This Sunday will be World Music Day, a day where people in more than 120 countries around the world will come together to celebrate music.
The concept of a day on which to celebrate music and the way in which it can bring people together originated in France in the early 1980s. World Music Day takes place on the summer solstice and focuses on the way that music can bring together people who share a culture, as well as celebrate cultural differences, particularly for those of us who live in multicultural societies.
Performances will take place in public spaces and music venues across France and the other 120 countries who mark this day, including the UK. In France (and, increasingly, many of the other countries that celebrate World Music Day), for events to receive official backing from the organisation behind the day, they must be free to the public and the artists must also give their time voluntarily, without remuneration.
Musicians of all backgrounds, experience and ability are encouraged to join in and perform music together. Each year, the organisers decide on a theme, and this year’s is ‘Vivre ensemble la musique’ or ‘live the music together’. This theme highlights the unique quality of music to bring people together.
Will you be celebrating World Music Day? We would love to hear what you have planned, so please feel free to tweet us!