o’clock, and then in Pocket Park, ‘What are these kids doing banging on the drums?’” Restiano narrated.
Restiano’s vision for year one in Nassau County is just a glimpse of the grander image, one he shares with the founders of Make Music Day.
In 1982, Fête de la Musique was born, the harbinger of Make Music Day. Jack Lang and the staff at the Ministry of Culture in France envisioned a musical holiday — a day when free music would be all around, on street corners, parks, rooftops, gardens and storefronts — across the entire world.
Some say this vision has come to pass as the musical holiday has made its way to more than 2,000 cities. The Make Music Day Alliance says 7 million, or 11% of France’s population, has musically participated in a Make Music Day celebration, and 43 million people, or 64% of the country’s population comes out to listen to the free performances every year.
The event first came to the United States when Make Music Day New York was hosted 18 years ago. Last year, 5,304 free concerts were held in the United States on June 21.
But Nassau County is proof that there’s still room to grow.
Restiano plans to expand Make Music Day Nassau County every year, adding more locations and more musicians. He said he wants as many people to join in as possible, young, old, professionals and amateurs alike.
To those who say they’re not musically talented, Restiano said, music is in our nature.
“It’s the same thing that says, ‘I don’t know how to dance,’ everybody knows how to dance, you can’t help yourself,” Restiano said. “You know, maybe you’re not Fred Astaire I get it, but everybody’s got this innate ability to sense it, to get the rhythm, to do the things and clap their hands. So, that’s really the ultimate gift we want to bring out in the community.”
Restiano said Make Music Day is the first new addition to the Nassau Council of Arts and Culture event schedule since the group was named the official arts group of Nassau County.
As of Tuesday, Make Music Day Nassau County was still accepting musician sign-ups.
Across the eight locations down Centre Street, Restiano said the following musicians are scheduled: Chuck Hall; Fernandina Ukulele Network; Garrett Olson; George Haffey; Amelia Island Chamber Music; Amelia Island Playhouse Singers; San Jose Jam; Bruce Beville — Laid Back; Full Moon Folk; Sax Fifth Ave.; Les DeMerle and the Rimshots; Heather DeBellis; Amelia Island Music Studio; Joyce Whorton; Bill Ivins; and Jett Paxton.
The music is set to start at 10 a.m. at several of the locations, and will run through the evening. The last performance is currently scheduled to end at 4 p.m., but each schedule is subject to change as more artists are added.
For information or to view a complete list of locations and artists, visit makemusicday.org/nassaucounty.
Where to find music in downtown Fernandina Beach on June 21:
• Butterfly Wall at the Train Depot downtown on Centre Street
• Courtyard Island Art, 18 N. Second St.
• Fountain at Historic Courthouse, corner of Fifth and Centre streets
• Island Art Courtyard, Second street off Centre Street
• Pocket Park, between Third and Second streets
• Violet Bloom Boutique, 12 S. Third St.
• Visitors Center Train Depot at the corner of Front and Centre streets across from the Fernandina Harbor Marina