Of all the words spoken and sung from the Pritzker Pavilion stage at Millennium Park on Thursday night, few were in English.

Yet the music communicated joy, sorrow and celebration with unmistakable eloquence.

The opening of the Music Without Borders series helped explain why world music has become increasingly popular in Chicago—and across the United States. An estimated 5,500 people swarmed the park.

It has taken years to develop this audience. But since its inception, three summers ago, Music Without Borders increasingly has become a magnet for listeners willing to explore the unfamiliar. The World Music Festival, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary with two major concerts in Millennium Park in September, surely has been the single most important factor in forging a link between foreign-born artists and Chicago audiences.

Singer Maria del Mar Bonet, who opened this evening, possesses an exquisitely liquid alto well suited to the melodic flow of traditional Catalonian music.

There's more to come from Music Without Borders:

"The Bachata Roja Concert," featuring musicians from the Dominican Republic, plus Cape Verdean vocalist Mayra Andrade, play at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

-by Howard Reich