PROJECT MUSIC will present internationally recognized cellist and composer Sujari Britt on Sunday, May 31, at 4 p.m. at the Greenwich Historical Society Barn, 47 Strickland Road in Cos Cob, as the first event in its “Overture to Italy” Concert Series.
The concert will benefit PROJECT MUSIC and launch a year-long effort to expand global learning opportunities for its student musicians. The initiative is being developed in partnership with Britt and the Accademia Filarmonica del Mediterraneo in Trani, Puglia, Italy, where Britt is co-founder, Artistic Director and Director of Media.
General admission tickets are $75. VIP tickets are $100 and include reserved concert seating and a 3:30 p.m. artist meet-and-greet. All tickets include light bites and refreshments. Tickets may be purchased at projectmusic.org/overturetoitaly.
PROJECT MUSIC has been invited to partner with the Accademia Filarmonica del Mediterraneo in 2027. Students enrolled in PROJECT MUSIC’s immersive musical instruction program will be invited to apply for the opportunity to travel to Italy in summer 2027 as part of the H. K. Miserocchi Summer Music Institute, a division of PROJECT MUSIC. Selected students will study with Britt and the Accademia Filarmonica del Mediterraneo.
“Life-changing opportunities and musical experiences are at the core of our mission,” Rachel Morrow, Managing Director of PROJECT MUSIC, said in the PROJECT MUSIC announcement. “We are fortunate to partner with Sujari Britt, whose artistry and commitment to young musicians make this concert possible and open the door to an extraordinary summer program for our students in 2027.”
Britt’s career began with an unusually early sense of direction. According to her website, she began formal study of the cello at age four, following study on violin and piano, and began composing at age five.
“The depth, range and sweetness of the cello seemed to me to resonate my own strong voice,” Britt states on her website. “I immediately knew that I had encountered my musical voice in the cello, and so began my journey.”
A native New Yorker, Britt went on to earn a Professional Diploma in Cello and Composition from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied cello with Josephine Knight and composition with David Gorton. She earned a Master’s of Classical Cello from the Sibelius Academy in Finland, studying with Martti Rousi, and a Bachelor of Music in Classical Cello Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she studied with Marion Feldman.
Her work as a composer also began in childhood. According to Britt’s website, she delved into composition at age seven soon after beginning public performances. She has premiered her original works and has composed for theater, film and dance.
Britt describes her compositions on her website as reflective of a “state of mind.”
“I see and feel through music, and composition is another medium for experience, expression, and exposure,” Britt states on her website.
Britt has performed for audiences in Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. Her career includes collaborations with Alisa Weilerstein, Sting, the Kronos Quartet and other artists, as well as performances with the New York Philharmonic as a substitute, the Helsinki Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Associacao Cultural Inovarte and the New York Chamber Orchestra.
She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra and Adrian Symphony Orchestra.
Her performance history also includes Carnegie Hall, the annual Beijing Super Cello Festival, Musiikkitalo’s Cellofest Opening Gala in Helsinki, C2 Montréal’s “Transformative Collisions,” Canada’s Neopolitan Connection Concert Series and United Nations programs for HeForShe and World Humanitarian Day.
In the United States, Britt performed with Alisa Weilerstein at the White House for President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and invited guests. She has also appeared at The Met in New York City, The Gracie Theatre in Maine, the Harman Arts Center in Washington, D.C., Midori and Friends Children’s Music Festival and Madison Square Garden during quarter time for the New York Knicks.
Britt has been featured in Strings and Time magazines, on BBC live radio, in an online THKR/RadicalMedia PRODIGIES feature, a TIME for Kids article, Ebony.com and a segment of Katie! with Katie Couric. She has appeared at TEDx-Redmond and was named one of NBC TheGrio’s “100 History Makers in the Making.”
She won the National Young Musicians Concerto Competition and has received academic scholarships, awards and grand prizes in national and international competitions.
At the May 31 concert, Britt will perform on a Neuner and Hornsteiner cello made in Mittenwald, Germany, circa 1718, generously loaned by the Carlsen Cello Foundation.
According to PROJECT MUSIC, the organization provides highquality music education and performance opportunities to youth, regardless of financial means. Through lessons, ensembles and mentorship, PROJECT MUSIC works to help young people discover their potential, build confidence and create brighter futures through music.
The May 31 concert places Britt’s international career in service of a local educational goal: helping PROJECT MUSIC students prepare for a future opportunity in Italy. In Greenwich, the afternoon will offer a close-range performance by a world-renowned cellist and a way to support young musicians as their training opens onto a wider stage.
