Contact: Genepritsker@gmail.com
Gene Pritsker Composer
“Mischief-maker and cultural blender-in-chief, Pritsker is a serious artist, yet much of his work is witty and irreverent.” Anyone can draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa, but few musicians draw it as artistically and creatively as Gene Pritsker.”
- Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine
"...audacious...multitalented."
- The New York Times
'The shape-shifting Gene Pritsker is one of the only composers who continues to break down the barriers that still exist in the sometimes water-tight compartments that industry marketers revel in."
- Raul d'Gama Rose, All About Jazz
'Intending to make music
dangerous again.”
- Sequenza21
Featured Videos
“Mischief-maker and cultural blender-in-chief, Pritsker is a serious artist, yet much of his work is witty and irreverent.” Anyone can draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa, but few musicians draw it as artistically and creatively as Gene Pritsker.”
- Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine
"...audacious...multitalented."
- The New York Times
'The shape-shifting Gene Pritsker is one of the only composers who continues to break down the barriers that still exist in the sometimes water-tight compartments that industry marketers revel in."
- Raul d'Gama Rose, All About Jazz
'Intending to make music
dangerous again.”
- Sequenza21
Featured Videos
Gene Pritsker Composer
Recent & Upcoming
Performances:
2023
July
7/9
Performances of various compositions as part of EMX presents a concert at Panda Platforma in Berlin, Germany
7/13
C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective will be using the choral piece 'Blissful Surrender', with words by Robert C. Ford as one of 3 pieces conductors will use to practice their craft with the C4 chorus as part of their Summer workshop
7/14
A full orchestral version of music form Babylon Berlin in a new orchestration by Gene will be presented at the Pärnu Music Festival in Pärnu, Estonia by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic with Kristjan Jarvi conducting
7/21
Sound Liberation Quartet plays at ZWE in Vienna, Austria.
7/27
Blaskapelle Karwenka premieres 'Inn Suite' a new 20 minute piece for brass band as part of Outreach Festivals Sparkasse Concert.
Also the Outreach SPARK Orchestra will premiere 'Prelude & Waltz' at the 'Music Power in The Park' event in Schwaz, Austria.
7/30
William Schimmel premieres 'In the Shadow' as part of his 2023 Accordion Seminar
Aug
8/1-513
Gene is Back at the Outreach Festival in Schwaz Austria with many concerts, workshops and classes.
On Aug 4th the Outreach Orchestra premieres 'Tribute Suite' in three movements and Gene's arrangement pf 'Willow Weep For Me'
8/11
Violist Eddy Malave and pianist Laura Ahumada perform 'Drama' for viola and piano as part of CICLO CONTEMPORÁNEO 2023 at the Beethoven Foundation in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
8/19
Premiere of 'More Paradoxes' and a performance of a movement from 'Tango in V'as part of Composers Concordance 40th Season Announcement Concert with Machiko Ozawa - violin and Jai Jeffryes - piano @ Steel Wig Music
Sept.
9/1
Release of the album 'Time Lingers’, Todd Rewoldt - sax and, Lesi Mei - piano, featuring Gene’s ‘Hello Infinity’ as the closing track of the release on Composers Concordance Records
9/11-13
A full orchestral version of music form Babylon Berlin in a new orchestration by Gene performed in Stage Theater des Westens, Berlin, Germany by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic with Kristjan Jarvi conducting
9/19
Premiere of ’Simic’s Colors' for soprano, mandolin and classical guitar performed by Vox n Plux based on poems of Charles Simic, at the Salmagundi Club as part of the Village Trip Festival
9/21
'Low Key’ Chamber Concert #26 with Seth Boustead - piano at the Sky Vault. various duos for electric guitar and piano performed. presented by Composers Concordance
9/24
Composers Concordance presents its first event of its 40th season 'Electric Circus' - 8 electric guitars at St. marks Church as part of the Village Trip Festival, co produced with Marsyas Production
Gene Will have a premiere of 'Coughing, Love Exits Your Lungs Like Air ' for 7 e. guitars and e. bass and 'Electric Circus Canon' for 8 e. guitars.
