St George’s Bristol, along with multiple Bristol venues, Bristol City Centre BID and Visit West, has brought together a day-long programme of free pop-up activities and mass-participation musical events across Bristol’s city centre. This will take place on Saturday 21 June, for Make Music Day, an annual celebration of music-making that takes place in communities across the world. Make Music Day builds on a concept started in France in 1982 – that a day each year should be dedicated to music, with no barriers to people playing and enjoying live performance – and has now spread to more than 125 countries.
Samir Savant, Chief Executive of St George’s Bristol, said, “We are delighted to bring together Bristol’s musicians to showcase the diverse talent here for Make Music Day. There will be 25 choirs and other groups of all genres performing across eight city centre venues – and the best news of all is that it’s all free. Come and enjoy!”
Image - Darlington 2023
Groups performing on the day include Dovetail Orchestra, Rising Voices, UHBW NHS Choir, and many more. Host venues are St George’s Bristol, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, RWA, St Stephen’s Church, and St Mary Redcliffe, while pop-up, flash-mob style performances will also take place on St Augustine’s Parade and Bristol Hippodrome, and at Arnolfini Art Gallery. The full schedule of events is available via the St George’s website.
In the spirit of Make Music Day, St George’s Bristol Café Bar, and Pinkmans at Bristol Cathedral, are running two fun free giveaways on the day. St George’s Bristol Café Bar will be giving away 1000 free scoops of real dairy ice cream thanks to Marshfield Ice Cream – simply book a free ticket to any of St George’s free Make Music Day events, then ask at the Café Bar. Meanwhile, both St George’s Café Bar and Pinkmans at Bristol Cathedral will be running a first-come, first-served giveaway: free teas or coffees for anyone who comes in and sings their order on the day!
Musicians and ensemble leaders from across Bristol and the surrounding area have lent their support to the day, along with other local organisations:
Dan Pate from Big Friendly Choir, Raff Pack and Choirs For Good said, “We are delighted to come and sing as part of Make Music Day. Bristol has a rich tradition of community music making and Make Music Day is a lovely opportunity to bring these groups together. The experience of performing in historic venues as part of this city-wide celebration means a lot to us. Many of our singers could never have imagined themselves as performers before joining a choir, and opportunities like this are so joyful, confidence boosting and make us feel part of the Bristol music community. We can't wait to take part!”
Image - Bigger Summer Wind Orchestra, Kings Cross 2023
Sophie Wilsdon, Rising Voices Choir Leader and BDP Creative Communities Coordinator, said, “Free music and live performances are essential for making the arts accessible to our city's richly diverse communities. Experiencing a choir or band perform live can profoundly impact an individual's mental well-being, and the fact that Make Music Day is free ensures that this opportunity is available to everyone, not just those with existing access.”
Jenni Tamlin from Bristol City Centre BID said, “We’re happy to be able to support International Make Music Day, St George’s coming together with other cultural destinations around the city for such a fantastic community event, is something we’re proud to be involved with.”
St George’s Bristol is also running several projects investigating the importance of live music for people’s mental wellbeing – including the ground-breaking Sing for Happiness project – which sits behind its aim to bring live music out into the city. On Make Music Day, the Sing for Happiness singers will take part in a free, live flash-mob style event at 11.30am, singing Les Miserables’ ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’. The Sing for Happiness group are research participants for the largest study of its kind, run by St George’s and UWE Bristol, into the links between singing and mental wellbeing.
Underscoring the importance of shared music events like Make Music Day, Kat Branch, Head of the Centre for Music at UWE Bristol and research lead for the Sing for Happiness project, said, ‘Men are on average scoring lower than women in terms of mental wellbeing at project start, but thankfully singing seems to improve mood and wellbeing for both genders in spite of the starting difference averages. The mood changes on performance days are especially intense, showing some of the magic of live music events in uniquely uplifting our singers as they share what they can do in front of an audience.’
For enquiries including availability for interviews and filming, please contact:
Esme Jones, Head of Marketing & Communications at St George’s Bristol: esme.jones@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
INFORMATION ABOUT MAKE MUSIC DAY:
Full list of Bristol events: https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/seasons/make-music-day/
Map of Bristol’s Make Music Day locations
Background to Make Music Day: https://makemusicday.co.uk/
The Sing for Happiness project: https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/sing-for-happiness/
MORE INFORMATION ON ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL
ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL FORTHCOMING EVENTS
DOWNLOADABLE IMAGES (St George’s Bristol)
St George’s Bristol
St George’s Bristol is an acclaimed 580-seat live music venue in the heart of Bristol that creates magical experiences for music lovers and music makers. We believe that culture plays a vital role in celebrating debate, difference and solidarity in our communities. Each year, St George’s presents over 300 performances, talks, workshops and events, engaging with over 100,000 people. We present critically acclaimed artists, support emerging musicians, create opportunities for artists to experiment and collaborate, and engage with diverse communities across Bristol and beyond.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @stgeorgesbris https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/
St George’s Bristol is a registered charity, number 295178
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