When Emilio Colón, distinguished professor of cello at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, envisioned a comparative recording project he called “Schumann Reimagined,” Grant Strategies, LLC assisted him in acquiring the funds to realize his vision.

The project seeks to address aspects of Schumann’s original orchestrations long considered problematic by conductors, musicians, audiences, and critics alike. The recording will be the first to feature a comparison of two distinct orchestrations of the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 of Robert Schumann; the composer’s original orchestration and Dmitri Shostakovich’s re-orchestration. The recording will also present one new orchestration and one new transcription and orchestration of other Schumann works, both restructured for Solo Cello and orchestra. The project received the New Frontiers in Creativity and Scholarship award from the second largest arts endowment in the US, which enabled Professor Colón to travel to Lviv, Ukrain for the first recording session;, contract for recording, production, and marketing with European record label Toccata Classics; and contract with a world-renowned conductor Theodor Kuchar and the International Symphony Orchestra of Lviv to rehearse, and record the pieces. The second phase of recording delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, is yet to be rescheduled

Grant Strategies, LLC assisted with securing awards sufficient to cover all costs of the project. Updates are forthcoming as the project progresses!