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Mike Block

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Mike Block
Mike Block plays the cello
Mike Block plays the cello
Background information
Birth nameMichael Glen Block
Born (1982-05-25) May 25, 1982 (age 42)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
GenresClassical, folk, jazz, bluegrass, rock, pop
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger
Instrument(s)Cello, voice
Years active2006–present
Websitemikeblockmusic.com

Michael Glen Block (born May 25, 1982) is an American cellist, singer, composer, and arranger.[1]

Career

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Block has played second cello alongside Yo-Yo Ma.[2] He also performed in Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz trio for three years.[3] Block has also performed with Bobby McFerrin, Lenny Kravitz, Shakira, The National, Joe Zawinul, Alison Krauss, and Rachel Barton Pine.[4] Block plays with the Silk Road Ensemble.[5] Block has served as musical director for Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Lil' Buck Sinegal, Bill Irwin, Marcus Printup, The Silk Road Ensemble, and The Knights.

Block is the leader of the Mike Block Trio alongside Joe K. Walsh mandolin/vocals and Zachariah Hickman bass/vocals. Most recently, their album What Now? was released on Bright Shiny Things records in 2022.[6]

Block plays regularly as part of a duo with Indian tabla player Sandeep Das. In 2022, they released their debut album Where the Soul Never Dies on the Bright Shiny Things record label.[7]

Alongside balafon player Balla Kouyaté, Block is a member of Djékady. The project "puts Malian music into conversation with American folk music and contemporary styles".[8] Along with Block and Kouyaté, the band consists of Sekou Dembele, Idrissa Koné, Luke Okerlund, and Mike Rivard.

Since 2022, Block has been a member of Biribá Union along with Christylez Bacon and Patricia Ligia. The trio originally met at Silkroad's Global Musician Workshop. Their music is a blend of "Brazilian beats, bluegrass, jazz, classical, hip-hop, funk, and pop."[9] Their debut album will be released on the Bright Shiny Things label in 2025.[10]

Teaching

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In 2012, Block was appointed Associate Professor of Music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.[11] In 2018, Block joined the faculty of New England Conservatory[12] He has presented at Stanford University, Princeton University, Harvard University, New York University, Berklee College of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Belmont University, Southern Methodist University, Sam Houston State University, Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, and University of Arkansas.

In 2006, he received Suzuki method certification in music education from the New York City-based School for Strings, under Pamela Devenport.[13]

From 2009 to 2012, he was the Lead Teaching Artist for Silk Road Connect, a partnership between Silkroad and schools in New York City and Boston.[14]

In June 2024, Block, alongside his wife Hanneke Cassel, designed and taught an artist's retreat called "Insight/Onsight: A Creative Retreat" at Fallingwater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Mill Run, Pennsylvania for the first time. Musicians over 18 of any instrument can apply to be selected for the program which will run each June for one week. The program consists of different types of sessions, both instructor led and independent, which are all "inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's philosophy of 'learning by doing'".[15]

Block has been teaching cello online in partnership with ArtistWorks since 2015.[16]

Mike Block String Camp

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In 2009 Block founded the Mike Block String Camp (MBSC) in Vero Beach, Florida. Teachers provide instruction in multiple traditions, develop improvisational skills, and coach student bands to prepare for performances.[17]

Products

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In 2015, Block patented the Block Cello Strap[18] which is described as "the first product designed so you can stand & move while playing the cello comfortably with standard technique".

In early 2024, Block joined the company of Forte 3D Cello as Chief Operating Officer & Musical Instrument Consultant.[19] The company manufactures "cellos with bodies and necks made with cutting-edge 3D printing technology using high-strength carbon fiber and polymers, combined with traditional material components like wooden bridges and sound posts, ebony fingerboards, and standard tailpieces, endpins, and tuning pegs."[20].

Play for the Vote

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In 2020, Mike founded Play Vote the Vote, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization "dedicated to amplifying voter turnout and civic engagement through the transformative power of live music."[21] The initiative aims to "make voting a more positive experience for everyone, using the power of music to build community and amplify voter turnout."[22] Musicians of any age, background, or style can sign up to play at their local polling location.

Other work

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From 2011–2012, he was the Artistic Director and host of GALA Brooklyn: "Global Art - Local Art:", a Music Festival in Brooklyn.[23] Block started the Vero Beach International Music Festival in 2014, which features performances by students and faculty of the Mike Block String Camp.[24] He has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, National Public Radio's St. Paul Sunday, Regis and Kelly, VH1, the Disney Channel, WNBC-TV with Chuck Scarborough, and the CBS Early Show. He worked with director Yaron Zilberman as a music consultant for A Late Quartet, a 2011 movie starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken.

