Founded in 2016 by cellist Amanda Gookin, Forward Music Project has commissioned eighteen new works by living composers and developed an internationally recognized platform for socially conscious performance. Through music, storytelling, electronics, video, spoken text, and embodied performance, FMP creates immersive experiences that invite audiences into conversations about vulnerability, healing, justice, and human connection.

Presented by organizations including The Kennedy Center, Park Avenue Armory, The Wallis, National Sawdust, deDoelen, and educational institutions across the United States, FMP amplifies voices and dialogues that are too often unheard. In performance, Amanda plays, sings, speaks, breathes, and inhabits each work as a living act of storytelling.

Amanda released three acclaimed albums on the Bright Shiny Things label that document the project's artistic evolution: Forward Music Project 1.0, Forward Music Project 2.0: in this skin, and Forward Music Project 3.0: fever dream, to be released in October 2026.

Beyond the concert stage, FMP collaborates with educational and community organizations to connect music with broader social issues and lived experiences. Past partnerships have included National Sawdust, El Puente Leaders for Peace and Justice, The Dream Unfinished, The Canales Project, Vital Voices, and The Girl Project Kentucky.

Forward Music Project believes that music has the power to help us better understand ourselves and one another. Through courageous artistic voices in the pursuit of radical empathy, you are not alone.

Your tax-deductible contribution directly supports the commissioning of new works, performances, recordings, and the ongoing development of Forward Music Project.

As an independent artist-led initiative, FMP relies on the generosity of individuals who believe in the power of new music to tell important stories and foster connection. Every gift, regardless of size, helps bring these works to life and ensures that diverse artistic voices continue to be heard.