Anthony's Forever Cello

Hello! My name is Anthony Marchese. Some of you may know me and some of you may not. What is most important to know, is that I am a cellist and I have dedicated my life to music. Below is a quick TLDR followed by my full story.

 

TLDR :

 

I started the cello at age ten and discovered my passion for music at 12.  At this time, my grandpa, who was a huge supporter of my music, passed. This inspired my family to purchase me my first cello. I played on this cello for 5 years while pursuing my passion for the cello. With only a few months of private cello lessons I was accepted into Eastern Michigan University to study cello performance. Things went well until finances got in the way. I dropped out of school and spend the next 3 years working, practicing, meeting my supportive husband, and fighting my way back into school. I graduated Cum Laude in 2018 and in 2019 I was offered a competitive assistantship at Bowling Green State University for my masters. I recently graduated and have decided to continue at BGSU as I pursue my DMA in contemporary music performance. This pandemic has taught me the importance of fighting for the marginalized and working toward equal representation in the classical music world. At this point in my career I NEED a professional level cello, however, these are incredibly expensive. Recently (August, 2021) I found an old cello I could swear was made just for me. I have made the decision to purchase this cello for $32,250. This is a huge amount of money but an excellent deal for this level of cello AND most importantly this is an investment in my future. I am asking for any help you may be willing to offer, be it by donating to this Gofundme to help alleviate the cost of this amazing instrument or even just offering words of encouragement as I move forward in my mission.

 

 

Full Story

 

To give you some background... I started playing at the age of 10. I chose the cello simply because the school offered rental cellos for free. Like most 10 year old kids I didn't really want to practice. That did not last very long. By the time I was 12 I became absorbed with the cello. I played like mad, every spare moment I had. I put aside my dream of being a chef (ever the dreamer) and realized that what I really wanted was to spend my life making music, more specifically, to bring others the same joy I feel when I play my cello. Around this time my grandpa, who was a big supporter of my music, passed away. While this hit the family hard, it lead to the purchase of my very first cello. It was a basic student cello purchased from a local shop, but it was mine and I loved it deeply (her name was Anastasia). I still remember getting home from McCourts music that night with my bulky black cello case and being SO eager to pull my cello out and show my mom. I played on that cello for the next 5 years. Anastasia went with me to Solo and Ensemble, Orchestra Festivals, the Smokey Mountain Music Fest, and even Disney World!

 

Suffice to say, at the point, I could not imagine my life without the pure happiness playing the cello brought me.

 

Money was always tough, my mom worked full time to support two children and my grandma was always there to help with rides, babysitting, or whatever she could do. Toward my junior year of high school the prospect of college became more and more real and I found that if I wanted to make it as a musician I would need private lessons. My grandma stepped in and began driving me every Saturday to take lessons with a professional cellist who could help fix my technique. We always listened to cello music on our long drive to and from lessons; Dvoark's Humoresque as played by Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman being her favorite. At 17, I was accepted into Eastern Michigan University's music performance program to study under Diane Winder, a tour de force of a person who is just as passionate about her music as she is her students.

 

As high school was coming to an end, it became apparent that I would need to upgrade my instrument. Once again my Grandma stepped in, along with several other members of my family, and I was able to buy an intermediate student instrument. This cello (Her name is Genevieve) was by no means anything near professional, but it was a diamond in the rough, playing way beyond its price range.

 

I have played this cello since I was 17 and in high school. I am now 31 years old and entering a doctoral program in contemporary music for cello performance. What happened in the interim years? A LOT. A lot of good and a lot of not so good. I performed as a featured soloist with my undergraduate orchestra, dropped out of school, met my husband (am man who is frustratingly generous of spirit and whom I feel both grateful and lucky to have in my life), and never for one moment stopped working my fingers to the bone both practicing my cello and working customer service jobs.

 

My husband, Matt, knew my passion for music and saw my determination as I would come home from work every day, sit down, and practice as long as I could. Matt took it upon himself to reach out to my undergraduate teacher, Dr. Winder, regarding lessons. Together these two fierce individuals convinced me that I could in fact get myself back into school and continue working toward my dreams; which is exactly what I did. I was able to get back into school at EMU where I flourished. I still continued to work full time to help pay the bills and never stopped gigging or teaching. In 2018, after 10 years of being in and out of school, I graduated Cum Laude with my Bachelors in Music, but I was far from finished with my journey.

 

I knew that to really make an impact musically I needed to refine my skills further and broaden my musical horizons. So, I applied to several master's programs. While still playing my intermediate student cello, I was accepted into Bowling Green State University's master's program and won their competitive Graduate String Quartet assistantship. This provided me with a full tuition waiver and a stipend. It was a dream come true. I put in my 2 weeks notice at my job and with Matt by my side, we moved to Bowling Green Ohio, where I would continue my education.

 

We all know how the last two years have gone, the world has been turned upside down and things that have been swept under the rug for too long are finally being addressed. In myself I have found a fire that burns almost as bright as my love for music. That fire inside me is a drive to bring recognition and acknowledgement to the amazing LGBTQIA+ musicians, composers, and artists in the world. That fire inside me pushed me to apply for doctoral programs during the final year of my master's. I was accepted into 5 programs across the country and was offered full funding for several of the programs. In the end, I chose to stay at Bowling Green State University. Why? Because it is at BGSU that I will have the greatest opportunity to make an impact on the world with my music.

 

So this brings us to the now. I am weeks away from starting the terminal degree for my field, I am impassioned to make a difference, and I am driven more than ever to help marginalized musicians and the LGBTQIA+ community that my husband and I are part of to flourish and find their voice in the world.

 

So why a Gofundme? Unfortunately being a musician is expensive. In order to continue developing my skills as a musician I MUST have a higher level cello. This kind of investment will not only help me to refine my technique but it will also allow me a significantly greater pallet with which to create music that contains great depth and nuance. What does a professional instrument cost? Well, there really is no cap on the cost. Cellos range into the hundreds of thousands.

 

I have spent 5 years searching for a cello. I have looked at many shops and played more cellos than I could ever count and it wasn't until last week (8/6/21) that I sat down and played a cello I could swear was made for me. This is the cello I plan to purchase, come hell or high water. I know that this instrument will take me to the next level and can help me to reach out to and inspire those who think that because of who they are, they don't have, or even deserve, a voice.

 

So here I am, asking for help. Matt and I have always been the type to help others before we ask for help ourselves. However, this cello is a critical part of my forward momentum in making a difference in the world of music. I am hoping that the amount raised from this Gofundme will help to alleviate the cost of this cello, which is $32,250. An amount that even typing here makes me shudder, but I know this is an investment in my future and an investment in my ability to improve the lives of young musicians for a long time to come.

 

I know as well as anyone how difficult finances are at this moment in time but any contribution can and will make a difference. If nothing else, I hope this Gofundme can help inspire others to pursue their passions, find the fire in there belly, and make a difference.