Community MusicWorks

Today’s move to the new building was a success after much planning, packing, and with the hard work of many. Thank you, 1392 Westminster, for serving as a trusty and scrappy home base for years of music, learning, sharing, snacks, laughs, and the occasional squirrel invasion.

Tomorrow is right down the road.

Save the date: September 28 is the Grand Opening of the CMW Center.

Important duty on move day: Liesl and Destiny guard the paperwork shred pile!

We’re on the move!

Save the date: September 28 is the Grand Opening of the CMW Center!

How many people does it take to move a piano? Answer: Four professional movers and two non-profit staffers making verrrry important phone calls.

Move day continues!

Save the date: September 28 is the Grand Opening of the CMW Center.

We’re on the move!

Conlon Movers are in the house, and we’re making our way to the new CMW Center to start a new chapter of music and community.

Save the date: September 28 is the Grand Opening of the CMW Center!

(Hard) hats off to CMW’s Managing Director Kelly Reed for bringing us to the Packapalooza finish line with her trademark grace, stunning spatial ability, and general awesomeness. Move day is tomorrow!

Senior Resident Musician Jesse Holstein takes a break from packing and contemplates the end of an era at 1392 Westminster.

Are we there yet? Luthier and CMW Building Manager Erik Talley boxes tech equipment with a (sort of) smile. Next stop, new building!

Packing day continues, while fabulous CMW alum and current Admin Assistant Destiny Deas keeps an eye on QuickBooks amidst the boxing and schlepping.

A bittersweet day as we pack up the CMW storefront in anticipation of tomorrow’s move to our new building, and Sebastian keeps the engines running with a Zoom meeting.

We’re busy packing up for the move to the new building, but took a moment to welcome some new West End neighbors. Welcome to Providence, Rodney and CJ!

More building updates coming soon!

**Application deadline is July 10 at 5 pm**
CMW alumni! Want to join the staff of CMW for a two-year Fellowship Program working in the new building at 1326 Westminster Street? Interested in gaining experience and skills in multiple aspects of teaching artistry, youth development, creative practice, arts administration, and community engagement that could become a pathway to future work? We’d love to hear from you!

Find more info here:
https://communitymusicworks.org/jobs/

Got questions?
[email protected]

The Cello Resident Musician position involves teaching cello lessons for students in CMW’s El Sistema-inspired Daily Orchestra Program, as well as co-leading rehearsals for the Daily Orchestra’s Lower and Upper Elementary orchestras. The position also includes performing chamber music regularly as a member of the MusicWorks Collective.

Essential qualities for applicants would be enthusiasm for teaching elementary-school-aged children, a solid grasp of teaching the fundamentals of cello playing, a willingness to lead group activities, and comfort with collaboration and communication, both with colleagues and families of students. Other beneficial qualities for applicants include flexibility and adaptability, a willingness to learn, experience with non-classical genres of music, ability to improvise and teach improvisation, interest in/experience with elements of program coordination, fluency in Spanish or other non-English language, as well as a genuine sense of humor and enjoyment in leading/creating silly activities and games. The position has some built in flexibility depending on the interests and strengths of the successful candidate, and we’re always looking for candidates who can bring something unique to the program.

The successful applicant will be joining a community of musicians who are passionate about exploring and building the connections between music and social justice, who are dedicated to continual growth and learning, who strive to build strong relationships with young musicians and their families, and who enjoy the challenges of both collaborative and individual work.

Application, salary, and benefits info on our website:
https://communitymusicworks.org/jobs/

Season 27 concludes with the MusicWorks Collective joining together for the spirited Ernest Bloch Concerto Grosso No. 1 featuring pianist Ivan Tan and bassist Nathan Varga, and reprise performances of a wonderfully lyrical string quartet by Adrienne Taylor and the evocative Estampas Mexicanas by José Elizando. Join us to celebrate summer’s arrival with a program of joyous sounds.

