Fête de la Musique dives into ocean conservation efforts
THE world-renowned free music event that started in France and is now celebrated across the globe is returning to the Philippines — this time to raise funds for ocean conservation through music.
Fête de la Musique PH, the music festival’s Philippine edition organized by Alliance Française de Manille, will have a series of live celebrations from June 16 to 24 in Metro Manila, Caloocan, Tagaytay, Laguna, Zambales, Pampanga, Baguio, Baler, Albay, Cebu, El Nido, and Siargao. Fête de la Musique began as a music festival in Paris on June 21 (Fête’s official date) in 1982 and has since spread across the world. Fête 2023 in the Philippines will kick off on June 16 with a music export conference by SONIK Philippines at The Astbury in Makati. It aims to empower local acts to grow music and fanbases in foreign markets.This year’s festival is titled “Mersea,” which merges the French words mer (sea) and merci (thank you). Its goal is to show gratitude for 29 years of Franco-Filipino cultural relations and contribute to furthering ocean conservation efforts.
“In spite of all our differences, music — just like the oceans — connects us humans with each other,” said Xavier Leroux, executive director of Alliançe Française de Manille, in a statement.Under a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), coastal cleanup and tree-planting activities around the country will be promoted, including in Metro Manila, Siargao, and Cebu.
The scheduled events include SONIK Sessions on June 16, and performances on the Makati pocket stages on June 17. During the festival’s official date on June 21, French act Remi Panossian Trio will perform at Long Bar in the Raffles hotel in Makati, while the party goes on at its stages in Cebu and Siargao. Mr. Panossian will also perform the next day at Alliance Française de Manille. On June 23, Fête de la Musique’s main stage will open at Greenbelt 3. Finally, the festival’s last day on June 24 will see performances in its stages in Albay, Baler, Baguio, Caloocan, El Nido, Laguna, Pampanga, Tagaytay, and Zambales.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/FetePH/. — BHL
