The Cassandra Foundation was chartered in 2003 and has been recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. Its objective is to bring worthy but neglected works of classical musical literature to wider public awareness by creating opportunities for them to be heard, either in recorded or in live performances. Its scope shall be music composed in and around the 20th century, and its focus shall be works that exhibit high degree of originality while carrying-on and extending the great traditions of Western classical music. To this aim, its activities may include, but not necessarily limited to, the engagement of symphony orchestras or smaller musical ensembles, all aspects of producing music recordings, and the organization and sponsorship of concerts, lectures, symposiums, master classes, or music competitions.
Founding trustees Thomas von Benda and Leland Sun have, each in his way, devoted their lives to classical music - Dr. von Benda as an educator, critic and champion of exceptional musicians, and Mr. Sun as a conductor, pianist and chamber musician. In collaboration, they have brought two major orchestral works by the German composer Kurt Hessenberg (1908-1994) to a new generation of listeners - works that had impressed prominent musicians such as Wilhelm Furtwängler and Virgil Thomson, but the public at the end of the 20th century could only read about in obscure historic accounts. The world premiere recording they produced in 2001 of Hessenberg's Second Symphony and Concerto for Orchestra won critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, with a Record-of-the-Year distinction from Fanfare Magazine and Star-of-the-Month recommendation from Germany's Fono Forum. Yet, many more gifted composers and their musical treasures await to be unearthed and presented anew. In this quest, von Benda and Sun have created the Cassandra Foundation and committed to donating their time and services to its activities.
They invite the public to join them in rediscovering lost masterworks of the recent past. The Foundation's Bylaws are available here for examination. For information on making fully tax-deductible contributions to the Cassandra Foundation, please write to Foundation@CassandraRecords.com or by post to 5701 Windcroft Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649.