Composer/guitarist/rapper Gene Pritsker has written over three hundred compositions,
including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music, songs for hip-hop
and rock ensembles, etc. All his compositions employ an eclectic spectrum of styles and are
influenced by his studies of various musical cultures. He is the founder and leader of Sound Liberation; an eclectic hip-hop/chamber/jazz/rock/etc. ensemble who have recently released a cd on Col-legno Records. Gene’s music has been performed all over the world at various festivals and by many ensembles and performers, including the Adelaide Symphony, The Athens Camarata, Brooklyn and Berlin Philharmonic. He has worked closely with Joe Zawinul and has orchestrated such Hollywood movies as ‘Perfume, Story of a Murderer’ and The International’

The New York Times described him as "...audacious...multitalented." Joseph Pehrson, writing in
The Music Connoisseur, Fall 2001, described Pritsker as “dissolv[ing] the artificial boundaries
between high brow, low brow, classical, popular musics and elevates the idea that if it's done well it
is great music, regardless of the style or genre”. Other organizations he is associated with include:
Composers’ Concordance, Absolute Ensemble, The international Street Cannibals. Some of Gene
Pritsker's music is published by: Falls House Press, Gold Branch Music, Periferia Sheet Music &
Calabrese Brothers music and recorded by: Col Legno, Enja, Eutrepe, Wergo and Capstone record
labels.

In ‘08 Gene had a new piano concerto: ‘Reinventions’ for piano and chamber orchestra based on J.S. Bach’s piano Inventions premiered at the ‘08 Bremen Musikfest on Sept. 13th with pianist Simone Dinnerstein and Absolute Ensemble with Kristjan Jarvi conducting. ‘Reinventions’ will next be performed at the Etna Festival in Catania Sicily in April ‘09 with Matt Herskowits as soloist. His ‘3 Stages of Truth’ for jazz piano trio and orchestra, is being scheduled for a premiere in 2010 by the Mad Fusion trio, Bremen Kammerphilharmonia and Kristjan Jarvi conductor. His band Sound Liberation released a new CD on Col-Legno records called ‘Open Up Your Ears and Get Some’. The band played a CD release concert in New York’s Drom in November, they will be playing Joe’s

In the 2006 -07 season Gene premiered two chamber operas; Money 1 & Money 2, at the Flea Theater and at the Players Theater in New York, He also performed these 2 operas at the Outreach Festival in Schwaz, Austria in the summer of 07 and will be performing them in Catania, Sicily in May of 08. At the 07 Outreach Festival Gene had many performances, including his Bassoon and samplestra piece; Electrically Tragic Premiered by Martin Kuuskmann and various performances with his band Sound Liberation and The International Street Cannibals a group that combines chamber music and boxing.

On September 15, 2007 Three Poems From Flowers of Evil, on poetry of Baudelaire was performed by the The Absolute Ensemble, The Latvian State Choir and himself as Di.J. at the 07 Bremen Music Festival. Also at this concert Genes orchestrations from the movie Perfume were performed. Gene is very excited to have had the opportunity of working with the legendary Joe Zawinul, he has arranged/orchestrated Zawinuls music for the Absolute Ensemble to be recorded and relasead on Biirdjam records in 09 and to be toured around the world in upcoming years. In recent years Absolute has been performing arrangements Gene did of Frank Zappas music as well as many of his own compositions, including Lost Illusion, a concerto for bass, orchestra and samplestra (pre recorded electronics) this piece was also performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with Mat Fieldes on various basses and Kristjan Jarvi conducting.

 

Other organizations he is associated with include:

  • Composers’ Concordance (Co Director since ‘08, advisory board since ‘96, Associate
    Director since ‘04)
  • Absolute Ensemble (co-founder/composer -in -residence ‘93-’96)
  • The International Street Cannibasl (composer -in -residence since ’01)
  • Outreach Festival (Artistic Advisory Board since ’07)
  • The American Composers Forum (member NY chapter since ‘96)
  • The New Music Connoisseur magazine (critic since ‘97)

Music published by:

  • Falls House Press
  • Gold Branch Music
  • Calabrese Brothers Music
  • Periferia sheet music

Music Recorded by:

  • Sound Liberation recorded 13 composition of Genes on a new album for Col Legno records called ‘Open Up Your Ears and Get Some’ ,
  • The Absolute Ensemble has released a CD on Enja Records featuring ‘Fix’ and an Arrangementof ‘Super Bad’. The CD is named after the septet.
  • ’Pan(ic)’ for solo flute recorded by Nina Assimakopoulos on Euterpe label, the album is titled: Arcadian Murmmurs: Pan in Pieces.
  • ‘Junk’ for electronics released on the Capstone label, the album is titled: 60X60.
  • ’I'm Afraid You Might ask for A Fragment Of My Soul’ for solo piano has been released on CD by pianist Guy Livingston entitled: “Don’t Panic” on Wergo Records.
  • Guitarist Greg Baker has Recorded an album of Gene Pritsker music called: Scars, Wounds and Lacerations Plus Snow to Numb the Effect.
  • Singer Melanie Mitrano has recorded the song Perirrhanterium, stanza XIII (Truth) for two sopranos and electronics, It is included on her CD Songs in Transit on Capstone records..
  • Falls to with an Appetite for string quartet and clarinet is featured on a new CD by the Lumina String Quartet with clarinetist Phil Basher. The CD is entitled: New York Composers..
  • Counterfeiters was recorded by the B3+ brass trio for their album Uncommon Sense on Col Legno records, to be released in 2008.

Music has been performed by:

  • Absolute Ensemble
  • Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
  • Athens Camarata Chamber Orchestra
  • Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Norrlands Opera Orchestra of Sweden
  • Talujon percussion quartet
  • Ethos percussion quartet
  • Da Capo Chamber Players
  • New York Mandolin Orchestra
  • Ensemble Rosario
  • Sound Liberation
  • Composers Concordance series
  • The World Turning Festival
  • Lake Winnipesaukee Music Festival chamber players
  • The Manhattan Brass Quintet
  • flutist Maragret Lancaster
  • Lumina string quartet
  • Evolution string quartet
  • the percussion ensemble of Cornell University Department of Music
  • bass trombonist Dave Taylor
  • pianist Kathy Supove
  • conductor Kristjan Jarvi
  • bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann
  • guitarist Greg Baker
  • pianist Matt Herskowitz
  • pianist Guy Livingston
  • violinist Miltos Papastamou
  • bassist Mat Fieldes
  • flutist Nina Assimakopoulos
  • violinist Peter Krysa.

Music Performed at:

  • Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
  • BAM,
  • the Barbican in London
  • Borden Hall at MSM
  • ABC No Rio
  • Hubbard Hall at MSM
  • New Space Hall at Juilliard
  • Queens College
  • Studio 610 at MSM
  • St. Peters Church
  • St. Stephens Church
  • Annunciation Church
  • Barnes Hall at Cornell Universit
  • Washington Square Church
  • Most holy Redeemer Church
  • KOSTABI WORLD
  • Estonian House
  • Greenwich House
  • Pro Piano Studio
  • Kingsboro Community College
  • 14 Street Y Theater
  • Morristown International Festival
  • Ethical Culture Society Hall
  • Merkin Concert Hall
  • Cornelia St. Cafe
  • Steinway Hall
  • Flea Theater at Roulette
  • Athens Concert Hall in Greece
  • 2005 International Trombone Festival in New Orleans
  • LA, Palace of Catchavmbe in Bolivia,
  • The Spiral
  • New Music Cafe
  • The Pyramid
  • CBGB
  • Downtime
  • Lion’s Den
  • 2004 Bremen festiva
  • Stanser Musikstage festival in Stans, Switzerland
  • The 1997 Peekaboo Festival
  • Glen Gould Studios
  • Knitting Factor
  • Lowell Auditorium (NYU).

Mr. Pritsker has won the following prizes and accolades:

  • Minnesota Composers Forum Commissioning Competition for the world premiere of his orchestral piece: ‘Massacre, 20th Century Style’.
  • He was a recipient of the Margaret Fairbank Jory Copying
    Assistance Program
  • Award from the ASCAP standard awards panel
  • Third prize in the Paris new Music Review composition competition
  • Part of the American Composers Forum’s Orchestra Reading Project.
  • Honorable mention from the Composers Institute Reading Session with the Minnesota orchestra.

In addition to a full composition list and samples in this website, some of Gene Pritsker's music is published by:
Falls House Press , Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC, Periferia Music as well as Goldbranch Music.

© Design and Photography by Chris Antollino