9/28
The Mediterranean Trio performs ‘Leitourgia’ for violin, bari. sax and piano at The Cyprus High Commission in London, UK., as part of the ‘Echo of Silence’ event.
9/28
'Goldberg Blues Variations’ performed at the Fratopia Festival of Dicoveries by Kai Schumacher, piano and the SIGNUM saxophone quartet at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt the Mozart Hall in Frankfurt, Germany
9/30
Sound Liberation performs a concert in celebration of their 'Better Now' album at The Delancey - presented by Composers Concordance
Oct.
10/6
Gene Pritsker's Sound Liberation Trio performs at Silvnaa in Harlem with Adam Holzman, Dave Cossin
10/8
Gene Pritsker & Bruce Arnold Featuring
Judi Silvano - Double Album Release
concert for ‘ImproVisitations’ and Sonic Twist®. At Silvana NYC.
10/14
Premiere of T'he Visitant' for soprano and guitar on a poem by John Pietaro inspired by a painting of Mark Kostabi's. As part of Composers Concordance presents 'Shocking Red' at Kostabi World.
10/15
Warren Nicholson and Sean Satin premiere ’Shrine’ for 2 classical guitars at A Different Drummer Books in Burlington Ontario. Also on the program is the solo guitar piece ‘Dead Souls’
10/17
Warren Nicholson performs the solo guitar piece 'Dead Souls' at St Andrew’s church 'Music as Sanctuary' Series
in Ottawa, Ontario.
10/21
Warren Nicholson and Sean Satin premiere ’Shrine’ for 2 classical guitars at St. John’s Church in NYc. also on the program is the solo guitar piece ‘Dead Souls’
10/27
Release fo the album 'Ljiljana Winkler and the Solenne Band perform the music of Gene Pritsker' featuring the song 'Path' and the song cycle 'Blues From An Airport Bar - Chamber Version'
10/31
Sound Liberation performs as part of Composers Concordance 'Eclectic Bands' at Pangea NYC. Premiering a new suite of Gene's.
Nov.
11/4
Premiere of 'unCHARTed Deconstructed #3' as part of Composers Concordance presents Charts & Graphics at The Delancey
11/11
St. Cloud State University New Music Ensemble performs three of Gene's Compostions in St. Cloud, MN.
11/11
Premiere of 'Poets Songs' as part of Composers Concordance presents Cycles & Solos at Tenri Cultural Institute
11/118
Premiere of 'Bach and the Nanny-Goat Bassoonist II' for alto sax, e. guitar and piano as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Todd Rewoldt & Friends' at Steel Wig.
11/29
Soprano Ljiljana Winkler and the CompCord Ensemble perform Gene's 'Path' and 'Scatalism - Chamber Version' as part of Composers Concordance presents Art Of The Art Songs at DROM NYC
Dec.
12/1
Gene has many compositions performed as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Gene & The Brass' with
Peter Oswald - trumpet, Franz Hackl - trumpet, Dave Taylor - bass trombone
John Clark - Horn, others TBA
12/10
Gene has a composition performed as part of Composers Concordance presents Adam Holzman & Friends at Kostabi World
12/16
Premiere of 'Coconut Cornmeal Cake' for mezzo soprano and classical guitar performed as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Generations XIII'
The Bowers-Fader Duo
at Kostabi World
About
Composer Gene Pritsker has written over nine hundred compositions, including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music and songs for hip-hop and rock ensembles. His compositions employ an eclectic spectrum of styles, that 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. He also Co-Directs Composers Concordance and is a co-founder and composer-in-residence of the Grammy nominated Absolute Ensemble. Gene's music is performed all over the world at internationally recognized festivals and by highly respected ensembles and performers.
