Silk Road Ensemble Artists

Mike Block
cello (United States)

Mike Block is active in many genres and groups, including his own band for which he sings and composes. In addition to playing in the Silk Road Ensemble, Mike performs regularly with Grammy Award-winning fiddler and composer Mark O'Connor as the cellist in his Appalachia Waltz Trio (classical/folk crossover). Mike is also a member of Kristjan Jarvi's Absolute Ensemble (jazz/world/classical crossover), the Flux Quartet (Avante-Gaurde art music), the Sirius String Quartet (modern improv/crossover), and the Hanneke Cassel Band (celtic fiddle). In New York, Mike performs with ACTION JACKSON (jazz string trio jamming out pop hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today!), the Knights Chamber Ensemble, Argento New Music Ensemble, and the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York. He has also recorded on albums for Lenny Kravitz, Joe Zawinul, The Working Title, Jaymay, and has performed on CBS and VH1 with Teddy Geiger, as well as NPR's St. Paul Sunday Morning with the Appalachia Waltz Trio. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music, Mike's former cello teachers include Richard Aaron, Joel Krosnick, and Darrett Adkins. Mike also trained with Pamela Devenport to become a Suzuki teacher. In the summers, Mike teaches and performs at many festivals, including Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camps in Nahsville and San Diego, and the Kansas City Cello Clinic. Visit his webpage at myspace.com/blockcello.