When the Birds Sing Along in the Morning
MIKE BLOCK FEATURING Yo-Yo MA
Single Release Date: October 21, 2022
Yo-Yo Ma has been a long-time mentor and friend, as I have had the honor of performing in the Silkroad Ensemble since 2005, which he founded. He was generous enough to agree to learn a special "solo feature" cello part I composed especially for him to play as part of my original song, "When the Birds Sing Along in the Morning". This song was inspired by the life and values of the legendary 20th-Century cellist Pablo Casals, and Yo-Yo could be seen as the current torch-bearer for Casals' legacy as today's most famous cellist/humanitarian. To be able to feature him in this tribute is really a dream come true!
Photo Credit: Anita Zvonar
ABOUT MIKE BLOCK:
Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, hailed by Yo- Yo Ma as the "ideal musician of the 21st-Century". Passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music, Mike is committed to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. At home in a wide range of musical styles, through a multi-genre approach to composition, performance and education, he seeks to inspire audiences and empower musicians to find joy in the full world of music. Acclaimed by the NY Times for his "vital rich-hued solo playing", Block's solo performances offer a rich mixture of core classical repertoire with original compositions. Mike is member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble (SRE), having joined in 2005 while a student at The Juilliard School. Touring extensively throughout the world with SRE, he has been featured as cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album, Sing Me Home. As an innovator, Mike is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap in order to stand and move while playing. With The Block Strap, Mike was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall. The NY Times characterized the performance as, "Breathless ... Half dance, half dare." As an educator, Mike is passionate about creativity and collaboration, and is the founding director of Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, and the Mike Block String Camp.
ORDER
Machines that Fly
The album will be immediately digitally delivered via email on October 21, 2022