Play Out creates engaging, multi-generational interactive concerts.
With multi-generational audiences in mind, Play Out concerts are for both children and adults alike. They strike the balance of being participatory and introspective, educational and entertaining. Play Out concerts always include a wide range of old and new instrumental music, and are performed by world-class musicians and ensembles.
Play Out concerts incorporate the creative talents of other spectacular artists in different mediums, and have commissioned poets, writers, illustrators, animators, and many more.
The mission of Play Out concerts is to light up our inner worlds through music, regardless of age.
“Play Out is personal to me — it’s a reminder of my own music education growing up, when my teachers and mentors enthusiastically encouraged me to play out, to make my unique musical voice heard and expressed to its fullest.
Expressing oneself, along with deep listening and a love of learning, is essential for living a healthy and connected life. My goal is to share these principles with others through the interactive concert experience.”
About the Founder:
Caitlin Sullivan is a cellist based in New York City.
One of the earliest recipients of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect Fellowship, Caitlin discovered her passion for arts advocacy, and has been nurturing her skill for developing interactive concert experiences ever since. She has visited schools, universities, hospitals, retirement homes, correctional facilities, museums, and concert spaces as a performer and teaching artist for numerous ensembles. She creates environments that encourage personal connections to classical music and beyond.
Formerly the Director of Education Programming for The Knights, Caitlin designed over a dozen interactive family concerts performed at the Clark Art Institute, Museum of Art and Design, Lighthouse Works on Fishers Island, as well as the Queens Theater and Brooklyn Children’s Museum as part of the WQXR Classical Kids Fair. She has overseen partnerships with USDAN Summer Camp for the Arts, the New York Philharmonic, and others.
As a cellist, Caitlin has performed with, recorded, and toured extensively with The Knights and the New York Philharmonic, making regular appearances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall with these ensembles, as well as multiple concert tours throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Caitlin released her solo debut album, A Page From, on the New Amsterdam label, and a solo single, Quasi Una Sarabanda, with Long Echo Records. Composers who have written solo cello pieces for her include Mary Kouyoumdjian, Gabriel Kahane, Michelle Barzel Ross, and her husband, Nicholas Britell, with whom she has also recorded on his film and television scores. Caitlin was a featured soloist in Britell’s music with the San Fransisco Symphony, as part of their SoundBox Series.
photo by Whitney Browne
photo by Michelle Ross