Cellist’s “Play for the Vote” initiative: musicians perform outside polling sites

“Cellist Mike Block is recruiting fellow musicians to play at the polls,” writes Zoë Madonna in Thursday’s (10/22) Boston Globe. “ ‘Practicing and playing music brings me joy, and I’m not able to share that through concerts right now,’ he explained… ‘[I thought], “Wouldn’t it be cool if I went down to the polling station and just played music all day for everyone who was voting?” ’ … The new organization Play for the Vote launched its website with a welcome message from Block, who plays with Silkroad Ensemble … and teaches private lessons at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. The mission: to station musicians outside as many polling places as possible on Election Day…. Eight days after his initial idea … hundreds of musicians had signed up, representing 32 states and the District of Columbia…. Some voters on Nov. 3 might be fortunate enough to hear a few new arrangements of Mike Block originals while waiting in line to cast a ballot. He’s still figuring out his set list; the songs can’t contain anything that could be construed as political.… ‘It’s always nice to be able to fall back on the Bach cello suites,’ Block says.”