Vero Beach International Music Festival
Scottish Fiddler headlines event February 20
(VERO BEACH, FL) January 3, 2025 – Since 2010, world-class musicians have gathered in Vero Beach to perform together in one-of-a-kind collaborations to benefit the Mike Block String Camp. In past years, the Vero Beach International Music Festival has hosted music/musicians from India, Quebec, Uruguay, Argentina, Portugal, Colombia, Mali, Puerto Rico, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and more. This year, the Treasure Coast will be treated to a taste of Scotland, as the Vero Beach International Music Festival kicks off the first of two concerts on Thursday, February 20 at First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach. The church at 520 Royal Palm Boulevard will host a 7:30 PM performance that features Hanneke Cassel, US National Scottish Fiddle Champion, Mike Block, Grammy® Award-Winning cellist, and jazz pianist Jacob Craig. The first Vero Beach International Music Festival concert will feature the three artists in a presentation of original and traditional music drawn from Celtic/Scandinavian, Americana and Classical backgrounds. With six solo albums to her credit, fiddle champion Cassel will headline the concert, with Block and Craig performing a variety of numbers alongside her in duets and trios. Tickets to the Vero Beach International Music Festival are $25 and can be pre-ordered online at www.VeroBeachInternationalMusicFestival.com or purchased at the door. Donations will also be accepted at the concert for the Mike Block String Camp Scholarship Fund. For more information, call 216-965-7593.
Mike Block is a multi-style cello player, composer, singer, and educator, with a passion for cross-cultural collaborations. The annual International Music Festival helps fund another project for the Juilliard School graduate, the Mike Block String Camp in Vero Beach– where Scottish fiddler Hanneke Cassel will also be instructing this summer. A second concert on April 23 will feature Block in a one-man show, also to benefit his 2025 string camp.
“Our string camp is an annual summer workshop for string players of all ages and backgrounds, focusing on non-classical traditions and contemporary musical styles,” said Block. “With emphasis on learning by ear, creativity, collaboration, and performance each year is an enriching experience for attendees.”
Online registration is now open for the 2025 Mike Block String Camp at https://www.mikeblockstringcamp.com/, scheduled for July 7-12. Begun in 2010, MBSC provides level-based classes catering to college students, amateur adults, children and professionals, as well as high school and middle school students. In addition to serving locals from Vero Beach and across Florida, many participants come from throughout the United States and around the world. Past students have hailed from China, Singapore, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Latvia, and more.
ABOUT HANNEKE CASSEL
With a career spanning over two decades, Hanneke Cassel has helped redefine what it means to be a modern fiddler. A driving force in the ever-changing landscape of acoustic music, Hanneke blends originality and innovation with the spirit of Scottish traditional fiddle. Fusing musical roots from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana stylings, Hanneke’s playing has been described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Beyond the strings of her fiddle, it is Hanneke’s hugely generous presence and passion that round out her magnetism as a performer on the world stage of fiddle music. More about Cassel is available on her website at www.hannekecassel.com.
ABOUT MIKE BLOCK
Mike Block is a multi-style cello player, composer, singer, and educator, with a passion for cross-cultural collaborations. Hailed as “one of the bravest, most intriguing musicians on the American fusion scene.” (Gramophone), he was acclaimed by the New York Times for his “vital rich-hued solo playing”, and “a true artist… a sight to behold” by Salt Lake City Desert News. In addition to solo performances, Mike touring bands include Biribá Union, Mike Block Trio, duo with Indian tabla player Sandeep Das, and a West-African fusion band with Balla Kouyaté. Since 2005, Mike has been a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma, with which he earned a 2017 Grammy® Award. More information about Mike Block is available on his website at www.mikeblockmusic.com.
ABOUT DR. JACOB CRAIG
Dr. Jacob Craig is the Director of Music and Arts at First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach. He received his Bachelor of Music Education and Piano Performance degree from Shorter University in Rome, Georgia before moving on to Tallahassee, Florida to receive his M.M. in Choral Conducting and Literature under Dr. Andre Thomas at Florida State University. He completed his Doctorate of Sacred Music in Performance at the Graduate Theological Foundation and Oxford University. He is the Director of the Vero Beach Choral Society, ACTS Choristers, Sea Oaks Chorus, John’s Island Singers, and Silver Tones community choirs. Jacob is also a competitive highland bagpipe player and Pipe Major for the Vero Beach Pipes and Drums. More information about Craig is available at his website at www.jacobcraig.org.
