The 40th Anniversary of international Make Music Day rocked Northwest CT on Tuesday, June 21, 2022!

Images: Rachel Gall (left) and Bill Murphy (right) at the Center on Main; by Steph Burr

Falls Village's Center on Main kicked off Make Music Day with a performance by Abby Lappen, a CT native currently living in NY. Lappen was also a performer at Five Points Arts Center. After a cancellation due to Covid-19, the Center decided to have fiddler, Rachel Gall, flawlessly fill in before finishing their day with Bill Murphy, the "Human Juke Box."

Images: Adelaide Punkin (left) and Jeremy Driscoll (right) at Community Health and Wellness; by DaSilva Wata

Adelaide Punkin made her first appearance of the day at Community Health and Wellness with her performance of original songs and covers, followed by Jeremy Driscoll and his soothing Hang. Meanwhile in New Milford, Hummingbird and Friends stop by to lay down some tunes at Gallery 25.

Images: T.J. Thompson Trio at 2nd Home; by Steph Burr

At 2nd Home, Gino Ferraro, a local singer/songwriter, opened after his first performance at the Covered Wagon Country Store. Up next we heard from local  country cover star, Jim Moore, before he passed the torch to a local jazz group, the T.J. Thompson Trio.

Images: Abby Lappen (left) and Adelaide Punkin (right); by Steph Burr

In Downtown Torrington, the Make Music Day All Star, Abby Lappen, kicked off the celebrations at the Outlet for the Arts with her fourth performance of the day. Following Lappen was the husband/wife folk duo, Say Love, and the ever exciting Vera. Adelaide Punkin stopped in for her last performance of the day before Laurel Joy closed out the night.

Images: Ben Charles Gladstone (left), Say Love (center), and Violet Dusk (right) at Rock Yer Block; by Ella Frauenhoffer, DaSilva Wata, and Steph Burr

Meanwhile, Rock Yer Block was rocking with Ben Charles Gladstone and his experimental jazzy waves. Abby Lappen stopped by to jam before once again being followed by the sweet harmony of Say Love. Violet Dusk played the final performance of the night with a mix of original works and covers.

Images: The Nutmeg Conservatory Ballet (top), Mending Art ASL Dance (left), WiBo (center), and Judi Palladino (right) at KidsPlay; by Steph Burr

At KidsPlay Children's Museum, local organizations Our Culture is Beautiful and Mental Health CT organized Dance Around the World, a celebration of music and dances from different cultures around the globe. After opening statements from the organizations, the students from Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory started the show with their performance of Tarantella, followed by an interactive dance in ASL with Mending Art, an acapella performance by Wilbert Boles (or WiBo to those who know him), and a Liturgical Dance with Judi Palladino.

Images: Patricia Peppin (top left), Our Culture is Beautiful (top right), THS Multicultural Club (middle), Our Culture is Beautiful Drum Circle (bottom) at KidsPlay; by Steph Burr

The tempo changed at KidsPlay when Patricia Peppin and her group began their Zumba performance as part of Dance Around the World. After a group dance led by Our Culture is Beautiful member Effie Mwando, the students from the Torrington High Schools Multicultural Club, led by Armando Zarazu, performed many different traditional Latin American dances. Before closing remarks, Dance Around the World wound the night down with Our Culture is Beautiful’s Angaza Mwando leading an African Drum Circle.

Images: Ben Charles Gladstone (left) and the Forrest Room (right) at Howard's Bookstore; by DaSilva Wata

Down the street, at Howard’s Bookstore, the party was just getting started with an opening performance from Ben Charles Gladstone, his last performance of the night, followed closely with an electrifying performance by the Forest Room.

Images: Tallbois (top left), Vera (top middle), Gloom Cake (top right), and Ian Matthew (bottom) at Howard's Bookstore; by DaSilva Wata and Steph Burr

Up next, Tallbois gave their take on indie-rock and Vera laid down some sweet beats. Husband and wife duo, Gloom Cake, follow with a visual performance that is as much art as their music. Closing for Howard’s Bookstore was Ian Matthew, performing original songs as well as some covers. Meanwhile, at the historic firehouse on Water Street, Bad Dog Brewing Company hosted Brian Mattiello in honor of the Alzheimer’s Associations's Longest Day event.

Thank you to everyone who participated and collaborated to make this event a big success!

Make Music NWCT is sponsored with the support of the Make Music Alliance and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.