MusicWorks Collective Season Finale Concert
Sunday, June 9 at 3 pm
Bell Street Chapel, Providence
Admission is free; Reserve your seat:
https://bit.ly/MWCBellStreet

Our End-of-Year Student Gala was a joy all around, with amazing performances by our student ensembles and guest tabla player Nitin Mitta enjoyed by an audience of parents, friends, and CMW community members. We’ll soon have a video to share documenting the wonderful week with composer Reena Esmail that culminated in this event. In the meantime, here’s a few behind-the-scenes and onstage images by photographer Rebecca Atwood.

Enjoy more photos on our Flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/communitymusicworks/collections/

Tonight at 6 pm! Join us for the YouTube premiere of Animal Songs, a musical event presented by the students of the CMW Daily Orchestra Program.

Our young musicians have chosen to make this event a fundraiser for the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, so join us and give!

Animal Songs
Tuesday, May 28 at 6 pm
Online on the CMW YouTube page:
https://bit.ly/CMWAnimalSongs

We’re wrapping up lessons this week, and CMW student Sofia stopped by to demonstrate things you can do with a bike rack when you didn’t bring your bike: (a) pretend to play a tune with it and (b) lean on it to read! Thanks for the demo, Sofia! And thanks to the for making our very cool bike racks!

CMW alumni! Want to join the staff of Community MusicWorks for a two-year Fellowship Program working in the new building at 1326 Westminster Street? Interested in gaining experience and skills in multiple aspects of teaching artistry, youth development, creative practice, arts administration, and community engagement that could become a pathway to future work? We’d love to hear from you!

Find more info here:
https://communitymusicworks.org/jobs/

Got questions?
[email protected]

Photo by Rebecca Atwood

Super-cute alert! Mark your calendars for one week from today, when the students of CMW’s Daily Orchestra Program will premiere “Animal Songs” on our YouTube channel. There will be music, pets, and shenanigans, all to promote donations to the RI Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Don’t miss it!

Animal Songs
Tuesday, May 28 at 6 pm
www.YouTube.com/communitymusicworks

RI Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Reena Week continues! Lunch with composer Reena Esmail included a lovely conversation about her process of composing music, her ongoing work with young musicians, and her interest in bringing together musical groups from different genres, playing levels, and musical cultures.

Join us Friday for the End-of-Year Student Gala at the new Lindemann Performing Arts Center at Brown University. This celebratory event as CMW students take the stage with the MusicWorks Collective and special guests, including world-renowned tabla player, Nitin Mitta.

The event’s musical centerpiece, Reena’s composition Concerto for You, is scored for a professional violinist to play with a youth string orchestra, and our very own CMW Resident Musician violinist Minna Choi will perform as the featured soloist. Reena’s compositions combine influences from western classical and Hindustani or Indian classical music, so, we’re pleased to feature master tabla player Nitin Mitta, who’ll lay down percussion with our student ensembles and perform a sure-to-be-stunning percussion solo.

Come on down and cheer on our young musicians, enjoy the fabulous venue, and stay for the delicious buffet! We look forward to seeing you there.

CMW End-of-Year Student Gala
Friday, May 17 at 6 pm
Lindemann Performing Arts Center
Admission is free
Make your reservation here: https://bit.ly/ESMAIL
or on our website: www.communitymusicworks.org

Many thanks to our friends at the Brown Arts Institute for making this event possible.

Composer Reena Esmail arrived to CMW yesterday and was greeted by the full staff for lunch and introductions, followed by an epic rehearsal for Friday’s Gala.

Join us Friday for the End-of-Year Student Gala at the new Lindemann Performing Arts Center at Brown University a this celebratory event as CMW students take the stage with the MusicWorks Collective and special guests, including world-renowned tabla player, Nitin Mitta.

The event’s musical centerpiece, Reena’s composition Concerto for You, is scored for a professional violinist to play with a youth string orchestra, and our very own CMW Resident Musician violinist Minna Choi will perform as the featured soloist. Reena’s compositions combine influences from western classical and Hindustani or Indian classical music, so, we’re pleased to feature master tabla player Nitin Mitta, who’ll lay down percussion with our student ensembles and perform a sure-to-be-stunning percussion solo.

Come on down and cheer on our young musicians, enjoy the fabulous venue, and stay for the delicious buffet! We look forward to seeing you there.


