Hello, friends, both old and new! Greg Messa here, professional percussionist and performer; but also, an educator, a father, and husband. I have always dreamed of a way to merge my passion for musical performance with my desire to positively change the community around me. As an educator, my concern for incidents of gun violence (in what we hope to be safe spaces) has been simmering in the back of my mind for years. Now, as a father, it’s clear to me that I can use my impact in the arts to make a difference- not only for my own son, but for future generations to come.

I am honored and humbled to announce the premier of my new project, that aims to do just that. My work-in-progress, titled “Repercussions,” will feature the parts deconstructed firearms that have been re-imagined and repurposed as percussion instruments. Forging music, beauty, and healing from instruments of destruction. Used gun barrels will be cut and tuned to different lengths to resonate curated pitches and textures, instead of projectiles. The residual parts have the potential for new sounds and timbres and instill hope rather than the fear of the sound of a gunshot. With your help, I can share this work at a special access recording session this coming August. By taking weapons out of circulation directly and repurposing them as instruments of peace, I am making a statement. My hope is that I will inspire other artists to help me make it a movement.

I am affirmed by the partnership of OBI studios, who will host a special access recorded pilot performance of “Repercussions,” on August 16. In this program I will also honor my favorite new composers, and some of the incredible colleagues and friends who have inspired my work to lead me here to this moment.

However, I need your help. Alongside funding and support from a grant from Music To Life, I need an additional 7250 dollars to fulfill our budget. We'll be using these funds to take firearms off the market for creating in this project, forever changed to musical instruments. Well also be hiring our musicians, covering venue costs, recording, videography professionals, all in conjunction with incredible in-kind support from friends, family, and collaborators.

Please consider donating whatever you may be able to help me in this vision of effecting change by creating a mode of art from what were once weapons. You can also contact me about donating parts (only) of your own old and unused firearms for the project.

Please follow the project for information on how to attend this Special Access recording, and please leave your contact information for updates and links to our recorded materials as the project enters the final development and performance phase.

Thanks so much for listening today, please reach out to me directly if you’d like to know more, SHARE to your friends and others who may be interested in this project, and thank you for your time and thought today!