Make Music Day

SCOTTISH MUSICIANS TOP LINE-UP FOR GLOBAL GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL LIVESTREAM FOR MAKE MUSIC DAY 

TUNE IN ON 21 JUNE 2020 AND CELEBRATE MUSIC’S UNIQUE ABILITY TO CREATE A SENSE OF CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY

#MakeMusicDayScotland and #MakeMusicDayUK

Prominent Scottish musicians and leisure time music makers are set to be part of the first ever live streamed Make Music Day on 21 June.

Already established as the UK’s biggest free single-day music event, Make Music Day is an annual, global, grassroots festival that sees a huge range of musical performances happening all the way around the world, in 125 countries.

Traditionally the event is about bringing music into public spaces for the community to enjoy but with restrictions on social gatherings still in place, this year’s celebrations will take place online. 

The Make Music Day UK team have lined up a dedicated and specially curated broadcast of unique performances from 10am to 10pm including a singing workshop from Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and folk tales from former BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician Of The Year Sam Sweeney. 

From 2.30pm the broadcast will come from Scotland and feature specially recorded performances by Scottish musicians playing from their own homes funded by Creative Scotland. Find the broadcast on all Make Music Day UK social channels by searching @MakeMusicDayUK.

Folk musician, multi-instrumentalist, tutor and composer Hamish Napier (Duncan Chisholm, Nae Plans and Jarlath Henderson) joins us from the Scottish Highlands for a performance with cellist Su-a Lee (Mr. McFall’s Chamber and Scottish Chamber Orchestra). The performance will feature one of Su-a Lee’s favourite and unique instruments, the musical saw.

Hamish will be introducing the premier of the Auld Lang Syne collaborative video composed from submissions to this Creative Scotland funded Make Music Day UK participation project. The video will feature fiddlers, pipers, trombonists, saxophone and accordian players and many more musicians of all ages, including some famous faces, all playing to Hamish’s arrangement. 

Everyone is invited to join in and sing this song of friendship, known across the world, with sheet music and lyrics available to download on the Make Music Day website. Or post a performance on your own social media and tag #MakeMusicDayScotland to join the stream of friendship. 

Glasgow Life have curated a series of performances to mark their status as a UNESCO City of Music and to celebrate the rich seam of new music from the city. Funded by Creative Scotland, it will kick off with Georgia Cécile, 2019 Scottish Jazz Awards ‘Best Vocalist’ and Fraser Urquhart, one of Scotland’s most sought after young jazz pianists. 

Electronic duo Herschel 36 whose debut album, Astrophysik was released in 2019, will bring us their unique brand of experimental improvised electronica. Kinnaris Quintet, winners of the 2019 Belhaven Bursary for Innovation in Music will close with an uplifting exploration of traditional Irish, Scottish and bluegrass music created by three fiddles, mandolin and guitar.

Alison Reeves, Scotland Development Project Manager, Make Music Day UK said: “We’re so excited about this line up of incredible musicians from Scotland for the Make Music Day UK online broadcast. The festival has been growing globally since it started in 1982 and we’d love it to be as huge in this country as it is in France, where it’s practically a national holiday. 

“It’s been a complicated journey to change our plans from live performances in public spaces like Glasgow’s George Square to this digital celebration, but it’s introduced us to a wealth of innovative musicians we wouldn’t have been able to include otherwise. It’s fantastic to be able to invite everyone watching, in the UK and across the world, to join in and sing Auld Lang Syne with us, to remind everyone of the power of music to connect, reflect and heal.”

As well as the official live stream, musicians across Scotland will be performing live on 21 June and posting recorded performance on their own social media and you can see a list of these on the Make Music Day UK website.

Highlights will be an afternoon of live streamed music performances and music video premieres created by young people from across Edinburgh with Reel Youth Media and Totally Sound. And the Music Education Partnership Group are creating an Orchestra of a Thousand, aiming to have 1000 young people, music teachers and musicians playing and singing along together.

Anyone can take part in Make Music Day, whether it’s playing for your family at home or your neighbours from your garden or live streaming to your social media community. Use the hashtag #MakeMusicDayUK and list the live stream on the MMDUK website to be a part of one amazing day of music.

If you’re not a performer, you can still join in by making your own instrument or signing up for a free music lesson. There are comprehensive toolkits and a wealth of advice on the Make Music Day website to help you get started and ensure you can easily join the day’s celebration of music. 

For more information head to www.makemusicday.co.uk or follow @MakeMusicDayUK on social media. 

Partners and supporters: Make Music Day UK has a network of around 100 partner organisations and supporters including

Arts Council England, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Association of British Orchestras, Creative Scotland, English Folk Dance and Song Society, Hal Leonard Europe, Incorporated Society of Musicians, International Association of Music Libraries, Libraries Connected, Making Music, Music for All, Music Mark, Musicians Union, NAMM Foundation, NYMAZ, Orchestras Live, PRS for Music, Team London Bridge, UK Music, Voluntary Arts/Get Creative and Youth Music. The significant reach of Make Music Day is made possible by our partners’ combined networks and online presence.