Artistry, education, community, dialogue: the DNA of Community MusicWorks. In our 22nd season we continue to braid these themes together in new and thoughtful ways in
our ongoing work to make musicianship a vital part of public life.
Over the past 22 years, CMW has engaged in investigating how musical practice and a commitment to social justice align. This has included an examination of our teaching practices and the ways in which we support young people to have agency in their own learning and in developing authentic voice. It also means recognizing that the choice of music we play is meaningful: it matters who created the music, what cultures, styles, and experiences we represent, it matters that our students are encouraged to develop their own voices as composers, improvisers, and arrangers of music, and it matters how, as an organization, we continue to ask questions at all levels — from our student programs to our concert season — about which voices are heard.
It matters that we — performers and audience — create meaningful musical experiences in real time, together.
Last year, we programmed nearly half the concert season with works by women composers. In our 22nd season, I am thrilled with the range and variety of voices we will present over the course of the season — from Osvaldo Golijov to Gabriella Lena Frank, to a performance of music by Florence Price, whose works are finally receiving the attention they deserve, to a special residency collaboration with Syrian composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh in partnership with Brown University and the Dorcas International Institute, to a new work by composer Kareem Roustom, to a program centered around Bartók that includes several informal opportunities for music and discussion in pubs ( Bartók = bar talk), to a season finale featuring the return of music by our friend and former colleague Jessie Montgomery. Throughout this year, your spirited presence as audience members will be essential for bringing these voices to life.
Our students finished the last season with an extraordinary finale of El Pueblo Unido by Sergio Ortega, complete with original verses they had written around the theme of what the world can look like if we come together around common cause. In Season 22, we continue to develop projects that bring our students’ hearts, minds and voices to the stage as we explore artistry in their communities through complex musical projects.
Our commitment to extraordinary artistry, excellence in education, and engaged community define Community MusicWorks’ mission in the city of Providence. In this 22nd season, we bring all these elements together in celebration of the joy of music-making and community building, and it wouldn’t be complete without you.
We’re excited to have you with us!
— Sebastian Ruth, Founder & Artistic Director