Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night is a festive musical creation first heard in New York 19 years ago. It takes the form of a street promenade in which the audience becomes the performer. This year, Oxford will, for the first time, join with other cities worldwide in staging the happening. It is a free event organised by Oxford Contemporary Music.

The fun begins in Radcliffe Square at 8pm, on Friday, November 26. Anyone joining in is given one of four different Unsilent Night tracks which they bring along on the night. Using a ghetto blaster, or anything that amplifies music, participants simultaneously start their music on a signal from OCM. They then walk a carefully chosen route through the streets and lanes of Oxford creating a unique mobile sound sculpture.

Phil Kline is a US composer. Many of his works are moving sound sculptures using multiple boom boxes. He formed the New York band The Del-Byzanteens in the 1980s with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and collaborated with photographer Nan Goldin on the soundtrack to her Ballad of Sexual Dependency. Unsilent Night has become an annual tradition in New York. It has also spread across the US and to other countries. Cities doing Unsilent Night this year include Los Angeles, Vancouver and Hong Kong. You can watch clips of past events on Youtube.

Anyone wanting to take part should contact OCM (info@ocmevents.org/01865 488 369) preferably a week in advance of the event. OCM supplies the audio in MP3 file, CD or cassette formats. The promenade lasts about 45 minutes and is a family-friendly event.

The Vaults and Garden Café in Radcliffe Square will have winter-warming hot drinks on sale for the start of the promenade.

OCM is also looking to borrow ghetto blasters for the event. Anyone willing to lend a ghetto blaster should contact OCM on 01865 488369/info@ocmevents.org OCM will collect and return them.