I love to make noise, to bring people together to experience a moment of joy or reflection, or to loudly share an idea or social narrative. As a percussionist and composer, I explore new sounds and resonance with both traditional instruments, everyday objects, and pieces of architecture. As a public and digital artist, I love to develop teams of collaborators to discover ways to create accessible experiences using technology and community engagement.

Noise is sonic, but it’s also the bravery to take a leap into unknown territory, to build new bridges, and to manifest something beyond a single vision.

Maria Finkelmeier

Named a “one-woman dynamo” by the Boston Globe, Maria is a percussionist, composer, new media artist, and professor. Whether it’s scoring conceptual art films or serving as director, composer, and performer in multi-sensory performances and public art installations, her work continually transcends both genre and medium.

Empowered by sonic exploration and obsessed with making noise, she transformed Fenway Park into a percussive playground and turned the Roebling bridge into a sound and light instrument. She illuminated an outdoor amphitheater as pandemic relief, used AI to investigate gender bias, flipped a bus into a mobile electronic bucket drumming program, and performed at iconic global venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian, and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. She's played with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Silkroad Ensemble, and Baltic Sea Philharmonic while her cutting-edge work has been featured in the Boston Globe, National Parks Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vulture, SunSentinel, I Care if you Listen and on WGBH, WBUR, and CBS.

Merging meticulous performance practice and production knowledge with intentions that are narrative driven and socially responsive, Maria has been commissioned by national organizations, municipalities, and festivals including the National Parks Service, Esplanade Association, Harvard Ed Portal, IGNITE Broward, TEDx Cambridge, BLINK Cincinnati, London’s i = u festival, ILLUMINUS, and the Boston Center for the Arts. Her care and dedication to her practice has been supported and acknowledged by the Boston Foundation, CODAWorx, Boston Design Week, New England Foundation for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Brother Thomas Fellowship, among others.

An experienced entrepreneur, Maria has founded and directed numerous ventures, including her active experimental studio MF Dynamics, along with Kadence Arts, Make Music Boston, Quartet Kalos, Masary Studios, and Ensemble Evolution. Dedicated to shaping the next generation of creators and arts leaders, she is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music specializing in Creative Entrepreneurship. Prior to rooting in New England, Maria spent three years in Northern Sweden at the Piteå Institution for Music and Media as an artist-in-residence. Maria received a Bachelor of Music degree from The Ohio State University and a Master of Music degree from Eastman School of Music. Maria is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

The MF Dynamics Team

Jane Long

Studio Assistant + Project Manager
Jane Long is a freelance art event and installation producer working out of Somerville, MA.
Her diverse experiences includes managing, directing and planning the logistics and execution of projects ranging from musical, theatrical, dance, visual and digital projection performances to large and small scale art festivals to the installation of large scale permanent public art.
Jane holds a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Boston University. She originally hails from Eugene, Oregon and enjoys bringing people together through public art and events.
Denver Nuckolls

Production Assistant
Denver is a percussionist, audio engineer, composer, and educator based in the Boston, MA area.
With over twelve years of experience in a variety of musical settings, Denver’s highlighted expertise includes holding solo and ensemble performance roles, pursuing personal expression through composition in contemporary and electronic mediums, and documenting it all via his background in audio engineering.
He holds an M.M. in percussion performance from the University of North Texas and a B.A. in percussion performance and music technology from Virginia Tech.
Andrew Ringler

Artist & Technologist
Andrew Ringler is an artist, creative technologist, educator and maker.
He creates interactive public installations that allow participants to create their own novel visual and auditory experiences. He challenges participants to invest time and effort learning new systems collaboratively, through that investment receive the pride of achievement and the joy of connecting with others. Ringler’s work takes inspiration from teaching, learning, creation, science and communication.
Cait Winston

Communications Intern
Cait Winston is a vocalist, performer, and writer based in Boston, MA.
Passionate about new works and process, Cait is experienced in collaborating with composers and playwrights to develop and debut experimental musical and theater works, using elements of improvisation and unique audience engagement. She is interested in contextualizing and fostering the connection between musical performances and their audiences, and exploring public performance’s potential as a community-building force.
Originally from Cleveland, OH, Cait recently received her B.M. in Voice Performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Testimonials

Maria Finkelmeier and her team at MF Dynamics are truly at the forefront of experiential art in Boston. On our project – Hatched: Breaking Through the Silence – her multidisciplinary approach allowed for the best possible combination of creatives who were handpicked to suit the needs of the project. The level of professionalism, skills, expertise, and exuberance among team members at MF Dynamics makes them all a joy to work with. Simply put, they will execute what they promise – and then some!

Michael Nichols, Executive Director, Esplanade Association, Boston, MA
We were thrilled to work with Maria and her team at MF Dynamics to host Project Daydream in the Cyclorama in November 2020. They were exceptionally professional, responsive, and collaborative - qualities made all the more essential given that their project was the first we had done live in the Cyclorama since the outset of the pandemic. The process was smooth, but the outcome - the art - was beyond our expectations and exactly what we needed. We were proud and honored to host the work in our space, and we hope to find more ways to collaborate in the future.

Emily Foster Day, Co-executive Director, Boston Center for the Arts