“Amanda Gookin pushes Classical forward”
— LA Times
“feminist advocacy done right”
— I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
Photos (credit Ryan Scherb)
Podcasts and Radio Interviews
Articles and Reviews
The New York Times
December 17, 2020
The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2020: “The effect is akin to what you might feel inventing a new dance on the spot”
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
December 15, 2020
Editor’s Picks: 2020 Contemporary Classical Albums: “a premier example of feminist advocacy done right”
The WholeNote
August 25, 2020
"It is the highest level of artistry that can realize a message, a story or an emotion while seeming to have not performed it at all."
Textura
September 11, 2020
“The performances clearly reflect Gookin's virtuosic command…but the playing is always used in the service of bringing the composer's material to its optimal realization.”
ListN Up Playlist
August 21, 2020
Listen to Amanda’s curated playlist for ListN Up, an intimate sonic portrait of contemporary artists by showcasing the diverse and stylistically varied music that influences their creative practice.
AllMusic
August 7, 2020
“What gives the Forward Music Project 1.0 interest beyond specifically feminist circles, however, is the direct, even fervent quality of the music, and especially of Gookin's cello.”
AnEarful
July 19, 2020
“Rest assured that everything here exists on a level of glorious musicality, with access to the artists' intentions not a requirement for listening. But once you know, you will be even more floored by what Gookin has achieved here.”
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
July 14, 2020
“Forward Music Project is exactly the kind of effort that can guide our community toward sincere personal connection by centering the earnest interests of female-identifying composers.”
The New York Times
July 9, 2020
“communal joy embedded in a music of cooperation……the joy of transmitting knowledge is perceptible.”
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
March 26, 2020
“Amanda Gookin’s Forward Music Project continues to bring socially conscious music of the highest caliber into the world.”
The Los Angeles Times
May 30, 2019
“With a cello and a cohort of female composers, Amanda Gookin pushes classical forward.”
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
March 29, 2019
“Gookin is carving out space for fresh narratives and providing a much-needed dose of reality.”
Escape Into Life
May 2019
“Gookin proves a marvelous interpreter… She displays a supple determination to illuminate all the deep personal truths shared by these composers.”
DC METRO THEATER ARTS
April 8, 2019
“I dreamt of a project that would allow me to share stories of femininity through music.”
Distract Fray Magazine
March 28, 2019
“Classical music is not generally associated with political activism, but that’s what Amanda Gookin hopes to change with her Forward Music Project.”
The Strad
March 1, 2017
“Gookin’s focus and ferocity—coupled with her expert technical work—made her message unforgettable.”
San Francisco Classical Voice
March 7, 2017
“Consistently self-possessed, and alternately delicate and fierce in her musical approach, Gookin displayed impressive reserves of emotional and technical energy.”
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
February 21, 2017
5 Questions to Amanda Gookin
“Cellist Amanda Gookin has traveled a long and winding road in developing her career as a musician and social activist.”