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Local Groups and Venues Bring Worldwide Festival of Music to Palm Beach County

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 - 1:58pm

A group of Palm Beach County musicians and venues have come together to start a local “Make Music Day” in Palm Beach County – a global pop-up music event that allows amateur and professional musicians to bring music to the streets of cities worldwide.



Launched in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day has become a global phenomenon, celebrated by millions of people in more than 2,000 cities around the world, including 154 cities in the U.S., where it has spread widely after debuting in New York in 2007. Held on the summer solstice – the longest day of the year, the world's largest annual music event celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in everyone, regardless of age or skill level.



Make Music Palm Beach County is a result of a coalition between Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches and several county venues who share a goal of celebrating music. Palm Beach music lovers are invited to come perform, participate, or just enjoy multiple free performances to be staged all day June 21, 2024 throughout the county.



“There will be musicians and ensembles of all kinds – Jazz, Classical, Pop, Caribbean and Latin,” said Steering Committee Chair, Kathy Combs of Masterworks of the Palm Beaches. “Families looking for enriching and interactive experiences can learn to play unusual instruments, such as bucket drums and boom whackers. There will be a mass chorus sing-along, harmonica lessons and original compositions. Musicians (and non-musicians) of all ages, skill levels and diverse cultures can participate.”



Venues for Make Music Palm Beach County include CityPlace, the Clematis Street Waterfront and Northwood Art and Music Warehouse in West Palm Beach, as well as Old School Square in Delray Beach. The only rules are that the music events must be free and accessible to the public. Following are some of the planned events for Friday, June 21:



Mass Chorus Sing Along: A mass chorus will perform at 4:15 p.m. at CityPlace and 6:15 p.m. at the Clematis Street Waterfront.



Japanese Daiko Drums: A Daiko Drum group will perform at CityPlace at 6:15 p.m.



Participatory Music with Harmonicas, Boom Whackers and Bucket Drums: Music teachers will lead the public in making music with boom whackers, bucket drums and harmonicas at CityPlace, the Clematis Street Waterfront and Delray Beach’s Old School Square.



Fiesta De Pueblo: Events will be programmed from 3 to 7 p.m. outside the Salento Coffee Shop on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.



Rohi’s Readery: This children’s bookstore in CityPlace will host events at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.



Northwood Art and Music Warehouse: A full afternoon and evening of performances on its main stage and outdoor performance spaces. Soulmates Records, located in the Warehouse will offer “vinyl record swapping” and the opportunity for the public to play their old vinyl records on turntables.

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Cornell Art Museum Showcases Sea Captain’s Stunning Artworks

Friday, June 20, 2025 - 4:04pm

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) announced the opening of the Cornell Art Museum’s newest art exhibition: "Oceana Phenomena Sea Stories and Sea Level Chronicles” by Jane Lawton Baldridge. The exhibition, featured in the Cornell Art Museum’s NE/SE galleries and atrium, will be on view through September 28, 2024, and is free and open to the public. The exhibition includes:



• Sea Stories: Abstract paintings of Baldridge’s life on the water as a Sea Captain.



• Sea Level Chronicles: Sculptures of children, animals and adults covered in navigational charts to discuss rising sea levels.

• Wisdom of the Waves: International Award-Winning Documentary on Baldridge, which will open on August 2nd in the Museum



“We are thrilled to welcome Jane Baldridge and her incredible, insightful works of art back to the Cornell Art Museum,” said Marusca Gatto, the Delray Beach DDA’s Cultural Arts Director. “Her sea stories are a fascinating window into her life spent on the water and her advocacy for the water on our planet. Our hope is to spark awareness and promote protection of our water resources through this wonderful exhibition.”



Baldridge has a fascination, maybe an obsession, with water for as long as she remembers. She was captivated by watching childhood sandcastles fall to the continued impertinent rolling in of waves and tides. It was but a miniature version of what happens all around the globe. Much of the coastal areas of the planet have reason to watch their own erosion, subsidence and the rising tides reshape their world. Baldridge believes that people who do not go out on the ocean and witness its power and beauty may not understand what happens with the rushing water borne on a storm. These are the things that inspire her artwork.



“My paintings are stories about my life on the water,” said Jane. “Perfect days spent scudding along on the wavelets that reflect diamonds or bashing headlong into waves trying to survive the storm. I am grateful to have an unusual history of waterborne adventures. I want to share my stories and experiences with the audience.”



The Cornell Art Museum is free and open to the public. Hours are: Wednesday 12-5PM; Thursday & Friday 12-7PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM; and Sunday 12-5PM.

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MEDIA ALERT: Johnnie Brown, the Human Monkey, Event with Artist Meet & Greet

Friday, June 20, 2025 - 4:02pm

WHAT: The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has announced artist Serge Strosberg, who created “Reimagining Palm Beach” featuring Addison Mizner’s monkey, Johnnie Brown, is returning to the Cornell Art Museum for a meet and greet and special signing event.

