Michael Dahlberg, cello
Managing Director, Resident Musician
michael@musiconnects.org

Autumn 2012: Greetings!

Hello,

I knew when I joined the Boston Public Quartet that I had found an enormously talented, passionate team of collaborators and a powerful mission. Over this past year, I have grown more invested in not only the educational initiatives of the ensemble but in our families. I now join the effort in a new role as Managing Director for the 2012-2013 academic year with the aim to help secure the longevity of the organization. I would like to share a bit of where I come from and what brought me to this position.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA where I began cello lessons in a Philadelphia Public School program. It was far from certain that I would enter a career in music. I nearly quit cello in fifth grade. Luckily, I was captivated by playing music in a chamber group that same year and found joy in collaborating in a small group.

High school took me in many directions before committing to conservatory auditions my senior year. Ultimately, I found myself at New England Conservatory, seeking out opportunities to connect with non-traditional venues and new audiences. After receiving a degree in performance, having completed an outreach fellowship with the Community Performances and Partnerships program, an Entrepreneurial Musicianship grant project, and a mentorship position in From the Top’s “Center for the Development of Arts Leaders”, I joined musiConnects, working as a teacher and performer. It was then I had the delight and honor of collaborating with Betsy Hinkle, Marji Gere, and Jason Amos.

During my time with the Boston Public Quartet I quickly “fell” for the work and am grateful now to have the opportunity to help the program grow as Managing Director.

You can expect to see a newsletter periodically updating you on the latest happenings. I encourage you to contact me if you have questions or concerns at Michael@musiconnects.org.

I look forward to being in touch and collaborating with you to make this and future years a success.

Sincerely,

Michael

A Favorite Moment at musiConnects

A student of mine was having trouble playing a scale fluidly and quickly. I walked over to the staircase and brought up the concept of "fluency," how it was something we achieved simply by repetition and letting go so our mind could work out the coordination on its own. 

I told her, "we all used to have a really difficult time climbing when we were babies," and I slowly, awkwardly, climbed each stair one at a time like I had never seen a staircase before. She stared at me for a second and then her eyes flashed suddenly. "Oh! Like my little brother! He needs help getting up the stairs because he's so little." 

She gave the scale another try and let her thoughts go for a second. She looked relaxed and played a legato scale up looking proudly at her fingers like they knew where they were going all along. What good is any of our learning unless we can relate it to other areas of our life?

Michael Dahlberg - photo by Jesse Weiner

- PRESS KIT BIO -

Michael Dahlberg, cellist, is emerging as an engaging performer and educator in Boston and New York. After graduating from the New England Conservatory in May 2011, where he studied with Yeesun Kim of the Borromeo Quartet, he has explored music as a community-building tool, maintained a regular performance schedule and private studio.

During the 2011/2012 season, Dahlberg became the cellist of the Boston Public Quartet, performing across New England. In addition to the role as a professional string quartet, the group is also a team of teaching artists and co-organizers of the non-profit musiConnects, providing the communities of Mattapan and Roslindale with access to holistic music instruction, forums for creative collaboration and free performances. He now serves as Managing Director of musiConnects.

An active freelance cellist in Boston, Dahlberg plays regularly with the Juventas New Music Ensemble and Discovery Ensemble. This summer was his fourth at the Tanglewood Music Center where he was awarded the Karl Zeise Memorial Cello Award (2009) and featured in contemporary chamber works as a New Fromm Player (2011/12).

Recent projects emphasize the layered nature of Dahlberg’s early career. These range from collaborations with composers such as Oliver Knussen, Charles Wuorinen and John Zorn to shows with the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Laura Grill Band. He has held leading positions as Mentor in the inaugural class of Arts Leaders at From the Top’s “Center for the Development of Arts Leaders,” faculty at the Community Music Center of Boston and guest teaching artist for the 7th annual Panama Jazz Festival. With the aid of an entrepreneurial grant from New England Conservatory in the spring of 2011, Dahlberg founded the “LilyPad Quartet” project, which aimed to refocus classical music performance on  the relationship between artist and audience as people. 

Visit his website at www.michaeldahlberg.com