Hello, my name is Alexandra 'Ali' and I am here with good ol' Melancholy (aka Mel) the cello who is in desperate need of repair. I have been putting off asking for help for some time, but I can no longer pretend like things will work out without support. Mel has two major cracks that have needed repair since the summer time, but between performances, teaching and finances being tight it hasn't been an option and the damage is only getting worse.

My primary goal is to get Melancholy fixed up and safe to keep playing as regularly as possible since performing supplements my income outside of my basic necessities, sometimes it is what keeps me afloat. That being said, I got Mel around 14 years ago in undergrad as an advanced student level instrument, because that was what I could afford on my own. I know some will look at the damage and say it wouldn't be worth fixing because of the cost of repair to cost of instrument ratio.

So I have a stretch goal of $8K, that would put me in the range of being able to look at purchasing what would be considered the next level up in instruments and finally have an instrument

For much of my adult life it has been me and Mel against the world, and I am having a hard time imagining what it would be like to have my cello completely fall apart. I also want to be able to keep making music with my friends and be able to offer the talents I've been blessed with to my highest ability. Any support or sharing would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.