Bio
Mike Block is a Grammy® winning multi-style cellist, composer, singer, and educator with a passion for cross-cultural collaborations. Hailed as “one of the bravest, most intriguing musicians on the American fusion scene” by Gramophone, he was acclaimed by the New York Times for his "vital rich-hued solo playing.” In addition to his solo performances, Mike Block’s touring bands include Biribá Union, with Christylez Bacon (beatbox/guitar/rhymes) & Patricia Ligia (electric bass), the Mike Block Trio, with Joe K. Walsh (mandolin/vocals) & Zachariah Hickman (bass/vocals), a duo with Indian tabla player Sandeep Das, and an American/African fusion band co-led with Malian balafon player Balla Kouyaté. Since 2005, Mike has been a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma, with which he has been featured as a cellist and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a 2017 Grammy® Award for Best Global Music Album.
As a recording artist, Mike has released 20 albums of his own music that regularly chart near the top of multiple Billboard categories. Mike is also an in-demand arranger and has contributed to recordings/performances for Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Bobby McFerrin, Metallica, Morrissey, Raffi, The Knights, and many of the world’s finest dancers as Music Director of the Vail Dance Festival. Mike has worked closely with Yo-Yo Ma for many years, and Mr. Ma has commissioned dozens of arrangements from Mike that have been performed on five continents. On Mr. Ma’s recent album, “Notes for the Future”, four of the tracks feature cello parts that Mike composed, and Mike was Music Director of “Sarabande Africane”, Yo-Yo Ma’s collaboration with the legendary West African singer, Angelique Kidjo.
As an educator, Mike is dedicated to creating transformative experiences with an emphasis on creativity, collaboration, and multi-style exploration. Mike is the Founder/Director of multiple annual programs, including the Mike Block String Camp each July in Vero Beach, FL, Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop each August in Boston, MA, and Hangzhou, China, and Insight/Onsite: A Creative Music Retreat each June at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA Mike also teaches over 400 cello students online through his Multi-Style Cello School at ArtistWorks.com and authored the book Contemporary Cello Etudes, published by Berklee Press. Mike served as Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music from 2012 to 2022, and since 2018 has been on the faculty of the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA.
As an innovator, Mike was among the first wave of cellists to use a strap to stand and move while performing. Using his own patented design, The Block Strap, Mike was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall, which The New York Times characterized as "breathless ... half dance, half dare." In 2020, Mike founded Play For The Vote, which organizes musical performances at polling locations across the country on Election Days, with the goal of increasing voter turnout by providing a more positive voting experience. Mike is also the Chief Musical Advisor for Forte3D, creator of the world’s first 3D-printed carbon fiber cello.
SHORT BIO (250 Words):
Mike Block is a multi-style cello player, composer, singer, and educator, with a passion for cross-cultural collaborations. Hailed as “one of the bravest, most intriguing musicians on the American fusion scene” (Gramophone), he was acclaimed by the New York Times for his "vital rich-hued solo playing”, and “a true artist... a sight to behold” by Salt Lake City Desert News. In addition to solo performances, Mike’s touring bands include Biribá Union, Mike Block Trio, duo with Indian tabla player Sandeep Das, and a West-African fusion band with Balla Kouyaté. Since 2005, Mike has been a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma, with which he earned a 2017 Grammy® Award.
As an innovator, Mike is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap to stand and move while performing using his own patented design, The Block Strap, and is the Musical Instrument Consultant for Forte3D, the world’s first 3D-Printed carbon fiber cello. In 2020, Mike founded Play For The Vote , which organizes musical performances at polling locations across the country on Election Days, with the goal of creating a more positive voting experience.
As an educator, Mike is dedicated to creating transformative experiences, and is the Founder/Director of the Mike Block String Camp in Vero Beach, FL, Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop in Boston, MA, and Hangzhou, China, and teaches over 400 cello students online through his Multi-Style Cello School at ArtistWorks.com. Since 2018, he has been on faculty at the New England Conservatory.
