The recording industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) announced today it has committed grants of more than $110,000 for the presentation of 72 admission-free musical performances to celebrate Juneteenth in the United States, and Emancipation Day in Canada. In addition to supporting activities commemorating June 19 as a recent U.S. federal holiday, the MPTF is supporting musical events during Canada’s August 1 widely celebrated Emancipation Day.

Commemorating the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War, and the day the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire, respectively, Juneteenth and Emancipation Day provide special opportunities for musical celebrations across North America.

“We are grateful for the recording industry’s support to bring professional musicians forward to issue the clarion call for equal rights for all,” noted MPTF Trustee Dan Beck. “These events will shine a light on the compositional and performing talents that Black and Indigenous people contribute so richly to our shared cultures.”

The MPTF Juneteenth initiative was inspired by a collaboration with the Broadway League, who created a breakthrough Juneteenth event in Times Square in 2021 as part of the Black on Broadway initiative.  An MPTF grant will support musicians for the Second Annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth on Sunday, June 19, from noon until 1:30, at Duffy Square in Times Square, New York.

Additional highlights include performances in Las Vegas, NV; Albuquerque, NM; Austin, TX; Memphis and Nashville, TN; Cleveland OH; St. Paul, MN; Newark, NJ; and many more. All performances have been coordinated by the efforts of the American Federation of Musicians and their local offices.  More information will be posted on https://musicpf.org/juneteenth2022. Details of the Canadian celebrations will be announced the week prior to August 1.