Main Week is July 4-9, and the Extension for Advanced Players is July 11-15. We are also debuting the *NEW* Florida Band Incubator (F.B.I.) July 11-15 for pre-formed groups to receive artistic and professional guidance from our world class faculty. More information at www.MikeBlockStringCamp.com.
Read MoreI spent five months planning the curriculums in multiple styles (Bluegrass, Jazz, Classical), with a comprehensive Beginner Multi-Style curriculum, and a boat load of Intermediate/Advanced Technique videos. We even have a section on Rhythmic Playing, Chopping and Singing-while-Playing! I spent 9 LONG days in the studio making this extensive Library, and even got Rushad Eggleston and Jeremy Kittel to join me for a day to record performance versions of most of what I taught. If all that wasnt enough, the coolest part about ArtistWorks is that I can do 1-on-1 Video Exchanges with my students to still give personalized feedback, and form a close relationship over the long run. If you, or someone you love, is a cellist, come check it out!!
Read MoreSo I have been working on the design for 2 years, and now The Block Strap is finally available for Pre-Orders, expected to be shipped by May 1st!
Read MoreEver since I started using the strap, I randomly walk around my house while practicing and inevitably end up playing Bach Suites in the bathroom, where the acoustics are resonant. So, I decided to start doing the same thing back stage while on tour with the Silk Road Ensemble, and I brought a video camera so I can share this beautiful music with the world the way I hear it! :) Click here to visit BachInTheBathroom.com.
Read MoreYo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble were featured in three subscription concerts by the NYPhil in Lincoln Center - the NY Times review featured an incredible picture of ME standing next to Yo-Yo!!?? What the what? :) Click here to read full review.
Read MoreAt the end of a week long residency Feb 8-12 with the Peoria Symphony in Illinois, I was featured on the hour long WTVP show "SoundBites", playing music from my solo show. Not sure when it will air yet ....
Read MoreYo-Yo Ma asked me to direct a new world-music summer program on behalf of Silkroad, and we are currently accepting Applications! The dates are June 8-12, 2015, and the faculty includes Yo-Yo Ma, Sarah Jarosz (American Folk), Sandeep Das (Indian Tabla), Hadi Eldebeck (Arabic Oud), Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese Flute), Shane Shanahan (world percussion), and myself! Click here to visit GlobalMusicianWorkshop.com.
Read MoreA cover of "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit. Click here to watch video.
Read MoreOur 1st Annual Festival will feature some incredible musicians from Bluegrass, Celtic, Latin, Rock, Jazz, and World Music styles, as a day-long finale to the Mike Block String Camp.
Read MoreDuring our last class of the semester, my student ensemble made two fun videos to share: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams and "This Must be the Place" by Talking Heads.
Read MoreOur new SONY album, A Playlist without Borders, by the Silk Road Ensemble, is number ONE, and has been streamed over 250,000 times on Spotify! The album opens with a duet I recorded with tabla player Sandeep Das, and also includes a cello solo performed by Yo-Yo Ma that I MAY, or may not, have written for him while on my lunch break at Berklee .... not telling ;)
Read MoreCelebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Silk Road Ensemble, the NY Times review singled Mike out with the following review of the concert: “The breathless duet by his [Yo-Yo Ma’s] solo cellist Mike Block with the tabla player Sandeep Das … was another highlight of the evening. Half Dance, half dare, it exemplified much of the interaction between the musicians, which turns any performance into a visual spectacle.”
Read MoreFaculty and dates have been announced for this new camp I’m directing at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music this summer - August 12-17! Check out the website for details.
Read MoreI played cello in a string octet backing up "Jenna" in the Series Finale, aired 1/31/13. Goodbye Liz Lemon!
Read MoreNow with three locations in Vero Beach, Florida - Saline, Michigan - Portland, Maine!! Visit MikeBlockStringCamp.com for more.
Read MoreIf you ever dreamed of watching Christopher Walken pretend to play the cello, than THIS is your chance!!
Read Moreand other chamber music at the Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival in NY state - I did a short radio interview that you can listen to here.
at the WWW Conference, founded by Richard Saul Wurman, the founder of TED. Check out my Facebook page for pics!
Read MoreAppointed Associated Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts! Berklee is the most famous school for college-level education in non-classical styles. I will be a Visiting Professor in Fall 2012, and start teaching a full cello studio in Spring 2013.
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