Mark you calendar for Saturday, November 8 at 3 pm!
All photos by Sandor Bodo (May 2008).

1. Lunch around the picnic table
2. Advising CMW on technical matters
3. Rehearsing Mendelssohn (1)
4. Rehearsing Mendelssohn (2)
5. Liz making the concert poster for the West End Community Center's front door

Photos by Jori in CMW 's Flickr account.

Passing the tradition from older to younger to younger yet, tonight’s concert started with the visiting Orion String Quartet playing solo, then moved into a highly unusual pairing—2 members from Providence String Quartet and 2 from Orion playing half of the Mendelssohn Op. 13 quartet, followed by the other set from each quartet playing the concluding two movements. Finally the Phase III students joined the Providence for a performance of the octet we recently commissioned from composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, The Kompa Variations.

At center court of our beloved West End Recreation Center gym, with an audience that ranged from CMW families to die hard chamber music fans to neighbors and politicians, it was an evening that represented CMW’s mission in a fantastically visible way: the community coming together around incredible food and music in a setting known for community gathering but not necessarily music (that is, until now!).  And three generations of musicians—the torch being passed from one group to the next.  What a highlight night for us in our 11+ year history!

-Sebastian Ruth, PSQ

More photos by Jori at CMW's Flickr account.

"Amazing!" can't even begin to express how the DBR concert was. Eight different people came together to create such beautiful music. No where else could I have experienced such creative work. While I was sitting up there with my friends and teachers, I felt so proud. Here we were, breathing together, counting together, and believing together. Even while I played a solo with Daniel, it felt unbelievable because I was surrounded with such great people that it didn't even matter what I played. All that mattered was that here I was, at 16 years old finally playing with the people who inspired me each and every single day!

-Kirby Vasquez, Phase III

Last week I went to Portugal to perform the Saint-Saens cello concerto with Orquestra do Norte, where I held the position of assistant principal cellist in 2007 and 2008. Although I left Orquestra do Norte at the end of the summer to join Community Musicworks, I was invited to return this fall as a soloist with the orchestra.

On Saturday night I had the opportunity to play the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto for a full auditorium in the beautiful, ocean-side town of Vila do Conde. The Saint-Saens is one of my favorite concertos to play, and I was thrilled to have the chance to return to Portugal to perform it with my friends and colleagues from the orchestra. The audience was appreciative, and my heart was completely won over by the group of little Portuguese girls that came up to me after the concert asking me to autograph their programs!

-Adrienne Taylor, Fellow

CMW first-year Fellow Jason Amos is currently on a seven-state tour with the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra. While we wait on Jason's update from the road, you can check out the the Sphinx tour website as well as their tour blog.

Jesse, Luis, Jessie, Sydney, Josh, Sebastian, Kirby, Sara

(click on photo to enlarge)

Video of DBR's workshop by Sandor Bodo for the Providence Journal here.

The PSQ and Phase III are busily preparing for tomorrow evening's premiere of The Kompa Variations, a new work by Daniel Bernard Roumain commissioned by Community MusicWorks expressly for the Providence String Quartet and a quartet of their students. Here's a link to the preview in the Providence Journal.