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Growing up in France, Maryam Bighash celebrated Fête de la Musique on the summer solstice.
“Get on the streets, hop from one spot to another, and just have a big party. It was truly a blessing,” she said.
A Wheaton College grad, Bighash and her neighborhood near campus will re-create that atmosphere Saturday as hosts of a street festival that will showcase Middle Eastern culture through music, dance and incredible food.
The live performances on Franklin Street will close out Make Music Wheaton — a jam-packed day of free concerts around town — with an expression of hospitality, a salve for those whose hearts and minds are thousands of miles away.
“I think music is a common language. It’s a peace language, and I think it breaks boundaries. And I’m just very excited to share this with our town, and we just feel so grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm so far,” Bighash said.
How it’s all come together is almost “like a miracle,” she said.
“We got some of the best musicians in the area, some of the best dancers, and everyone was just so eager to do something that will … share our love for music and the region,” Bighash said.
Ronnie Malley, a Palestinian-American multi-instrumentalist — he’s an acclaimedoud player(a precursor to the European lute) — actor and Renaissance man, is among the anticipated performers, along with Chicago Zaffa & DJ Samer. Elise Azkoul, a singer, songwriter and former contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” also is slated to perform.
“She’s curated a whole bunch of things happening focused on peace and Middle Eastern music. And so she’s got dancers, she’s got food, all kinds of interesting interactive art stuff happening,” said Lewis Achenbach, chair of the city’s Fine and Cultural Arts Commission, of Bighash. “And that’s like, man, isn’t that cool?”
Achenbach has a style of live painting all his own. He’s known especially for translating the spirit of jazz shows onto his canvas as they happen. As an organizer of Make Music Wheaton, he’s become more of a conductor and matchmaker, pairing musicians with venues across the city and promoting the “creative community that’s right here.”
“This is a free festival, and everybody’s in it for the same reason, which is, they just want to play,” Achenbach said.
There’s a jam-session vibe to Make Music Wheaton. Musicians of all backgrounds and genres are invited to join in the city’s celebration of Make Music Day — a now-global event modeled after France’s Fête de la Musique.
“I kind of wanted to see in Wheaton, like, well, how many people are willing to just sort of do a thing,” Achenbach said.
Turns out a lot of people do. Make Music Wheaton officially kicks off with opening ceremonies Friday night in Memorial Park featuring Bellas Artes Jazz Combo, the barbershop Chorus of DuPage and the Jazz Vanguard Combo. Achenbach also will set up a canvas on stage and paint. Then on the longest day of the year, the Make Music Wheaton lineup is stacked with more than 70 performances, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Bighash randomly came across the event on the city’s website.
“Then I looked into it, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ What a great opportunity to all get together and have a big party that’s open to everyone,” she said.
The block party runs from 4 to 10 p.m. on Franklin Street.
Qahwah House, a café that offers Yemeni-style coffee and teas, iced beverages and honey-drizzled, flaky pastries, also will be part of the festival within a festival.
“We truly just hope everyone comes to the table and just has a good time, get to connect with people that might be different from them, and then they enjoy their time so much that they want to do this again next year,” Bighash said. “That’s our hope.”
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https://www.dailyherald.com/20250619/news/a-peace-language-festival-within-make-music-wheaton-to-celebrate-middle-eastern-culture/