Musica Dolce

Musica Dolce was founded in 1992 by Dr. Joseph Ceo, a conductor, violist, and professor of music at the University of Rhode Island. Since then, Musica Dolce has given hundreds of performances around the region. Its repertoire consists of classical music from the baroque period to the present, and includes several compositions specially commissioned from its current artistic director, conductor, and pianist, Dr. Paul Rosenbloom. Most performances today feature small chamber ensembles of piano, strings, and winds and venues have included locations in Westerly, Portsmouth, Newport, Middletown, Bristol, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Kingston, Wakefield, Charlestown and Mystic, CT. Musica Dolce is now in its 31st season of bringing “sweet music” to the towns and schools and historic sites of southern Rhode Island.

In addition to its regular concerts open to the public, Musica Dolce has developed a highly innovative and interactive program of themed music for schools following Rhode Island curriculum guidelines for the Arts. Music in the Schools started with special free orchestral performances for children at the Chorus of Westerly Performance Hall. To this day Musica Dolce has made presentations in local schools a regular part of each season with the support of the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts and private foundation grants. School administrators, teachers, and students have responded very enthusiastically to this opportunity to experience chamber music up close and personal.

The Musica Dolce Youth String Ensemble is directed by Rozanne Fuller and is run in collaboration with the South Kingstown Dept. of Parks and Recreation. The ensemble is composed of young string players with a range of abilities and meets on Saturday mornings to enjoy small group instruction and practice. Each term ends with a concert for family, friends and the general public. In the 2021-2022 season we debuted an honors string quartet composed of advanced high school players, who receive direct coaching in ensemble playing and who join in the term-ending concert.

Mission Statement

THE MISSION  of Musica Dolce is threefold: 

- to educate and enrich local communities and underserved audiences by offering public classical chamber music performances in historic venues, churches, libraries, senior residences, and schools

- to encourage and support local musicians by providing venues and funding for their  performances

- to educate, encourage and develop musical appreciation and skills of school age children through instruction and interactive performances by our professional musicians

  Musica Dolce gratefully accepts tax-deductible donations to help support its programs and mission.