Queens Tribune

New York City wants you to make music this Saturday. But don’t worry if you can’t – more than 850 amateur, student and professional performers will be picking up your slack in all five boroughs.

The City is hosting the second annual Make Music New York festival, where musicians of every flavor will hit the streets to perform free concerts from dusk to dawn on the first day of summer.

From harmonica virtuoso and Woodside resident Jia-Yi He’s performance in Jackson Heights to the 75 punk bands invading Governor’s Island, the eclectic group of artists performing throughout the City means there will be something for everyone.

“We really are trying to surprise people,” Aaron Friedman, the event’s organizer and president of Make Music New York, said of the festival’s variety.

The event is based on the French Fete de la Musique, a musical holiday that began in 1982 and has since become an international phenomenon. The festival now encompasses more than 300 cities in 108 countries, including Germany, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Australia, Vietnam, Congo, Cameroon, Togo, Columbia, Chile, Mongolia, and Japan.

“It’s kinda like Halloween,” Friedman said. “Only they come out with instruments instead of asking for candy.”

Although Queens missed the boat last year, with only 30 of the 560 performances taking place here, this year the borough is going all out with more than 100 performers in 37 locations.

“Neighborhoods from Long Island City to Ridgewood are taking part in Make Music New York this year, many for the first time. We now have 118 outdoor performances scheduled for Queens on June 21, more than four times the number last year. We’re excited to see this festival take root in New York City’s largest and most diverse borough,” Friedman said.

Even local leaders are on board to make the festival a success.

“Our community has a wealth of untapped talent and cultural resources. The 2008 Make Music New York Festival will be the first time that Flushing is participating and we are looking forward to joining other Queens neighborhoods in this joyous celebration of everything that makes New York unique – our talented artists and rich culture,” Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), said.

That’s great news for musicians like He, who works as a harmonica teacher at the Turtle Bay Music School in Manhattan. He is a world renowned harmonica player who has performed with the China National Symphony Orchestra, the China National Ballet Symphonic Orchestra and the Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra.

“In China I performed all over the country,” He said. “When I came here people didn’t know me. It was hard work.”

For He, performing is its own reward.

“I don’t care if I get money,” he said. “I want to share my music.”

He has been hooked on the harmonica since 1964 and uses it to play everything from Bach to Gershwin, with an occasional pop or dance piece in between.

“I’ve tried many instruments,” He said. “The violin for six years, the cello for four years – but the harmonica never stopped.”

The harmonica presents unique challenges that He says has kept him with the instrument.

“Piano players have 10 fingers,” He said. “Harmonica players only have one mouth.”

He will be performing with his daughter, Jenny He, also an accomplished musician who has played the piano since she was 4 years old, during the festival. The concert will take place at Italian Farms at 80-01 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights from 3 to 4 p.m.

For more information about performances in your neighborhood, view the full Make Music New York schedule at www.timeoutnewyork.com/makemusic.