CMW End-of-Year Student Gala
Friday, May 17 at 6 pm
Lindemann Performing Arts Center
Admission is free
Make your reservation here: https://bit.ly/ESMAIL
or on our website: www.communitymusicworks.org

Many thanks to our friends at the Brown Arts Institute for making this event possible.

THIS WEEK, we’re excited to welcome composer Reena Esmail to Providence for a week-long residency at CMW! Reena will work with students and the MusicWorks Collective in a series of rehearsals and workshops, and engage in a lunchtime conversation, with her visit culminating in a large ensemble performance at the annual End-of-Year Student Gala.

Wednesday, May 15: Lunch and Conversation with Composer Reena Esmail. Want to learn more about our guest resident composer? Don’t miss this chance to join us for a conversation and lunch with Reena Esmail, where you can ask the composer questions, hear more about her work, and enjoy refreshments. Lunch will be served!

Wednesday, May 15 at noon
Southside Cultural Center
Admission is free; Make your reservation: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-and-lunch-with-composer-reena-esmail-tickets-897551359277?aff=oddtdtcreator

Friday, May 17: End-of-Year Student Gala.
Join us for a large ensemble performance where the event’s musical centerpiece, Reena’s composition Concerto for You, is scored for a professional violinist to play with a youth string orchestra, and our very own CMW Resident Musician violinist Minna Choi will perform as the featured soloist. Reena’s compositions combine influences from western classical and Hindustani or Indian classical music, so, we’re pleased to feature master tabla player Nitin Mitta, who’ll lay down percussion with our student ensembles and perform a sure-to-be-stunning percussion solo.

Join us at the new Lindemann Performing Arts Center at Brown University for this celebratory event as CMW beginner to graduating students take the stage with the MusicWorks Collective and special guests. Cheer on our young musicians, enjoy the fabulous venue, and stay for the delicious buffet! We look forward to seeing you there.

CMW End-of-Year Student Gala
Friday, May 17 at 6 pm
Lindemann Performing Arts Center
146 Angell Street, Providence

Admission is free; Make your reservation:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/end-of-year-student-gala-tickets-899305957327?aff=oddtdtcreator

Nitin Mitta

Tonight at Bell Street, 6 pm, join us in honoring our graduates as they make their farewell to CMW!

Say hello to one of our graduates, Dayana! Dayana has been a violin and viola student with CMW for 13 years, participates in Phase II and serves on the CMW board and student council. She was also a featured narrator in video updates on the CMW Center building project. This fall, Dayana will attend Smith College in Northhampton, MA, to study sociology and possibly economics. Her favorite CMW memory “has to be seeing my brother [cellist Federico, CMW class of 2015] performing his senior recital.”

Friday’s program features tributes, performances by the graduates, Youth Alliance, and the Phase II Orchestra, along with cheers, tears, hugs, and high-fives.

Join us!

Senior Recitals
Friday, May 10 at 6 pm
Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence

Admission is free; No reservations necessary

Photos by and

This year’s cohort of CMW graduates marks an important milestone: every one of our seniors was an early participant in our Daily Orchestra Program and grew within the organization into the wonderful young musicians (and amazing people) they are today. We are grateful to the amazing and wonderful parents and teachers who supported them along the way.

Meet our graduate, DANIEL! Daniel joined CMW in 2013 as a quiet member of the delightfully chatty Daily Orchestra Program cello section, and stated that he hoped to write a symphony one day! Daniel says he will miss seeing friends and people he’s known at CMW all these years, and “will miss the accomplishment I felt after the concerts.” Daniel will study business at the Community College of Rhode Island.

FRIDAY at Bell Street, 6 pm, join us in honoring our graduates as they make their farewell to CMW! The program features tributes, performances by the graduates, Youth Alliance, and the Phase II Orchestra, along with cheers, tears, hugs, and high-fives.

Join us!

Senior Recitals
Friday, May 10 at 6 pm
Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence

Admission is free; No reservations necessary

Photos by and

This year’s cohort of CMW graduates marks an important milestone: every one of our seniors was an early participant in our Daily Orchestra Program and grew within the organization into the wonderful young musicians (and amazing people) they are today. We are grateful to the parents and teachers who supported them along the way.