Education

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Block attended Cleveland Institute of Music (B.M. 2004)[25] and The Juilliard School (M.M. 2006).[26]

Personal life

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In January 2014, Block married fiddler and composer Hanneke Cassel. He currently lives in Boston with his wife and daughter.

Block was struck by a Manhattan taxi in 2009, with injuries that required multiple surgeries.

Collaborations

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  • Mike Block's Biribá Union with Christylez Bacon and Patricia Ligia[27]
  • Mike Block Trio with Joe K. Walsh and Zachariah Hickman[28]
  • Darol Anger's Republic of Strings[29]
  • Djékady (feat. Balla Kouyaté and Mike Block)[30]
  • Duo with Hanneke Cassel, Celtic fiddler[31]
  • Duo with Sandeep Das, Indian tabla player[32]
  • Duo with Balla Kouyate, balafon player from Mali[33]
  • Duo with Rachel Barton Pine, classical violinist[34]
  • Duo with Clay Ross, guitarist and singer[35]
  • Duo with Yang Wei, Chinese pipa player[36]
  • Duo with Derek Gripper, South African guitarist[37]

Discography

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With Rez Abbasi

References

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  1. ^ "Cellist & Composer Mike Block Reinvents Concert Series at Brooklyn Lyceum". BroadwayWorld.com. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Yo-Yo Ma, Mike Block, Monica Leskovar & Boston Cello Quartet".
  3. ^ "Grammy-Winning Violinist Mark O'Connor and His Appalachia Waltz Trio Perform in Studio". KPBS. 31 July 2008.
  4. ^ Battaglia, Andy (May 6, 2011). "A Brooklyn Buffet: Local Cellist Launches New Music Fest". Wall St Journal.
  5. ^ "Mike Block- The Silk Road Project". Silk Road Project.
  6. ^ "Bright Shiny Things-What Now?". Bright Shiny Things.
  7. ^ "Tabla player Sandeep Das and cellist Mike Block collaborate on new album". The Vinyl Factory.
  8. ^ "Djekady (feat. Balla Kouyate and Mike Block". Jayme Stone.
  9. ^ "Biriba Union". Life in the Finger Lakes. 16 April 2024.
  10. ^ Jayme Stone. "Biriba Union". Jayme Stone.
  11. ^ "Berklee - Mike Block". Berklee.
  12. ^ "Mike Block- NEC". New England Conservatory.
  13. ^ "Guest Artist: Mike Block, Cello/Composer; Katherine Lewis, Viola".
  14. ^ "Silk Road Connect". Silk Road Project. Archived from the original on 2013-03-06.
  15. ^ "Insight/Onsite: A Creative Music Retreat Directed by Mike Block". Fallingwater.
  16. ^ "ArtistWorks Engages Esteemed Cellist for Multi-Style Cello Online Teaching". Businesswire.com. August 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "Mike Block String camp". Mike Block.
  18. ^ "The Block Strap". The Block Strap.
  19. ^ "Introducing Forte3D:the world's first 3D-printed carbon fiber Cello". 24 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Forte3d: About". Forte3d Cello.
  21. ^ "Play for the Vote -About".
  22. ^ "Mike Block's 'Play for the Vote' calls for musicians to perform at polling locations on US Election Day". The Strad.
  23. ^ "Streisand shows a hot ticket" (PDF). Brooklyn Paper.
  24. ^ Willi Miller. "Free student concerts and seasoned musicians to entertain you in Vero Beach". TCPalm.
  25. ^ "Perspectives- Mike Block and Balla Kouyate". Cleveland Institute of Music.
  26. ^ "Alumni Q&A with Mike Block". Julliard School.
  27. ^ "Biribá Union". Jayme Stone.
  28. ^ "Mike Block Trio feat. Joe Walsh and Zachariah Hickman". Portland Downtown. 10 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Royal Artist Group- Darol Anger". Royal Artist Group.
  30. ^ "Djékady (Feat. Balla Kouyaté & Mike Block)". Jayme Stone.
  31. ^ "Musical Performance by Mike Block and Hanneke Cassel". Fallingwater.
  32. ^ "Video Premiere: "Fight or Flight" by Sandeep Das and Mike Block". I Care if You Listen. 11 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Celebrity Series: Mike Block and Balla Kouyate Perform for Students". Boston Arts Academy. 4 January 2023.
  34. ^ "Heavy Metal Metallica for Violin and Cello". The Violin Channel. 30 January 2017.
  35. ^ "Mike Block and Clay Ross Pride of America Duo". Do617.
  36. ^ "Block ends area tour with concert in Kemp Hall". The Vidette. 25 February 2009.
  37. ^ "Program: Derek Gripper & Mike Block". Global Arts. 29 September 2022.
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