Sebastian Ruth is an American violinist, violist, and music educator, and a 2010 MacArthur Fellow, receiving the award for "forging a new, multifaceted role beyond the concert hall for the twenty-first-century musician." He is the founder of Community MusicWorks in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, which works with young people in Providence neighborhoods “teaching them how to play string instruments". In 2010, the program had 115 students, 51% Latino and 16% African-American. Ruth's concept for Community MusicWorks "is to be as intrinsic to the fabric of a community as a clinic, library or church." Accordingly, the group "provides its students – who range from elementary to high school – with a long-term instrument loan, mentoring relationships with teachers, as well as opportunities through workshops and field trips." Ruth is a 1997 graduate of Brown University and a faculty member at the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a join ...

. He also received a 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from Michelle Obama. In 2012, ''Strings Magazine'' listed him as among "the 25 most influential people in the string music world".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruth, Sebastian Yale School of Music faculty MacArthur Fellows Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island Brown University alumni