Laguna to be feted with ‘sisterly’ music

The city of Laguna Beach will celebrate cultural and musical diversity, de la maniere Françaisde la maniere Français.

The Sister City Assn.’s second annual Fete de Musique, a festival that originated in France in 1982 and has since spread to many countries across the globe and has been dubbed “world music day,” will take place from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Saturday in downtown Laguna.

Lisa Morrice, communications director for the association and a professional singer who works primarily with Gallimaufry Performing Arts, said the event will emulate the music celebration that takes place in Paris on June 21 each year.

“Like the French fête, we use amateur and professional musicians who donate their time performing on the street,” she said. “We feature many different genres of music and the event is free to the public.

“We also hold ours at the summer solstice in conjunction with the larger festival in France.”

Throughout the afternoon, an eclectic mix of musicians will give performances along Forest Avenue between Main Beach and the Lumberyard, outside of the city’s restaurants and cafes.

Genres will include jazz, mariachi, rock, classical, bluegrass and country.

Highlights include an opening ceremony in the Presbyterian Church Rose Garden, soloists performances of “The Marseillaise” and “The Star Spangled Banner,” speeches by dignitaries from Laguna Beach and France, and a closing ceremony with Amelie M’Baye, a Senegalese singer who will lead participants in a sing-along.

“The Third Street Strutters, a popular seven-piece Dixieland band, and the Bolling League, a classical/jazz ensemble that will perform the works of French composer will also [partake] in the event,” Morrice said.

“The event will culminate at the cobblestones at Main Beach where a mariachi band will play, followed by a final sing-along featuring many of the musicians and singers who played on Forest Avenue.”

Morrice will also sing and play guitar with the group “Chic McDaniel and Friends.”

The Laguna Beach Sister City Assn. is a nonprofit whose mission is to establish and maintain a long-term relationship between the Laguna Beach and its sister city, Menton, France, through a collaborative exchange of cultural, educational and business activities.