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    Jens Kalaene | Associated Press

    More than 800 cities across the globe participated in Make Music Day last year. This is from the Make Music Day celebration in Berlin in 2016.

  • Owner Stephen Cusano says his music space Parkville Sounds will...

    Patrick Raycraft | Courant file photo

    Owner Stephen Cusano says his music space Parkville Sounds will host Dueling Drums on Bartholomew Avenue on Make Music Day.

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After the winter we’ve had, the first day of summer is reason enough to celebrate.

But here’s another reason: June 21 marks the debut of Make Music Connecticut, a day packed with more than 250 free musical events happening around the state.

Musicians, businesses and cultural institutions can participate by registering at MakeMusicCt.org before May 21. A full event schedule will be posted on June 1.

The website organizes the registration process by city and region, which include Bridgeport, Fairfield, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, Northwest CT, Southeastern CT, Stamford, Waterbury and Windham.

Make Music Day was launched in 1982 in France as Fête De La Musique. Last year, more than 800 cities across the globe participated, including Cairo, Moscow, New York and Beijing.

Kristina Newman-Scott, director of culture for the state of Connecticut, first learned about Make Music Day in January 2017 from executive director Aaron Freeman.

In an email, Newman-Scott describes her initial response: “1. Why weren’t we [Connecticut] a part of this sooner?! 2. What a fantastic opportunity to harness the power of music- an artistic discipline that we are all familiar with and inspired by- to connect people from all walks of life across Connecticut.”

Last August, the Connecticut Office of the Arts hosted an informational session in Hartford. Litchfield musician Thomasina Levy, the 2005-2006 Connecticut State Troubadour, and a member of the Northwest CT organizing committee for Make Music Connecticut, attended. Since then, she’s been collecting names of musicians, mostly at open mic nights.

“It’s brilliant,” Levy says. “In France, the whole country shuts down on the summer solstice, and the whole country makes music.”

Levy’s new album with cellist David Darling, “Parallel Universe,” will come out in September, on the Hearts of Space label. Music, she says, is “the only art form that’s pure energy.”

“All of my concerts have interaction with the audience, where people sing with me. It’s such an important way for human beings to connect. It’s primal, really. … It’s a very powerful force.”

Litchfield musician Thomasina Levy, the 2005-2006 Connecticut State Troubadour, and a member of the Northwest CT organizing committee for Make Music Connecticut.
Litchfield musician Thomasina Levy, the 2005-2006 Connecticut State Troubadour, and a member of the Northwest CT organizing committee for Make Music Connecticut.

Levy says Charym Yoga Studio in Litchfield will host a sound-healing event, with singing bowls and instruments, “just experiencing and listening to music in a healing environment.” Infinity Hall in Norfolk will present “a rotating roster of people” on the patio.

Each region will likely have its own flavor. Waterbury, Bridgeport, Stamford and other cities plan to have musicians perform across downtown spaces. In Middletown, Noyes School of Rhythm teacher Mara Bennett and pianist Carolyn Halstead celebrate the music of Clara Schumann.

In Hartford, there are plans for a Community Jam Session in State House Square (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.), led by the Art on the Streets House Band. From noon to 2 p.m., Parkville Sounds hosts Dueling Drums on Bartholomew Avenue.

Owner Stephen Cusano says his music space Parkville Sounds will  host  Dueling Drums on Bartholomew Avenue on Make Music Day.
Owner Stephen Cusano says his music space Parkville Sounds will host Dueling Drums on Bartholomew Avenue on Make Music Day.

“We’re setting up two drum sets right in front of the shop,” says Parkville Sounds owner Stephen Cusano. “I’m going to play one, and somebody else will be playing the other one. Hopefully from there it will keep going. Hopefully more drummers will show up with sticks, or with nothing. Drummers: come over and let’s make music in the street.”

Other local partners in Hartford include the Greater Hartford Arts Council, Hog River Brewing, Tapeworks, Inc., the Tone Wheel Music Group, Telefunken Elektroakustik and Yelp Hartford.

Fairfield Theatre Company will host a battle of the bands-style music festival in the parking lot, and also inside the Warehouse, one of the best venues for live music in the state. More information at makemusicday.org/connecticut/