Michael Glen Block (born May 25, 1982) is an American

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, and

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

Career

Block has played second cello alongside

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

. He also performed in Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz trio for three years. Block has also performed with

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and conductor (music), conductor. His Vocal pedagogy, vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in Pitch (music), pitch—fo ...

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

, The National,

Joe Zawinul Josef Erich Zawinul ( '; 7 July 1932 – 11 September 2007) was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to bec ...

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

, and Rachel Barton Pine. Block plays with the

Silk Road Ensemble Silkroad, formerly the Silk Road Project, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization, initiated by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, promoting collaboration among artists and institutions, promoting multicultural artistic exchange, and studying the ebb and ...

. Block has served as musical director for Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Lil' Buck Sinegal,

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, choreographer, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. ...

Marcus Printup Marcus Edward Printup (born January 24, 1967) is an American jazz trumpeter who attended the University of North Florida Jazz Studies program and went on to work with Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and Tim H ...

, The Silk Road Ensemble, and

The Knights ''The Knights'' ( ''Hippeîs''; Attic: ) was the fourth play written by Aristophanes, who is considered the master of Old Comedy. The play is a satire on the social and political life of classical Athens during the Peloponnesian War, and in thi ...

. Block is the leader of the Mike Block Trio alongside Joe K. Walsh

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

and Zachariah Hickman

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

. Most recently, their album ''What Now?'' was released on Bright Shiny Things records in 2022. Block plays regularly as part of a duo with Indian

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

player Sandeep Das. In 2022, they released their debut album '' Where the Soul Never Dies '' on the Bright Shiny Things record label. Alongside

balafon The balafon (pronounced , or, by analogy with ''xylophone'' etc., ) is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé peoples, Mandé, Bwaba Bobo people, Bobo, Senufo people, Seno ...

player Balla Kouyaté, Block is a member of Djékady. The project "puts Malian music into conversation with American folk music and contemporary styles". 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 The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

's Global Musician Workshop. Their music is a blend of "Brazilian beats, bluegrass, jazz, classical, hip-hop, funk, and pop." Their debut album will be released on the Bright Shiny Things label in 2025.

Teaching

In 2012, Block was appointed Associate Professor of Music at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

in Boston. In 2018, Block joined the faculty of

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

He has presented at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was founded in 1920 by a group of supporters led by Martha Bell Sanders and Mary Hutchens Smith, with Ernest Bloch serving as its first dire ...

Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Bloomington, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856. History The in ...

, and

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. In 2006, he received

Suzuki method The Suzuki method is a mid-20th-century music curriculum and teaching method created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki. The method claims to create a reinforcing environment for learning music for young learners. Backgroun ...

certification in music education from the New York City-based School for Strings, under Pamela Devenport. From 2009 to 2012, he was the Lead Teaching Artist for Silk Road Connect, a partnership between

and schools in New York City and Boston. In June 2024, Block, alongside his wife

Hanneke Cassel Hanneke Jewel Cassel (born April 14, 1978) is an American folk violinist. She was raised in Oregon and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at Berklee College of Music in 2000. Hanneke is the 1997 United States National Scotti ...

, designed and taught an artist's retreat called "Insight/Onsight: A Creative Retreat" at

Fallingwater Fallingwater is a Historic house museum, house museum in Stewart Township, Pennsylvania, Stewart Township in the Laurel Highlands of Greater Pittsburgh, southwestern Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, i ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site designed by famed architect

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

Mill Run, Pennsylvania There are several streams and communities in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania named Mill Run, including: * Mill Run (Neshannock Creek tributary), in Mercer County * Mill Run (Susquehanna River tributary), in Wyoming County * Mill Run, Blair Count ...

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'". Block has been teaching cello online in partnership with

ArtistWorks ArtistWorks, LLC is an online music learning education platform based out of Napa, CA. ArtistWorks was founded by David and Patricia Butler in 2008. The company developed a proprietary patented system for interacting with teachers based upon online ...

since 2015.

Mike Block String Camp

In 2009 Block founded the Mike Block String Camp (MBSC) in

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...

. Teachers provide instruction in multiple traditions, develop improvisational skills, and coach student bands to prepare for performances.

Products

In 2015, Block patented the Block Cello Strap 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 Forte3D as Chief Operating Officer & Musical Instrument Consultant. 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.".

Play for the Vote

In 2020, Mike founded Play Vote the Vote, a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization "dedicated to amplifying voter turnout and civic engagement through the transformative power of live music." The initiative aims to "make voting a more positive experience for everyone, using the power of music to build community and amplify voter turnout." Musicians of any age, background, or style can sign up to play at their local polling location.

Other work

From 2011–2012, he was the Artistic Director and host of GALA Brooklyn: "Global Art - Local Art:", a Music Festival in Brooklyn. Block started the Vero Beach International Music Festival in 2014, which features performances by students and faculty of the Mike Block String Camp. He has appeared on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'',

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's St. Paul Sunday, ''

Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts sinc ...

'',

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

, the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

WNBC-TV WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City that serves as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo s ...

with Chuck Scarborough, and the CBS ''

Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of ''CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the net ...

''. He worked with director Yaron Zilberman as a music consultant for

A Late Quartet ''A Late Quartet'' (released in Australia as ''Performance'') is a 2012 American drama film directed by Yaron Zilberman and co-written by Zilberman and Seth Grossman. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, M ...

, a 2011 movie starring

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character actor, character roles—eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productio ...

and

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Christopher Walken on stage and screen, His work on stage and screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Christopher Walken, accolades includin ...

Education

Block attended

(B.M. 2004) and

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

(M.M. 2006).

Personal life

In January 2014, Block married fiddler and composer

. 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

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

Discography

*
Words R Words
'' Mike Block Band (2009) *
After the Factory Closes
', Mike Block Band (2010) *
Naïve Melody
'' Triborough Trio (2011) * ''Brick by Brick'' (2012) *
Final Night at Camp
' (2018) *
Echoes of Bach
'' with Shane Shanahan (2018) *
Saturday Morning in Boston
'' with Derek Gripper (2019) *
Walls of Time
' (2019) *
It’s Time to Dance
' (2019) *
13 Shades I 13 Farbtöne
', with Stephan Braun (2019) *
Step into the Void: The Complete Bach Cello Suites
' (2020) *
Guzo
' (2020) *
The Edge of the Atmosphere
' (2020) *
Where the Soul Never Dies
', Sandeep Das & Mike Block Duo (2021) *
Planispheres
' (2021) *
Machines That Fly
' (2022) *
Round and Round; Kids’ Songs for Mixed Ages
'' with Barry Rothman (2022) *
What Now?
', Mike Block Trio (2022) With Rez Abbasi *''

Things to Come ''Things to Come'' is a 1936 British science fiction film produced by Alexander Korda, directed by William Cameron Menzies, and written by H. G. Wells. It is a loose adaptation of Wells' book '' The Shape of Things to Come''. The film stars Ra ...

'' (Sunnyside, 2009)

References

External links

Official website

Mike Block String Camp Official Website

Mike Block
on

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

Mike Block
on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Mike Block
discography at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Mike Block
at

All Music AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the datab ...

Official page
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Mike 1982 births Living people American classical cellists Contemporary classical music performers Juilliard School alumni 21st-century American classical composers Jazz cellists American bluegrass cellists Musicians from New York City 21st-century American musicians American male classical composers Country musicians from New York (state) Classical musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 21st-century American cellists