Author Archives: Meredith Cutler

Over the past 16 years, FirstWorks festivals, performances and programs have attracted more than 500,000 participants. Find out more about how we build the cultural, educational and economic vitality of our community in Providence, Rhode Island.

Deeply influenced by traditional Creole, Cajun and Haitian music, as well as by American jazz and folk, Leyla McCalla is at once earthy and elegant, her sound vibrating with three centuries of history yet strikingly fresh and distinctive.

FirstWorks Arts Learning Program reaches over 5,500 K-12 students at more than 40 public, charter and private schools each year. Click here to learn more.

Famed costume designer Machine Dazzle will lead a workshop for budding designers in developing a glam look for the PVDFest Parade – Family Friendly! All materials provided.

Celebrate Italy with “a brilliant outfit who grab southern Italian traditional music by the neck and recast it in a dramatic style” –Songlines (UK)

Unexpected new music at the crossroads of Ukrainian folklore and theatre.

FirstWorks brought an eclectic mix of dance, music, and theater to Rhode Island this past season, providing new experiences for arts connoisseurs and young students alike.

Add your name to an impressive list of Providence Champions for the Arts by joining our host committee for the PVDFEST Opening Night VIP Party! Get tickets here:

Join FirstWorks for a free Artist Up-Close Conversation with Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden, former Alvin Ailey principal dancer, and the legendary Desmond Richardson, first African American principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater. Moderated by Julie Strandberg, co-founder of The American Dance Legacy Initiative, Artist-In-Residence and Founding Director of Dance at Brown University.

The Haitian hip-hop ambassador brings a mash-up of socially conscious hip-hop that integrates Haitian roots music, Afrobeat, Latin grooves, and reggae beats to PVDFest!