CMW cellists visited with Yo-Yo Ma backstage after The Silk Road Project's Providence performance on Friday, March 6.

Seeing Yo-Yo Ma performing with The Silk Road at the Providence Performing Arts Center was very exciting. I will never forget this concert. He is a very passionate musician. Yo-Yo Ma plays with musicians from around the world. This allows him the opportunity to experience many different styles of music and cultures. His music is delighting, fabulous, and alive. Yo-Yo Ma is an excellent cello player. I was thrilled to meet such a famous musician. When I grow up I will always remember meeting him and listening to his beautiful music.

Thank you Ms. Adrienne for allowing me to go to that concert and for being a wonderful teacher. Thank you Community Music Works for such an excellent program.    

-Ruby Espinosa

IMPS, as in the Institute for Musicianship and Public Service at Community MusicWorks, May 20-23, 2009.

Remember that announcement in January about the big three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation? Well, we're off and running with our new initiatives, and four successful IMPS applicants who are alumni of the Sphinx Organization will receive full-tuition scholarships–including travel expenses–thanks to the Mellon Foundation.

You should attend too. Check out the info here.

We'll be running through downtown Providence on Saturday, March 21 to raise money in support of the new summer program that Arlyn and Rachel have cooked up for CMW students. (More info about our new summer program coming soon…)

Visit the page Arlyn created at Firstgiving.com to learn more and please consider sponsoring us!

Previous CMW Pavement Raiders post here.

On Saturday night, the CMW Fiddle Lab was invited to a concert of the Ebony Hillbillies at Common Fence Music in Portsmouth, RI. As we drove into Massachusetts, over a bridge, and back into Rhode Island again, the three cars full of fiddlers were abuzz with excitment about the evening–but we didn't really know what to expect. When we arrived, the room was full of folks finishing the meals they had brought before the concert. We chowed down on our pizza and grabbed some of the few seats that were still open in the back of the room.

After the second tune, we were invited to come sit up front where students could really see the fiddle, bass, banjo and washboard players at close range. Students commented at how they ended some of their tunes the same way we did (foot in the air) and some of last year's fiddle students were amazed to hear one of their first tunes, "Cluck Old Hen," played and sung by the Ebony Hillbillies!

After intermission, both the concert organizers and band asked everyone to get up and dance…and we did!  I was so thrilled to see Community MusicWorks students leading the way, encouraging each other to dance, and having fun at the same time. We made up dance steps, danced in pairs, in fours, in a giant circle, and even participated in a conga line! What a great way to enjoy this music and to warm up on a cold night. The general feeling was, as Alexandra said, "Can we come back here?"

-Rachel Panitch, 2nd Year Fellow

Photo by Jori, and more in CMW's Flickr account by clicking here.