Community MusicWorks

10/07/2026

Each month, WPRI 12 and Somerset Federal Credit Union highlight the people and organizations making a difference in our community through their "12 Gives Back" series. This month, Community MusicWorks was honored, and CMW staff members Adrienne Taylor and AlexisMarie Nelson joined Melissa Sardelli to talk about CMW’s programs, mission, and impact.

Our thanks to WPRI and Somerset Federal Credit Union for shining a light on CMW and the work we do!

This month, 12 Gives Back is recognizing Providence’s Community MusicWorks.

10/04/2026

Join us Thursday for the first of the series featuring these amazing and wonderful musicians! Guest pianist Andrei Baumann joins violinist Irene Guerra-Rudas and cellist Adrienne Taylor for an evening of intimate and expressive music. The program opens with Irene and Andrei in a set of evocative shorter works, including Libby Larsen’s Blue Piece, Antonio Maria Valencia’s Canción de Cuna, and Lili Boulanger’s Deux Morceaux for violin and piano. Adrienne and Andrei then join together for Sergei Rachmaninov’s sweeping and passionate Sonata for Cello and Piano, bringing the program to a powerful conclusion.

Sonata Series Event #1
Thursday, October 8, 7 pm
The CMW Center
1326 Westminster Street, Providence

Reserve your seat: www.communitymusicworks.org

Irene Guerra Rudas
Photos by Atomic Clock Photography and courtesy of Andrei Baumann

08/25/2026

This Saturday afternoon, the MusicWorks Collective opens the season with a program exploring identity, place, and belonging through music that draws on diverse cultural traditions and lived experience.

The concert begins with Angelica Negrón’s Marejada, a shimmering quartet woven together with recorded sounds from her native Puerto Rico, before turning to Jarod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Pisachi (Reveal), a work inspired by Pueblo and Hopi musical traditions and the composer’s vision for an American Indian classical music. The program concludes with Anthony Green’s Earned, commissioned by CMW in 2009. Centered on the U.S. naturalization process, the work pairs questions from the citizenship exam with musical quotations from cultures around the world, inviting reflection on immigration, identity, and what it means to belong. Storyteller Rochel Coleman joins the ensemble as narrator, giving voice to the questions at the heart of this powerful work.

The MusicWorks Collective Season 30 Opening Concert
Saturday, August 29, 3 pm
The CMW Center
Reserve your seat at www.communitymusicworks.org

Photo by Atomic Clock Photography

Atomic Clock Photography Rebecca Atwood

08/24/2026

Hey cool cats! Here’s a snippet of Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther for your Monday groove, courtesy of our CMW summer campers. Mroooow!

08/10/2026

“Music is all I think about. From the moment I wake up in the morning...to the moment I fall asleep at night. I was born to play. It’s my reason for living.”
-Joe Garner

Community MusicWorks and Providence Movie Club present Movie Night featuring Soul!

Disney’s Pixar hit film Soul features Joe Garner, a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz, but when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

CMW Movie Night: Soul�
�Thursday, August 13 at 7 pm�
�The CMW Center
1326 Westminster Street, Providence

Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. �
�All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Providence Movie Club Pixar

08/03/2026

Need a mid-summer rain day boost? Relive one of the most joyful moments from our End-of-Year Student Gala with this uplifting performance of Bill Withers’ pop hit Lean on Me. Featuring CMW students and friends, the performance also marks the spirited stage debut of the CMW Singers, our community chorus led by music educator Kimani Lumsden.

Video by Atomic clock

06/01/2026

It was fitting that the first piece performed by CMW students at last week’s Student Gala was Brian Balmages’s “Hall of Heroes.” This spirited fanfare set the stage for an evening celebrating CMW’s own hall of heroes: students, families, teachers, staff, supporters, mentors, and friends. Together, they form the community that makes the organization’s work possible and helps it thrive every day.

The evening featured the debut of the CMW Singers, a group of community members who joined the full student orchestra for a moving performance of Bill Withers’s “Lean on Me.” Other highlights included Musical Leadership students Gabriella and Abigail conducting movements performed by an ensemble of Daily Orchestra and Youth Alliance musicians, as well as a memorable duet featuring graduating Alumni Fellow Andrew Oung on violin and cello student Mariam.

The Gala was filled with outstanding musical performances, heartfelt moments of recognition, and a packed house of proud family members, friends, and supporters. It was a joyful celebration of the people, especially our students, whose dedication, creativity, and spirit make the CMW community so extraordinary. Truly heroic!

Photos by

05/14/2026

CMW and MusicWorks Network organizations alumni:

Interested in gaining experience and skills in multiple aspects of teaching artistry, youth development, creative practice, arts administration, and community engagement that could become a pathway to future work?

We’d love to hear from you! Apply now to join the staff of Community MusicWorks for a two-year Fellowship Program!

Learn more at www.communitymusicworks.org/jobs/



Photo by

05/13/2026

Graduating violinists Yeibin, Gabriel, and Nathan (who recruited his entire family to accompany him!) performed for an enthusiastic audience at last week’s Senior Recital. Each student received heartfelt remarks from their teacher, Walter Muelling, along with warm wishes from the family and friends gathered to celebrate them.

And, a special tribute to their peers, members of Phase II dressed as Yeibin and Gabe, completing the look with mustaches.

Over their 7–9 years at CMW, the three musicians grew not only as performers but also as leaders within the community. Yeibin, Gabriel, and Nathan each reflected on the strong sense of connection they found through performances, shared experiences, and lasting friendships.

Yeibin especially treasures memories of the All-Student Gala and plans to attend Rhode Island College to study marketing, with hopes of starting his own business.

Gabriel, who says he will miss spending time in CMW’s new building, will attend Community College of Rhode Island to study business.

Nathan fondly recalls hosting this year’s Youth Salon with his fellow Phase II students and takes pride in the confidence he has gained as a musician. He plans to study civil engineering at the Community College of Rhode Island before transferring to the University of Rhode Island, while also pursuing volunteer firefighting.

Congratulations to Yeibin, Gabriel, and Nathan!

Photos by Liz Cox, Lisa Sailer, and Sebastian Ruth.

05/08/2026

Ever wonder what the inside of a cello looks like?

In the lower-level shop at the CMW Center, in-house luthier Erik Talley repairs and maintains more than 250 violins, violas, and cellos for Community MusicWorks students. From gluing open seams and repairing cracks to adjusting sound posts and keeping pegs turning smoothly, Erik helps keep every instrument lesson-ready. He also works with students, teaching them the basics of instrument care and repair. And if you’ve attended a concert at the CMW Center, you may have spotted him in the Performance Hall tech booth, running lights and sound behind the scenes.

Discover the shop, watch Erik repair a cello, and hear more about his work and story. Then stop by the tech booth at our next concert and say hello!

Video by Atomic Clock

Music:
Barcarolla from Sonata for viola and piano (1862)
Henri Vieuxtemps (1820 - 1881)
Sebastian Ruth, viola
Ivan Tan, piano

Check out our concert calendar here:
https://communitymusicworks.org/events-calendar/