28 years of Unsilent Night and making 'beautiful music in the street'

This past Sunday evening, composer Phil Kline hosted the 28th annual holiday presentation of Unsilent Night, in which Boombox-toting participants travel from Washington Square Park to Tompkins Square Park to pre-selected musical accompaniment.

Residents from more than 40 cities — in the United States and Europe — now take part in their own harmonious holiday stroll during the month of December, culminating with the event in Manhattan.

EVG regular Dan Efram, who shared these photos, asked Kline about the the legacy of Unsilent Night.


[Kline in Tompkins Square Park]

"It was always meant to be a party, and I think for me, writing it was like giving a gift to friends. Like, here's something we can do together for free in this city that might help us escape the madness for a little while," Kline said. "I think it's kept going because many people feel that way, and need that gift too. The way it has spread around the world, largely by word-of-mouth and internet, is something of a shock, but here we are. The madness isn't going away anytime soon and we need to get together and make beautiful music in the street."