Sebastian Ruth is a musician, educator, and organizer whose work explores the evolving role of music in contemporary society.

He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Community MusicWorks (CMW), a pioneering organization that connects a professional ensemble of musicians with urban communities in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2024, CMW moved into its first purpose-built 24,000-square-foot center, expanding its capacity and reach. CMW’s multifaceted programming includes a full season of chamber music performances by its 15 resident musicians and guest artists; a strong commitment to commissioning new works; and a tuition-free music education program serving 150 neighborhood youth. The organization also hosts workshops, student concerts, community dinners, and a range of initiatives that foster deep connections among musicians, families, and the broader community. In addition, CMW offers fellowships and training programs that prepare the next generation of musicians for socially engaged artistic careers.

As a violinist and violist with the MusicWorks Collective, Sebastian has performed across the U.S. and Canada — including in Providence, Boston, Los Angeles, Banff, and New York. His collaborations have included performances with the Borromeo, Kronos, Muir, Miro, Orion, and Turtle Island String Quartets, as well as with renowned artists such as Emanuel Ax, Jonathan Biss, Kim Kashkashian, Frank Rosenwein, and Jonathan Gandelsman.

Sebastian is a visiting lecturer at the Yale School of Music, where he teaches Music, Service, and Society as part of the Music in Schools Initiative. His online course, Music and Social Action, hosted on Coursera, has reached more than 25,000 participants worldwide.

In 2019, Sebastian was invited to participate in the RISD Museum’s Raid the Icebox II exhibition, curating a series of installations with original musical content. His TEDx talk, “Music, Community, and Creating Space for Unexpected Possibilities,” is available online. Sebastian’s essay “Toward Repairing the Social Fabric: Music, Performance, and Pedagogy at Work,” was published in the 2022 Routledge anthology Repair: Sustainable Design Futures.