Welcome to a Community of Sound

Imagine a performance that would involve professional musicians, children, teenagers, senior citizens, adults with developmental disabilities, and physically challenged individuals performing choreography in their wheelchairs.

A performance where no more emphasis would be placed on Yo-Yo Ma’s Stradivarius Cello as would be placed on pizzicato rubber bands and balloon bassoons.

Imagine an opportunity for an adult living with developmental disabilities to play an instrument he or she built from scratch as part of a full production on a stage with lights in front of an audience.

This is the ultimate goal of The Sound of Community project. 2009 USA Artists award recipient (Walker Fellow) Cyro Baptista has called upon his close friend and musical collaborators Kenny Wolleson and Brian Marsella to help realize this vision. Baptista, Wolleson and Marsella have worked together for many years on various projects including John Zorn’s Electric Masada, numerous movie soundtracks. Brian Marsella was an integral part of Cyro’s ensembles Banquet of The Spirits and Beat The Donkey.

The Sound of Community is a project of true inclusion, where underserved members of the community would collaborate together. Each participant will be made to feel that music isn’t something only created on big stages and fancy recording studios – but rather can be a part of their everyday life as a ritual and a means of bringing people together.

It’s with all this in mind that this initiative was created.

This is how it all started : in 2009 Cyro became a “AMERICAN STATES ARTISTS - USA - Fellow”. During the following year, USA Artists created a kickstarter , through which funds were raised for the SOUND OF COMMUNITY project.

The “Sound of Community” core group ( Cyro, Kenny Wollesen and Brian Marsella ) plus local professional musicians, spent four full days in AguasCalientes, Mexico with folks of different ages and backgrounds, with the goal of creating a performance where all would be involved

Cyro’s residency at ArtPark in Niagara Falls - NY -

Over a couple of months, Cyro collaborated with sculptor Shasti O’Leary Soudant into the design of BEAT BLOSSOM, an interactive sound-generating percussion sculpture to be installed at ArtPark’s Percussion Garden

Cyro spent five days working with regular folks of all ages, professional musicians ( drummer Billy Martin and UB Percussion Collective) and members of the Native American local community towards creating a piece that would be performed during the unveiling of the sculpture.