Today I launched my new Kickstarter project Les Amis! I have only 30 days to raise $18,000 or I don’t receive a dime. The time and research I have given to this recording has definitely made it a much stronger venture. I have never felt so strongly about a project and I feel there is a greater integrity to what the end-result will produce. One of the cool things about Kickstarter is that anyone can do this. Each project is independently crafted and created by the individual behind it.

You  might ask yourself “why does a high-profile orchestral musician need to raise money for a recording?” Well if anyone noticed the bankruptcy case The Philadelphia Orchestra played out in the press last year you might have an inkling of knowledge. The 15% pay decrease we took could have almost covered the amount of this recording. Besides this unfortunate calamity, the recording costs of hiring a professional orchestra is a deterrent for most musicians, successful or not. All of the money I raise will go towards the musicians of the IRIS Orchestra (an unbelievably gifted group of musicians!) and the recording, post-production costs. I will still incur a considerable debt from the additional recording of the chamber music and solo portion. This will involve Roberto Diaz, concert violist and President of the Curtis Institute of Music, and Jeffrey Khaner, Principal Flutist of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

So, on a lighter note, do you like Debussy?! Not sure about Caplet? Check out my campaign and join me as a Backer at Kickstarter. Any level will help make Les Amis a reality. In closing, one of my dear friends and successful Kickstarter mentors, Frederic Chiu: “Music is not an escape from life; it is a doorway into life.”

Elizabeth rolling her harp across the “Piazza” in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia

Sincere thanks,

Elizabeth Hainen