Make Music New York (6/21/14)

Twice a year, at the summer and winter solstices, New York (and other cities) celebrate with Make Music programs. Often, I miss out on a lot of it because they fall on work days. So I was very pleased to see that Make Music New York was a Saturday this year, and I set a schedule for myself. There are about 1,000 different free events to choose from, ranging from classical to hip-hop, reggae to opera, grunge bands to popular music. I chose Fan Favorites, the American Composers Orchestra, Bargemusic, and Appalachian (Summer): Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” for 13 instruments. The best laid plans, etc.

The first event took place out of doors, in front of the Turtle Bay Music School at 11:00am. Sort of. Being an early person, and not knowing exactly what to expect, I arrived around 10:30, and they were just setting up. So I found a quiet place to sit and read for a while, returning at five minutes till eleven. They were still setting up; in fact, they didn’t begin until about ten after. The Unofficial Turtle Bay Trio (electric keyboard, electric guitar, and vocals) performed such favorites as In Your Eyes, The Luckiest, I Choose You, Starry Starry Night (at last! a favorite that I actually knew), It’s Not Easy Being Green, and, with a neat little nod to The Turtles, So Happy Together. They encouraged audience participation, so the approximately ten of us half-heartedly chimed in with, “Ba-ba-ba-ba, Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.” In general the trio was fairly laid back and adequate. An inauspicious beginning.

After an early lunch of a really delicious falafel in pita, I traipsed down to the Lower East Side and the Abrons Arts Center. Again I was early and heard one of the organizers noodling around on an upright piano. He even invited a little girl to play along for a bit. I liked this ad lib music as part of Make Music. The American Composers Orchestra arrived late, in stages, and as a result had to cut their performance a little short. We heard violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, and percussion play the music of six young composers. All of the short pieces had intrinsic value though some were more mature compositions than others. There wasn’t a clunker in the bunch, and members of the [kāj] ensemble played very well.

At this point, I decided to skip the barge and stick around for the next installation at the al fresco Abrons Center, which was Judith Sainte Croix and the Sonora Trio, with selections from Ms. Sainte Croix’s opera Vine of the Soul and her Acadian Suite. Her music was based on ecological themes and was a little too New Age-y for my tastes. Acadian Suite was played on a Native American flute, which looked like a large recorder and sounded like a small recorder. But I guess it and its sound were authentic. I didn’t stick around for all of it (see New Age-y, above), and then set off for the Upper East Side and Copland.

Arriving at the venue, volunteers were taking instruments inside and dismantling the outdoor performance site. Heading inside, I asked a volunteer where the Copland would be performed. Apparently not there, as they were done for the day. I wasn’t the only one who showed up there, either. Rather than try to scout out where and when the Copland might actually be, I decided to call it a day and go home.

Make Music New York is worthwhile, but I found the lack of organization and the misinformation a disappointment. The winter solstice is a Sunday this year so, depending on the weather and other situations, I might give Make Music another try. But I might not.

ConcertMeister