Toomai is pleased to announce our new website, thanks to Peter Wise of Square Candy Design!  Please browse the new site for audio files, photos, and more!

We have always enjoyed playing community engagement programs — for the last three years, we have performed numerous concerts at schools, hospitals, and homeless shelters.  This month, we have embarked on a new endeavor through Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections program:  Correctional Facilities.  On January 14th, we played a joint concert with Sospiro Winds at Sing Sing maximum security prison.  On January 27th, we will perform at Horizons Juvenile Justice Center in the  Bronx in collaboration with portable production troupe, Found Sound Nation.

For the Sing-Sing program, we worked with ten inmates at the facility, who after a series of a guitar and composition workshops with teaching artist Daniel Levy, wrote four wonderful pieces for Toomai to perform alongside the participants.  To quote our violist, Erin’s reaction, “The positivity and openness of the participants with whom we collaborated as well as the tremendous energy and engagement we felt from the audience was unlike anything we were prepared for. All together, a totally unforgettable experience. It was a privilege to have played.”

This week, we are making repeated visits to the Horizons Center, where Chris Marianetti and Jeremy Thal of Found Sound Nation are helping a group of twelve 13-17 year olds to use production equipment.  They’ve been exploring and recording the sounds of the string quintet and writing songs based on Toomai’s music.  We’re excited to see how the final concert turns out!