Praised for her “expert technical work” (The Strad), cellist Amanda Gookin "pushes Classical forward" (LA Times) and champions the future of music through the creation and bold performance of new works and a dedication to education, culture, and community engagement.

Her initiative, Forward Music Project, commissions new multimedia works for solo cello that elevate stories of feminine empowerment. Since its inception in 2015, FMP has commissioned 18 composers, including Jessie Montgomery, Nathalie Joachim, Allison Loggins-Hull, and Angélica Negrón, and has been presented by The Kennedy Center, The Wallis, National Sawdust, Park Avenue Armory, and de Doelen in Rotterdam. In March 2026, she premiered Haymaker, a new cello concerto by Shelley Washington, with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Her third album, Forward Music Project 3.0: fever dream, will be released in fall 2026.

Amanda was the founder and decade-long cellist of the contemporary improvising string quartet PUBLIQuartet. In pursuit of socially conscious programming, their GRAMMY®-nominated album Freedom and Faith addressed the resilience of the female spirit throughout history.