"My music is extremely eclectic, for me music has no bounds - I view the world of music as one big genre. My motto for my art is 'ending the segregation of sound vibration.'"
Gene is also a guitarist/rapper/Di.J./ and producer and incorporates each of these musical attributes to create music that is “not designed for easy listening or to melt into the background. It is insistent. It demands attention and curiosity."
- New York Newsday.
Gene worked closely with jazz fusion legend Joe Zawinul and has orchestrated major Hollywood movies, including 'Cloud Atlas', for which he wrote his ''Cloud Atlas Symphony’ and the 2021 film The Matrix Resurrections
PROJECTS
Sound Liberation / Recordings / Film/Commercial / Money (hip-hop opera) VRE Suite / solo, duo, trio... / Cello Lounge / William James's... opera
Di.J. Noizepunk / Cloud Atlas Symphony / Samplestra / Reinventions / DAYS Composers Concordance & Comp Cord Records / EMX / Maggots / Concertos
/ RiteOfSpring..Eclectic / Manhattan in Charcoal / Melodies Alone.. / EroicAnization
Albums
On ‘Better Now’ Gene Pritsker’s compositions explore soul, hip-hop, modern jazz, cross over classical, blues, r&b, jazz fusion and more. Recorded over a period of two years in various locations and studios, some tracks recorded remotely some in a studio station. The album takes you on a no holds bar genre defying journey that is the defining style of Sound Liberation.
Composer/bass trombonist Dave Taylor and composer/guitarist Gene Pritsker present a full album of duets for this unique instrumental combination. The album was mostly recorded remotely during the pandemic, some of the music was newly written for the project and many of the pieces Dave and Gene performed together before. The whole album was inspired after the duo recorded Gene’s ‘Pandemic Dance #22’, which was part of his Pandemic Dances project.
‘Only A Game’ was a commission by Robert Shannon Fields, to write music for his ballet libretto that he wrote decades ago in the former east Germany. I wrote this string trio inspired by the actions and words of Robert's ballet scenario. The music flowed to the imaginary dancers in my mind that were swaying, jumping acting out Robert's story; the 3rd act starts with a scene called 'A Special Game’. Here the solo cello delves into Shostakovich like chromaticism and lyricism, playing a game with
Soubrette auf der Toilette
‘Let’s Save the World Suite’ is a seven movement composition based on three poems of Erik T. Johnson. It is scored for a quintet of trumpet, sax, electric guitar, electric bass and drum set, with a narrator reciting the poem in three of the movements.
CLOUD ATLAS SYMPHONY
Duets For The End Of The World' is a collaboration between alto saxophonist Todd Rewoldt and composer/guitarist Gene Pritsker, recorded remotely during the pandemic. The album emphasizes duets Pritsker wrote for Rewoldt and himself, but also features Gene’s music for solo alto sax and electronics, larger chamber ensembles, and a composition by composer Seth Boustead.
'Stray-in-Place Song Cycle' is an album of six eclectic songs by Gene Pritsker, based on the poetry of Erik T. Johnson and inspired by the lockdown of 2021. Three of the songs are rock-influenced and the others have jazzier roots. All are performed by world-class musicians. A variety of singers add their unique styles to six pieces, giving the recording an extra-eclectic flavor. They are: Stefanie Egger (Austria); Sophie Dunér (Sweden); Berzan Önen (Turkey); Yelena Dudochkin (USA); and Stefani
Protest
GP Trio
EroicAnization
Maggots and other Chamber music of Gene Pritsker
MONEY A Chamber Hip-hop Opera By Gene Pritsker Performed by Sound Liberation:
An All Gene Pritsker compositions album featuring members of EMX (Eclectic Music eXtravaganza)
Rite Through an Eclectic Spectrum performed by Sound Liberation on Composers Concordance Records
Operatic Electric Juecheng Chen - Countertenor and Gene Pritsker - Composer/DI.J./guitarist.
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