A thing of beauty for the world to savoir, music is celebrated the world over on June 21 as International Music Day.[break]
With its root in France, where it started in 1982, Fête de la Musique is the largest international live music event in the world, held in 450 cities across the globe on the very same day each year – June 21.
The aim of the event is to make music everywhere, to celebrate music, and to expose as many people to music as possible.
Closer to home, Alliance Française Kathmandu (AFK) is upping the ante by putting together a celebration that’ll stretch for a week, featuring a slew of local and international acts.
Come Tuesday, June 21, and the Taumadhi Square in the medieval city of Bhaktapur will be the epicenter of the musical fiesta that will see local bands Swet Bhairab, Bansuri Khala, Madhyapur Thimi Dhimey Baja Khala, Dattatraya Cultural Group, Manandhar Cultural Group, Byadi Dhime and other ensembles perform alongside students from Kathmandu University School of Music, and students from AFK.
The concert series from June 22 to 25 will be staged at AFK’s premises at Teku in Kathmandu, followed by a grand finale at Nepal Academy Hall featuring the showstopper “Betty Argo,” the French pop band, on June 26.
According to the organizers, one of the highlights of the event is the competition between five upcoming bands, the winner of which will get to record three songs with the French Sound Engineer Coleton Paskert and share the stage with “Betty Argo” on the final day.
“While not exactly popular mainstream acts, the musicians featured in these series are talented, and through our concert series, we hope to take their music to a wider audience,” shared Sylvie Thing, the organizer of the event.
“Nepal has a rich tapestry of cultures and traditions, and it’s our belief that through events as such these, we can bring hidden gems in the society to the forefront, and that’s our main agenda,” added Sylvie.
All concerts are free to the public. And the passes to the concert are available at Alliance Française at Tripureshwor, SAC Music on New Road, and Suwal Music at
Lazimpat.
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The Alliance Française Kathmandu hosting ‘Fête de la Musique’
