December 21st is where 18 musical gatherings and parades will enliven neighborhoods across the boroughs, from Flatfoot Flatbush in Brooklyn to the Melrose Parranda in the Bronx.
In keeping with the gift-giving season, sound-making toys will make their Make Music Winter debut in the “Mutant Toy Parade".

WHAT IS MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK?
Make Music New York is New York City’s only music festival for the people and by the people!

We are a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization whose mission celebrates the musician in all of us, connects New Yorkers to their communities and with each other, brings bold new artistic creations to life, unites diverse communities in a spirit of celebration and energizes the shared social spaces that make NYC a cultural capital.

Our mission is ambitious, inclusive, adventurous and fun, and we accomplish it by producing two annual citywide celebrations: our flagship festival, Make Music New York, held each summer solstice on June 21st–the longest day of the year–and Make Music Winter, a complimentary series of participatory musical parades held each winter solstice on December 21st–the longest night of the year.

On these special “music holidays,” music makers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds are empowered to take center stage and share their skills and passions through live performances in public plazas and parks, on sidewalks and in front of shops, and in partnership with cultural institutions and businesses across all five boroughs.

Now in it’s fifteenth year, Make Music New York is a unique festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City. All of the performances take place annually on June 21st, the first day of summer and longest day of the year. Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music New York is open to anyone who wants to take part. From ten in the morning to ten at night, every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.

Thousands of amateur musicians take the opportunity to play in public spaces, often for the biggest crowds of their lives. Professional musicians perform for new audiences, who come out from under their headphones to hear unfamiliar groups risk-free. And everyone is invited to sing or play along and enjoy the first day of summer in a spirit of celebration. With over 1,000 concerts each year, Make Music New York includes a number of signature projects: “Mass Appeal Concerts,” in which dozens of musicians band together to perform massive pieces written for a specific type of instrument; “Punk Island”; “Porch Stomp” folk festival; “Street Studios,” and many more.

Some 5,000 musicians performed in the summer of 2019. Along with concerts by individual artists, Make Music New York proudly partners with dozens of fellow NYC presenters and cultural institutions — including Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Broklyn Public Library, Governors Island, Joe’s Pub, Madison Square Park, Marcus Garvey Park, National September 11 Memorial and Museum, New York Public Library, Randall’s Island, Times Square Alliance and many more.

MUTANT TOY PARADE
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
5:30 PM 6:00 PM
125th Precinct (map)

"Mutant Toy Parade" is an innovative, participatory event envisioned by the Argentina-based artist Laureano Cantarutti in which kids of all ages and their families make music with three types of circuit-bent toys.

The program begins at 5:30pm in front of the 125th precinct at 120 E 119th Street in East Harlem, when NYC percussionist and band leader Jochen Ruekert will lead a workshop to teach the kids a specially created composition using their new toy instruments, which are then theirs to keep.

The Mutant Toy Parade kicks off an evening of vibrant music presented in partnership with Uptown Grand Central. For additional information on the evening of music making, visit Harlem Solstice Jam.


COMPLETED SCHEDULE (From https://nysmusic.com/2021/12/20/make-music-winter-will-be-back-in-december-of-2021/amp/ )
9 – 11 am – “Bach to Beatles: Winter Solstice Waltz” at The Oculus in the Financial District.

10:45 am – 11:15 am – “Standing Still” presented by Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars at Herald Square and the surrounding neighborhood. As the sun “stands still” above at precisely 10:59am EST, the music parade will mark the occasion by the ringing of a bell and a special performative minute to the surprise of all onlookers. Interested participants are requested to send an email to tiltedaxes@peppergreenmedia.com by December 15th to receive further information on how to register; you must register ahead of time to perform with this program.

4 – 7:30 pm – “Flatfoot Flatbush” along North Flatbush Avenue between Park Place and Dean Street in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

9 – 11 am – “Bach to Beatles: Winter Solstice Waltz” at The Oculus in the Financial District.

10:45 am – 11:15 am – “Standing Still” presented by Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars at Herald Square and the surrounding neighborhood. As the sun “stands still” above at precisely 10:59am EST, the music parade will mark the occasion by the ringing of a bell and a special performative minute to the surprise of all onlookers. Interested participants are requested to send an email to tiltedaxes@peppergreenmedia.com by December 15th to receive further information on how to register; you must register ahead of time to perform with this program.

4 – 7:30 pm – “Flatfoot Flatbush” along North Flatbush Avenue between Park Place and Dean Street in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

5 – 6 pm – “Bronx Samba” at Bronx Stadium Gardens, E 161 St. between Gerard & Walton in Concourse, Bronx. Presented with the 161st Street Business Improvement District.

5:15 – 5:45 pm – “Mutant Toy Parade” at Uptown Grand Central in East Harlem.

5:30 – 7:30 pm – “Harlem Solstice Jam” at Uptown Grand Central and all along E 125 Street shopfronts in East Harlem.

5:30 – 7:30 pm – HONK NYC’s fourth annual Winter Solstice procession is a collective release through music and dance after two years of COVID-19.

6 – 7 pm – “Bell by Bell” at Elizabeth Street Garden at Elizabeth St. between Prince St. & Spring St. in Soho.

6 – 7 pm – “Melrose Parranda” starting at the Bronx Music Hall, 428 E 163rd Street at the corner of Washington Avenue in Melrose, the Bronx.

6 – 8 pm – “The Mobile Hallelujah” at seven outdoor midtown Manhattan locations including the main branch of the New York Public Library, One Vanderbilt, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, Carnegie Hall, Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center.

6:30 – 8 pm – “Queens Solstice Soiree” at Travers Park in Jackson Heights, Queens. Presented in partnership with Queensboro Dance Festival.

6:30 – 7:30 pm – “Tambor Tuesday Street Jam” from Astor Place Plaza to club Drom in the East Village. Presented in partnership with the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance.

PICTURES:
makemusicny (Instagram)
lawcant (Instagram)
www.makemusicny.org

VIDEO EDITION:
Laureano Cantarutti