WHEN: Friday, May 3 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Cornell Art Museum, 51 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444. Parking available in Old School Square garage.

 

COST: The Cornell Art Museum is free and open to the public.

About Reimagining Palm Beach by Serge Strosberg, which is on display at the Cornell Art Museum through the end of May 2024, allows visitors to step back in time for a glimpse of Florida’s rich history with a contemporary style. Explore days of yore in Serge’s lively portraits of Henry Flagler, Addison Mizner and other prominent founding members of Florida. Special portrait addition of Solomon Spady, Delray Beach’s prominent African American educator and community leader in collaboration with Spady Museum and Delray Beach Historical Society. Guests will also get a view of a special AI feature where Serge ‘ReImagines’ prominent Palm Beach points-of-interest by bringing them to life in his stimulating contemporary style.

For a full list of events happening at the Cornell Art Museum, visit https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/cornell or call 561-654-2220.

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Kenny Chesney Tribute and Line Dancing Kick Off Summer at the Square

Friday, June 20, 2025 - 3:59pm

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has announced the upcoming lineup of performances for its free Sunset Concert Series at the Delray Beach Amphitheatre at Old School Square (51 N Swinton Ave) in Downtown Delray Beach. Held on the fourth Friday of the month from May through September, the Sunset Concert Series features artists from varying musical genres including country, rock n’ roll, reggae and much more.



“We are thrilled to bring back the lively, fun and exciting shows at our free sunset concerts,” said Laura Simon, Executive Director of the Delray Beach DDA. “We just finished up a hugely successful Twilight Concert Series, which brought out thousands of Delray Beach residents and visitors, and we’re excited to keep it going through Summer 2024!”



Upcoming FREE Sunset Concerts include:



• Friday, May 24 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: The FREE Sunset Concert Series will officially kickoff with Fast Forward – The Ultimate Kenny Chesney Tribute and Line Dancing. Derek "Cowboy Kenny" Villegas performs with Fast Forward as “Kenny Chesney” complete with a high-energy style concert, playing all of Kenny’s smash hits. Gates open at 7 p.m. Main Act starts at 8 p.m.



• Friday, June 28 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Known for its high energy performances, The Shaelyn Band is a soul/rock blues band that is taking the industry by storm. "The big sound they produce can only be described as breathtaking,” according to More Music Mag. Gates open at 7 p.m. Main Act starts at 8 p.m.



The DDA invites everyone – rain or shine – to bring lawn chairs and their dancing shoes and enjoy a night of fun and free entertainment with some of the best regional/national bands! Guests are encouraged to bring takeout meals and snacks from a local restaurant or purchase food and drinks from the local restaurant vendors featured onsite. There are no coolers or outside alcohol allowed.



For more information and to see a full list of events at Old School Square, please visit: https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events.

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MEDIA ALERT: New Exhibition ‘Central American Modernism’ Opens at Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square in Downtown Delray Beach on March 8, 2024

Friday, June 20, 2025 - 3:56pm

WHAT: The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) today announced the opening of the Cornell Art Museum’s newest exhibition “Central American Modernism” on Friday, March 8, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. Opening night will include live entertainment by Dorian Avila and refreshments. The Cornell Art Museum, located in Old School Square, is free and open to the public. The “Central American Modernism” exhibition will run through July 28, 2024, and also feature a Book Talk and Film Screening during its tenure.

 

WHEN: Opening Night is Friday, March 8, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m.; the exhibition will run through July 28, 2024. Hours at the Cornell Art Museum are Wednesday 12 to 5 p.m.; Thursday & Friday 12 to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.

 

Additional events include:

  • Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.: Book Talk with authors of Central American Modernism, Mark Ford and Suzanne Brooks

  • Friday, April 5, 2024 at 6 p.m.: Film Screening of Guatemalan Artist, Elmer Rojas presented by his daughter, Mayari Rojas

WHERE: Cornell Art Museum, 51 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444. Parking available in Old School Square garage.

 

DETAILS: Central American art is Latin American art at its greatest – worldly and sophisticated and yet also profoundly native. The Central American Modernism exhibition will showcase approximately 100 works of art from Central American masters with distinct qualities that make each of them uniquely valuable. Experience the daily life and histories of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Panamá through the paintings, sculptures & works-on-paper by their Modernist artists. Many of these artists travelled to Europe to study and returned to create art that connected the ideas of modernism with the culture and indigenous art of their homelands – sublime and profound images not found anywhere else in the world. Be the first to see the inaugural exhibit as the Cornell Museum of Art hosts the collection of the Museum of Central American Art (MoCAArt) curated by Suzanne Snider. The authors will host a ‘Book Talk’ discussion at the Cornell Art Museum on Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

 

COST: The Cornell Art Museum is free and open to the public.

 

For a full list of events happening at the Cornell Art Museum, visit https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/cornell or call 561-654-2220.

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