Home Page

‘Unsilent Night’ Dec. 21 at Bancroft Park

       In 1992, a New York composer named Phil Kline invited some friends over and, according to a website report, “gave each person a boombox with one of four [cassette] tapes in it, and instructed everyone to hit PLAY at the same time. What followed was a sound unlike anything they had ever heard before: an evanescence filling the air, reverberating off the buildings and city streets as the crowd walked a pre-determined route. Phil says: 'In effect, we became a city-block-long stereo system.' ”
       Called “Unsilent Night,” Kline's 45-minute composition/phenomenon has since spread to 31 other locations, including (for the first time) Colorado Springs Saturday, Dec. 21, at 5 p.m. in Old Colorado City's Bancroft Park.
       Participants are invited to bring their own portable sound systems, including cassette, CD, MP3 and smartphone formats; the musical tracks from the Kline composition will be provided, explained organizer Mark Jakusovszky (pronounced Jak-uh-SHOW-ski), an electronic chip salesman and a musician.
       There is no charge to take part.
       The plan is for everyone given tracks to hit “play” on their devices simultaneously in Bancroft, then stroll through the historic shopping district and return to Bancroft near the end of the 45-minute composition.
       The music uses mainly bells, which helps overcome synchronization issues, Jakusovszky said. The more participants, the better it sounds, he said. “There are acoustics and echoes, and the whole thing becomes very absorbing.”

Westside Pioneer/press release

Would you like to respond to this article? The Westside Pioneer welcomes letters at editor@westsidepioneer.com. (Click here for letter-writing criteria.)