Say hello to one of our graduates, MELANIE! Melanie has been playing the cello with CMW for 13 years. Next year she’ll be studying nursing at the Community College of Rhode Island, where she plans to specialize in pediatric oncology. Her favorite CMW memory is the Fantasía concert at John Hope Settlement House, where she performed the song “El Grillito” with the Daily Orchestra Program.

FRIDAY at Bell Street, 6 pm, join us in honoring our graduates as they make their farewell to CMW! The program features tributes, performances by the graduates, Youth Alliance, and the Phase II Orchestra, along with cheers, tears, hugs, and high-fives.

Senior Recitals
Friday, May 10 at 6 pm
Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence

Admission is free; No reservations necessary

We’re excited to welcome composer Reena Esmail to Providence for a week-long residency at CMW! Reena will work with students and the MusicWorks Collective in a series of rehearsals and workshops, and her visit culminates in a large ensemble performance at the annual End-of-Year Student Gala. Join us!

The event’s musical centerpiece, Reena’s composition Concerto for You, is scored for a professional violinist to play with a youth string orchestra, and our very own CMW Resident Musician violinist Minna Choi will perform as the featured soloist. Reena’s compositions combine influences from western classical and Hindustani or Indian classical music, so, we’re pleased to feature master tabla player Nitin Mitta, who’ll lay down percussion with our student ensembles and perform a sure-to-be-stunning percussion solo.

Join us at the new Lindemann Performing Arts Center at Brown University for this celebratory event as CMW beginner to graduating students take the stage with the MusicWorks Collective and special guests. Cheer on our young musicians, enjoy the fabulous venue, and stay for the delicious buffet! We look forward to seeing you there.


CMW End-of-Year Student Gala
Friday, May 17 at 6 pm
Lindemann Performing Arts Center
Admission is free
Make your reservation here: https://bit.ly/ESMAIL

Many thanks to our friends at the Brown Arts Institute for making this event possible.

FRIDAY at Bell Street, 6 pm, join us in honoring our graduates as they make their farewell to CMW!

Say hello to one of our graduates, Felipe! Felipe has been a violin student at CMW for 12 years and participates in Phase II. His favorite CMW memory is a summer session at Camp Ogontz in New Hampshire where he “enjoyed meeting new people from around New England.” Felipe has two good choices for college and, when he decides, will pursue either computer science or biomedical engineering. What will he miss about CMW? “The people and the community, because CMW is a very supportive place.”

Friday’s program features tributes, performances by the graduates, Youth Alliance, and the Phase II Orchestra, along with cheers, tears, hugs, and high-fives.

Join us!

Senior Recitals
Friday, May 10 at 6 pm
Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence

Admission is free; No reservations necessary

FRIDAY at Bell Street, 6 pm, join us in honoring our graduates as they make their farewell to CMW! Say hello to one of our seniors, ALYSSA! Alyssa has been a violin student at CMW for 12 years. She also serves on the CMW board and student council. Her favorite memories center on Phase II, especially the 2023 Youth Salon, which presented a study of the school systems in Providence and abroad, and featured discussion about social change at different levels of the educational system. Alyssa will attend Bryn Mawr College in the fall.

Friday’s program features tributes, performances by the graduates, Youth Alliance, and the Phase II Orchestra, along with cheers, tears, hugs, and high-fives.

Join us!

CMW Senior Recitals
Friday, May 10 at 6 pm
Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence

Admission is free; No reservations necessary

Rehearsals are in progress for the End-of-Year Student Gala and it’s going to be amazing! Composer Reena Esmail guests, tabla virtuoso Nitin Mitta accompanies students and performs a solo, and Resident Musician Minna Choi is featured violinist in a large ensemble performance with the students. OH. And there’s a buffet afterward!

What are you waiting for? Make your reservation here: https://bit.ly/ESMAIL

End-of-Year Student Gala
Friday, May 17 at 6 pm
Lindemann Performing Arts Center
Admission is free; Reserve your seat here: https://bit.ly/ESMAIL

Photos by