About Us
CONGRATULATIONS IACA CYCLE #20
MINI-GRANT RECIPIENT, MAXWELL GEISSLER!
Click here to learn about Cycle #7 nonprofit grant winner,
Congratulations to Maxwell on a successful grant application!
The following is his grant proposal:
Music has been deeply woven into the culture of my family for as long as I can possibly remember. While the practice and intensive study of music is an inherently solitary task, perhaps what has drawn me most repeatedly to my love of the art is this distinct ability to bring people together. It can unite musicians with one another simply by affording them the chance to share their enthusiasms, while also comforting listeners with the connection of a distant composer who shares in their thoughts and feelings. Especially now in this uncertain time, people are becoming increasingly divided and isolated, making togetherness and collaboration more essential than ever before.
As a cellist performing chamber music, my musical role is most often one of support, experimenting with how I can best complement and bring out the best in my colleagues. This drive to share with others has led me to join the faculty of ENCORE Chamber Music, start my own chamber music festival (Kalmia Garden Music and Arts), and join the new music ensemble, Latitude 49. Using my experience teaching during my Doctorate in Cello Performance at Rice University, I find nothing more fulfilling than speaking to audiences and guiding them through the empathetic experiences this music can provide.
With my resources and varied experiences, I am hoping to provide high-quality recordings to demonstrate the impact that my festival has already made on its local community, and exemplify the power the arts have to unite us in these distancing times.
In order to illustrate the uniting force of music in our communities, I wanted to develop high-definition video recordings of both Piano Trios by Felix Mendelssohn. Given the sense of brotherhood in the chorales at the end of these works, I have found them to make an immense impact on local communities in Connecticut and upstate New York, where I have recently performed them. Funds will go towards venue rental and recording engineer/producer costs.
Orpheus Classical has given me the opportunity to evolve this project, and will sponsor 75% of the post-recording production costs. The remaining fees still remain high for my budget, and any help would be massively appreciated. In addition to the Mendelssohn Trios, Sibelius' Andantino will echo the chorale writing, and the meditative "Be Still and Know" by African-American composer Carlos Simon will conclude the recording.
You may be the next grant winner! Click here to apply.
There is no specific type of artist that we focus on or primarily support. Creative expression comes in a wide variety of artistic disciplines and genres. We are looking for passion and excellence in your craft. Tell us why your work is important to you and how you hope it will impact others.
Where Eagles Soar (Isaiah 40:31)
Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49
(Live Performance)
MuChen Hsieh, Violin
Maxwell Geissler, Cello
Shelley Ng, Piano
April 14, 2017
Duncan Recital Hall
