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 make thoughtful connections between a wide range of old and new instrumental music, and are performed by world-class musicians and ensembles.

Incorporating the talents of other spectacular artists in different mediums, Play Out regularly commissions poets, writers, illustrators, animators, and many more. Creative multi-media is a feature of all Play Out concerts.

The mission of Play Out concerts is to light up our inner worlds through music, regardless of age.

Play Out is personal — the name is a tribute to my own music education, when my teachers and mentors encouraged me to “play out,” and to make my musical voice expressed to its fullest. 

Self expression, 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.
— Caitlin Sullivan
photo by Whitney Browne

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 concerts 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 and contemporary music.

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, and the New York Philharmonic.

As a cellist, Caitlin has performed with, recorded, and toured extensively with The Knights and the New York Philharmonic. She has appeared regularly 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 her solo cello pieces 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

Music recording studio with a woman playing the cello and another woman filming with a camera. Studio has bookshelves, black curtains, musical instruments, and professional lighting.

photo by Michelle Ross