BIO

Praised for her “expert technical work” (The Strad), cellist Amanda Gookin "pushes Classical forward" (LA Times) and champions the future of music through the creation and bold performance of new works, and a dedication to education, culture, and community engagement. 

Her initiative Forward Music Project, “a premier example of feminist advocacy done right” (I Care If You Listen), commissions new multimedia works for solo cello that elevate stories of feminine empowerment through raw performances and educational initiatives. Since its inception in 2015, FMP has commissioned 18 new works by such composers as Pamela Z, Paola Prestini, Jessie Montgomery, Angélica Negrón, Jessica Meyer, Allison Loggins-Hull, Kamala Sankaram, and Nathalie Joachim. She has been presented by The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), The Wallis (Los Angeles), National Sawdust (New York City), OK Electric (Tulsa, OK), Forbes Center (Harrisonburg, VA) Park Avenue Armory (New York City), and deDoelen (Rotterdam, NL). Her first solo album, Forward Music Project 1.0 was listed in The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2020 by the New York Times. Her 2021 sophomore solo album, FMP 2.0: in this skin, was praised as “cello playing at its height; delivering art” by the WholeNote.

Amanda was the founder and decade-long cellist of the contemporary improvising string quartet, PUBLIQuartet. PQ was the 2017/18 Quartet-In-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and recipient of the 2019 Chamber Music America Visionary Award. Amanda initiated PQ’s composer program, PUBLIQ Access, to commission works by emerging composers who significantly impact a new approach to writing for string quartet. In pursuit of socially conscious programming, her album with PUBLIQuartet, Freedom and Faith, addressed the resilience of the female spirit throughout history and received a GRAMMY Award Nomination in 2020.

An advocate for new music, Amanda is a member of Contemporaneous, a New York-based chamber ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting contemporary music; and Nu Deco, a Miami-based ensemble presenting genre-bending music, art, and media collaborations in both traditional and alternative venues. She has performed with International Contemporary Ensemble, Wordless Music Orchestra, Shattered Glass, S.E.M. Ensemble, LA Dance Project, and Beth Morrison Projects as well as jazz and pop artists Sigur Rós, Macy Gray, Cory Henry, Billy Childs, Kimbra, Ben Folds, and James Carter.

Designing and leading courses on social leadership, music history, and improvisation, her work has reinvigorated the core curriculum at The New School College of Performing Arts and SUNY Purchase. Amanda is a sought-after public speaker on the intersections of activism and music and has made appearances on TEDxMidAtlantic, Houston Public Media, Second Inversion, and I Care If You Listen. 

Fulfilling her strength and passion for activating change and innovation from both sides of the stage, she currently serves as Executive Director of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival in Virginia, the NYC Program Director of New Music USA’s program New Music Inc., and served as the Executive Director of the MATA Festival from 2001-2003. Amanda is passionate about supporting artist and small to mid-sized organizations through a variety of support systems from artist coaching and non-profit consulting to bespoke website design.

When not behind the cello, Amanda can be found riding horses, taking ridiculous photos of her pets in costumes, learning to make pottery, and hiking any trail she can find. She is the proud player of a cello made by David Wiebe in Woodstock, NY.