Ensemble Connect Up Close: Sangam, A Confluence of Musical Rivers

• Sandeep Das, tabla & voice
• Mike Block, tabla & voice

Sandeep Das and Mike Block have collaborated for more than 15 years to bring different worlds of music together so that they seamlessly flow as one. In this concert, through improvisation and the tradition of learning music aurally, they collaborate with members of Ensemble Connect to achieve a sangam, a confluence of different musical ideas that join like tributaries to form a mighty river of music. The repertoire includes original compositions; traditional music from India, Nepal, and Greece; and adaptations of contemporary music from Finland, Norway, and the US.

About Ensemble Connect

Ensemble Connect is a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. This two-year fellowship program prepares extraordinary young professional classical musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Ensemble Connect offers top-quality performance opportunities, intensive professional development, and the opportunity to partner with a New York City public school throughout the fellowship.

About Sandeep Das, tabla & voice

https://www.sandeepdas.com/

About Mike Block, tabla & voice

Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music, and committed to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. Acclaimed by The New York Times for his "vital rich-hued solo playing," and "a true artist... a sight to behold" (Salt Lake City Desert News), Mike Block "is one of the bravest, most intriguing musicians on the American fusion scene." (Gramophone). Mike's solo show offers a rich mixture of classical repertoire, folk music, original compositions, and songs. Collaborative projects include a duo with Indian tabla player Sandeep Das, a 6-piece American/African fusion band co-led with Malian balafon player Balla Kouyate, and the Mike Block Trio, featuring Joe K. Walsh (mandolin) and Zachariah Hickman (bass). Since 2005, Mike has been a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, with which he has been featured as a cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album Sing Me Home. Mike has been invited to perform as a concerto soloist with the Illinois Symphony, The Knights, China National Philharmonic (Beijing), Shanghai Symphony and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated in performances and/or recordings with Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, Bon Iver, Will.i.am, The National, The New York Philharmonic, Bobby McFerrin, Allison Krauss, Rhiannon Giddens, Mark O'Connor, Rachel Barton Pine, Edgar Meyer, Julian Lage, and many others.