The January edition of Tricia Tunstall and Eric Booth's monthly publication about the growing El Sistema-inspired movement in the United States can be downloaded here.

A message from Eric Booth:

The first major book on El Sistema is now available from Amazon.com and in bookstores. Changing Lives: Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the Transformative Power of Music, from WW Norton, is written by Tricia Tunstall, music educator, author, Editor of The Ensemble newsletter, and speaker on behalf of El Sistema.

The book tells the story of El Sistema in Venezuela and in the U.S., in an inspiring, readable way that will engage a wide audience. This book presents a unique opportunity for expanding awareness and support for the El Sistema movement. Please help get the word out, and get the book into the hands of people we might turn on to the remarkable story that has impacted so many lives. 

On Day 2 in Nazareth, the young people from Nazareth and Tel Aviv and elsewhere–representing both Arab and Jewish communities–rehearsed a chamber music arrangement of the Magic Flute with Nabeel conducting. The arrangement was made by a Brown University senior who is on this trip. Then we toured old Nazareth and had a youth discussion about music and society. Video highlights here:

-Sebastian Ruth, Founder & Artistic Director

Perhaps you were with us in November at our Providence symposium, or perhaps you read about it. I have the privilege this week [January 4-10] of continuing that dialogue in the Israeli town of Nazareth, with some of our friends from November, including Michael Steinberg from Brown University, Pamela Rosenberg from the American Academy in Berlin, and especially Nabeel Abboud Ashkar who is hosting us in Nazareth. Nabeel is the director of the Baremboim-Said Conservatories in Nazareth and Ramallah, and also of the ensemble Polyphony. 

I got off the plane this morning at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, and headed for the bus station to take a scenic two-hour bus ride to Nazareth, and then dived into a day of discussions. The conversation feels like the one we have at CMW, but transferred to the populations here. At CMW we talk about creating transformative opportunities for young people for whom this experience gives voice and access. 

Whereas we talk about creating cohesive urban community, here the conversation is about giving access and voice to the Arab Israeli young people, who are a minority in this country. The issues and challenges are similar. One of the members of the discussion today put it well, that programs like CMW and Nabeel's create interventions on multiple fronts–addressing racism, revitalizing classical music, developing or uplifting a particular region or city. 

Then this evening, we watched Act 1 of Mozart's Magic Flute with 15-20 of Nabeel's students, and had a discussion afterward about how the characters in the opera were really learning to become independent thinkers, breaking away from falsehoods they were taught. Tomorrow we continue, and see where we wind up! 

-Sebastian Ruth, Founder & Artistic Director

The historic Poirier's Diner (a 1947 Kullman, the second diner in the state to be individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places) has found a new home on our block of Westminster Street.

For more than fifty years, and under many different names, such as Armand's, Krystal's, the Top Hat, Arnold's and most recently, the El Faro, the Diner was located on Atwells Avenue at Eagle Square. On Tuesday, January 13, the Diner was placed on a truck and rolled down the block to its new home at 1380 Westminster Street.

The Diner will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. And it will feature  classic American Diner fare, along with a bar and outdoor seating.  It is expected to open in Summer 2012.

Short video by Sebastian: diner on the move

[audio:http://www.communitymusicworks.org/medialab/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Geminids-Movie-Themes-2012.mp3|titles=Geminids Movie Themes 2012]

Photos courtesy of the Cogut Center

A group of Sara's cellists performed at the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence during a holiday celebration for families of homicide victims.

We had a great time with Frank Rosenwein earlier this month. What an amazing guy! Here's a recording of John Harbison's Snow Country from the performance at Brown University's Cogut Center for the Humanities on December 10. New to all of us, this is some pretty incredible and evocative music, perfect for this time of the year. Enjoy!

Harbison introduction by Jesse Holstein

Harbison: Snow Country

As part of their second day at CMW this semester, NEC's Abreu Fellows were able to spend some quality time earlier this month engaging CMW students in musical activities during our weekly All-Play Day programming. We started the day with lunch at the office and an opportunity for the Abreu Fellows to share stories about their recent month-long internship experiences with CMW staff. Several Fellows shared the 3-minute videos that they had created to document their experiences. Then, it was off to  D'Abate Elementary for a very busy afternoon with plenty of teaching artist participation, as evidenced by the following schedule:

Studio hour

Rm 101: Beginners
Rm 103: Chamber music for brass and strings (with Avi, Ben, Jennifer)
Rm 104: Phase II Quartet (Alondra, Alana, Liam, Ian); peer learning through coaching (with Stephanie)
Rm 105: Singing/Choir (with Alysia and Aisha)
Rm 106: String Improvisation/Extended techniques (with Julie)
Rm 107: Conducting: Phase III ensemble plus two aspiring conductors (with Jose Luis)
Rm 108: Advanced violin master class (with David)

Ensemble hour

Beginners (Sara, Ealain, joined by Alysia and Aisha)
Blue Notes (Jesse and Ariana, with Avi guest conducting)
Green Magics (Adrienne, Emmy, with Jennifer visiting, Julie playing)
Yellow Harmony Hornets (Robin, with Jose Luis conducting, and Stephanie and David playing)
Music Lab (Minna, with Ben)

 We're looking forward to welcoming the Abreu Fellows back once more in May.

-Heath Marlow, Managing Director

This weekend, Jesse and I had the great pleasure of performing The Story of Ferdinand as guests of the Children’s Library at The Providence Athenaeum. This colourful piece by David Rideout is for violin and narrator and is based on Munro Leaf’s charming book. The gentle hero Ferdinand is a strong bull with a big heart, who would much rather smell the flowers under his favourite cork tree than fight in the bullfights of Madrid.

The performance featured a jumbo-sized version of Munro Leaf’s book with vibrant illustrations. Not only did the youngest members of our audience have some fine literary observations, they also gave us a virtuoso display of bovine sound effects. After the performance Jesse and I hosted a “petting zoo” so the children could try out some violins for themselves.

We would especially like to thank Children’s Librarian, Lindsay Shaw, for hosting us. In the spring, we hope to take the show on the road and with any luck, Ferdinand may soon be appearing at an elementary classroom near you!

-Ealain McMullin, Fellow