CMW recently hosted a visit by the newest class of the Abreu Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory. There will be more interaction between the two fellowship programs (CMW & Abreu) this year, and CMW musicians have already traveled up to Boston to participate in a professional development workshop for educators interested in El Sistema.

As Sebastian noted, since founding CMW in 1997, it is exciting to have so many new colleagues joining us in recent years to explore the possibilities of transforming lives through community-based music education. To paraphrase Erik Holmgren, Education Director for the Abreu Program, our collective challenge is to "unlearn hundreds of years of classical music culture" and become less rigid, embody the joy that is (at least in other cultures) such a natural part of a child's experience of learning and performing music.

Some of the new Abreu Fellows are blogging about their experience. Follow them here, here, and here.

-Heath Marlow, Managing Director

The CMW Players and Haven String Quartet preparing for their November 5 & 6 performances in New Haven and Providence respectively. Note Music Haven's spacious streetfront rehearsal space. Photos by Netta Hadari.

The accomplishments of Venezuela’s El Sistema are greater and more far-­‐ranging than anything we in the United States can imagine. It is not an over-­-statement to assert that El Sistema represents the most significant innovation in the arts and arts learning in our lifetimes. Fortunately, we in the United States and around the world are beginning to learn about it and to learn from it.

The Sistema-­‐inspired work in Colombia called Batuta, the second largest such national program in the world, is also doing work beyond our U.S. imagining. And we have yet to begin learning from it. We hope that this essay will serve as a useful introduction to the proud history and the current accelerated growth phase of Sistema Batuta Colombia.

Click here to read the entire essay by Eric Booth and Tricia Tunstall

Chloe, Liz, and Heath each attempt to mediate a squabble between Ruthy and Raine, the excellent training leaders provided by the Community Mediation Center of Rhode Island.

This weekend I went on the Phase II retreat with CMW. I hadn't really gotten the opportunity to play with other kids all summer long. I had kind of forgotten how exciting and fun and beautiful it can be. I'm so happy that I've been able to go this weekend.

-August Packard, Phase II

This weekend was a Phase II retreat at Camp Aldersgate. I think the best part of Phase II and CMW in general is just how much fun we can have making music together anytime, anyplace. This retreat I was reminded how great that aspect of this community is. While around the campfire we sang songs, jammed on our instruments, and told stories, and I can already tell that it's going to be another fantastic year.

-Liam Hopkins, Phase II

If you've been to the third floor of CMW headquarters, you've probably seen the beautiful and abstract painting and prints by Providence-based artist (and CMW Honorary Board Member) Irene Lawrence.

Irene is a celebrated artist and passionate amateur musician, who has donated works of art to CMW to build our collection of inspiring artworks. This season, her "Three Caryatids" will be featured in some photos of the CMW Players. Stop by sometime to see this large-scale work, or to view her "Quartet" of lithographs, created to celebrate the Providence String Quartet's role in CMW and the City of Providence.

-Sebastian Ruth, Founder & Artistic Director

Photos by Jori, painting by Irene Lawrence

(custom-built bicycle rack courtesy of The Steel Yard)

Okay, it’s time to preview the concert season that awaits you! This year, to celebrate our 15th season, we are experimenting with a different kind of concert programming. In recognition of the fact that our original band of four musicians has grown to a community of ten, we have planned a season this year centered on the multiple combinations that can be formed with a roster of ten string musicians in residence. What does this mean? 

For starters, the Providence String Quartet will take a sabbatical season. We’ve been working hard for ten years, and we’re ready to take a breather to explore pieces of music and different ensemble configurations that we’ve been wanting to explore. Jesse, Sara, Minna, and I, along with our six colleagues, brainstormed a varied mix of pieces to play and we’re feeling excited for the possibilities that await us this season!

What will you hear? For one, we have a Bela Bartok theme in our programming this year, which will feature, along with many great works of chamber music, all 44 Bartok Violin Duos. These are brilliant short works, each based on a different Eastern European folk song, that progress in level of difficulty from the first to the last. Performing the whole set over the course of the season gives us the opportunity to showcase the concept of CMW’s mission—you’ll hear students performing with students, students performing with their teachers, our resident musicians performing with each other, and guest artists mixing in as well. Expect many Bartok treats (performed on cello and viola too!).

Also this year, we’ll feature three guest artist residencies, in which musicians will come to Providence for a week or two to add something special to our roster of string players, including Frank Rosenwein, principal oboist of The Cleveland Orchestra; pianist Knut Erik Jensen, a wonderful Norwegian musician living in California; and our dear friends pianist Amy Cheng and clarinetist Chad Burrow, who will be returning for their third concert collaboration with us (the first being back in 2001).

A few other fun features of this season to look out for include:

•    a Bach festival in November that we’re calling “Bach and Beyond,” because it will feature J. S. Bach as well as works inspired by J. S. Bach
•    a sonata series, on which our musicians will play intimate programs of works for solo string instruments with piano, with several different pianists joining us throughout the season
•    a chamber orchestra collaboration with our friends at Music Haven in New Haven, Connecticut, who have been successfully putting the CMW model into practice there for five years
•    an exploration of four of Franz Joseph Haydn’s six “Sun” string quartets, comprised of our resident musicians in various combinations
•    a new string quartet by Providence-based composer Shep Shapiro
•    a season-ending 15th year reunion concert bringing back musicians who’ve been part of CMW over our history. (Anyone remember the 10th season reunion concert weekend?)

We’re looking forward to this eclectic season of music and musicians, and we look forward to seeing you at concerts along the way!

-Sebastian Ruth, Founder & Artistic Director

Photos from the June 18 concert curated by Sakiko Mori at the Bell Street Chapel.

More photos by Jori in CMW's Flickr account.