Unsilent Night Newnan

Last night, about 30 people gathered in Greenville St Park in Newnan, GA, for our first annual Unsilent Night Newnan.  It was magical.

Unsilent Night, for those just joining us, is an event originated by composer Phil Kline in New York City in 1992.  (You can get all the details at unsilentnight.com.) tl;dr: He composed four new age pieces meant to be played simultaneously on peoples' boomboxes carried about Washington Square Park for 45 minutes, at which point the music fades away.

A lovely concept, I thought, and so I spearheaded our first try: created a Facebook group, proselytized at Backstreet Arts — where we had lantern-making workshops all through November — and in general cajoled everyone I knew to download the app and join us.

For an ABORTIVE ATTEMPT, it was lovely. I have heard the music since Kline released a compiled version on CD back in the 90s, but that was nothing like what I heard last night, with my music blending randomly with others as we strolled around the court square.  It shifts from bells to chimes to angelic choirs and back, each of the four tracks just enough different to create an intricate, lush soundscape around you.

As the Courthouse chimed 8:00, we all walked back down to the park, where we stood until the last of the music died out.  The weather was clear, the moon was full, and a good time was had by all:

Same time next year?  More lanterns, more boomboxes, more mystical downtowns!