Hi! I'm Stearns Matthews.
Chances are, if you're seeing this page, you know who I am. But if not, the short version is: I'm a MAC and Bistro Award winning cabaret singer based in New York City. For more info, check me out here: www.stearnsmatthews.com.
In December of 2015 and 2016, I presented a benefit concert in Montclair, NJ. Both years, the first half of the concert was comprised of Maury Yeston's beautiful song cycle December Songs. December Songs is a "retelling" of Franz Schubert's Winterreisse, with a cabaret sensibility. The songs in both December Songs and Winterreise are linked as a sequence of reflections by the singer taking a lonely walk in winter, thinking back on lost love. December Songs crosses over the line from classical music to Broadway to cabaret.
What's so special about THIS recording of December Songs?
I love singing December Songs. It is a beautiful journey to take as an actor, and it all happens in ten songs--about 35 minutes of music.
There have been at least six complete recordings made of December Songs, but all are performed by women. Having a male singer brings a very different perspective to the piece--one that I think is important to preserve as a recording.
In addition to that, I've written parts for woodwinds and double bass. In the 2016 concert, world-class player Amy Crafton played the woodwind parts, and she'll also play on the recording. My dear friend and brilliant collaborator Markus Grae-Hauck will be at the piano. The bassist has yet to be recruited, but it will be someone just as accomplished and virtuosic.
What We Need
In 2014, I recorded and released my award-winning debut solo album, Spark. I raised about $20,000 for that project, and I'm happy to say that this one won't cost nearly as much!
The fundraising goal for this project is $4,000. There are several reasons it's so much less:
- The instrumentation is much smaller,
- We'll have the studio and musicians at a very discounted rate,
- We won't need to spend time selecting and arranging music, and
- Because December Songs is a somewhat "niche" piece, I've made the decision to only release the recording digitally.
The money raised here will pay for:
- Studio time
- Mixing
- Compensation for the instrumentalists (piano, woodwinds, bass)
- Mastering
- Fees for digital release
- Mechanical royalties
Every Little Bit Helps.
Truly. Every single dollar raised in this campaign is important! If you can only give $5, I'm just as grateful as if you gave $1,000!
But hey, I understand as well as anyone that money is tight sometimes!
If you can't make a contribution here on Indiegogo, I would appreciate it so much if you'd spread the word--on social media, in person, your email list... carrier pigeon... anywhere!!