Strings Magazine

“Mike Block suggests that the activist impulse in cellists starts with their shifting musical roles. “We are often supportive, and we are often leading,” he says. “That sensitivity develops as a kind of awareness among people who have spent their lives studying the cello.”

“Block has spearheaded his own charitable projects, including the nonpartisan group Play for the Vote, which organizes live music outside of polling places on election days. For the 2020 election, some 1,500 musicians performed at polls in 48 states. The goal is to make election days less stressful as voters wait to cast their ballots. “In a perfect world, every voter in America would know that if there is going to be a line to vote, they’ll have live music to entertain them while they’re there,” he says.