“People who have no background in music are drawn to it just as professional musicians are. It makes the community so strong and connected to music.” Sunday, December 22, marked the 20th Anniversary of “Unsilent Night.”
The brainchild of Phil Kline, who composed the music in 1992, it was intended to be played on portable cassette players, which participants shouldered as they walked through the streets of Greenwich Village.
The work, made up of sustained chords, bells and, toward the end, wordless choral singing, is recorded on four separate tracks; parade participants receive one of these to play on their devices. Some participants naturally pair up with another complimentary “track-holder” and then moves on to another.
These days, boomboxes have been replaced with iPhones and mp3 players. New York City has always been a city of music and theater. This combines those 2 in an improvisational flash mob. The Holiday Season in the Big Apple is to be experienced.
With such diversity and millions of inhabitants, the sprawling New York Campus become a Musical Village. Over 30 cities from around the world will take part in the Unsilent Night experience.