Almost nothing else can bring the world together in the same significant way as music can. Breaking cultural boundaries and translating across seas, the magic of music resides with its ability to build connections and let others feel seen and heard. Celebrating the power of music and bringing artists together, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with LA Commons and Make Music LA, is celebrating Make Music Day this Friday, June 21.
Being live streamed globally, LA’s Make Music Day celebration is a part of the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad, an event that runs through the end of summer 2024 and combines art and sport (or “muscles and mind” as Pierre de Coubertin put it). This popular celebration aims for inclusiveness, with Paris 2024 encouraging everyone, including, artists, troupes, non-profits, communities, sports clubs, and more, to get involved with the cultural program.
Founded in 1982 as Fête de la Musique, this musical celebration is celebrated in more than 1,000 cities in 120 different countries, becoming an international phenomenon since its birth. Its wide recognition is the reason why the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympias has named Make Music Day one of its key days of action leading up to the games.
As part of the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad, LA’s Make Music Day will be a part of the global “rhythmic relay” called “Pulsations,” which means “heartbeat” in French. “Pulsations” is under the creative direction of French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf. Uniting 24 countries with a shared rhythmic heartbeat, “Pulsations” started in New Zealand, traveling throughout Asia, Africa, America, and Europe, offering a 100% livestream that invites everyone to join the celebration.
The LA celebration will be held on People Street in Leimert Park Village Plaza in front of the historic Vision Theater. “Pulsations LA” will feature artists recognized as “Cultural Treasures” by the Cultural Treasures of South L.A., a community-based resource for anyone looking to learn more about the culturally rich life of South Los Angeles. The resource provides a database, interactive map, and multimedia story bank of cultural treasures, featuring people, places, organizations, and events that help keep the multicultural community vibrant and diverse.
LA’s Make Music Day will feature musical performances from Kinnara Taiko, Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center Jazz Ensemble featuring vocalist Dwight Trible, tap dance by the Nicholas Dance Studio, poetry by “artivist” S. Pearl Sharp, and a family-friendly drum workshop by Project Knucklehead.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Heather Hutt, 10th District, expressed, “We are honored and thrilled to have our Make Music Day Celebrations in Leimert Park, and partake in an amazing experience of global artistry and unity. For decades, South Los Angeles has been a vibrant center of expression with a rich cultural history. This celebration will be a testament to this legacy, inspiring our city for years to come.”
Los Angeles is set to pick up the rhythm from Mexico and pass it along to Canada, inviting musicians of all ages, cultures, genres, and skill levels to create a free public outdoor concert to share their musical heartbeats with family, friends, neighbors, and strangers.
For information on how to participate in Make Music Los Angeles, visit makemusicla.org, and a complete global livestream schedule can be found at makemusicday.org/pulsations.
