'Unsilent Night' in Virginia

“Unsilent Night,” a participatory outdoor music-making event that has become a contemporary Christmas-season tradition, will return to Winchester on Nov. 28, Richmond on Dec. 2 and Norfolk on Dec. 7.

Devised by composer Phil Kline 25 years ago and introduced in New York’s Greenwich Village, “Unsilent Night” invites celebrants to bring boom boxes – or, more recently, portable electronic devices – to load one of four electronic music tracks created by Kline, which they play simultaneously while walking along city streets. The combination of sounds creates what is described as a “mobile sound sculpture.”

Kline prepared 45 minutes of music (the duration of one side of a cassette tape) for use on the first “Unsilent Night,” and the walks are planned to last that long.

The Virginia cities are among more than two dozen (and counting) to stage an “Unsilent Night” this year.

The events are free and open to all ages.

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Participants in the Richmond event, organized by Classical Revolution RVA, will gather at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Gallery 5, 200 W. Marshall St., and at 7 p.m. will begin walking through the downtown area of the First Fridays Art Walk.

For more information, visit:
http://richmond.unsilentnight.com/

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The Winchester event, staged in conjunction with the city’s annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting, is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at Old Town Winchester Walking Mall.

For more information, visit:
http://winchester.unsilentnight.com/

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In Norfolk, “Unsilent Night” participants will gather at 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at The Plot, 776 Granby St., for a walk, beginning at 5:45 p.m., through downtown Norfolk, the NEON district and the Freemason neighborhood.

For more information, visit:
http://norfolk.unsilentnight.com/