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
“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
Gene Pritsker Composer
NEW ALBUM
Featured Videos
Recent & Upcoming
Performances:
2024
Oct.
10/2
1st movement from the the guitar quartet 'Two Dances From Satans Great Ball' performed as part of Música em Ação at the Centro Cultural da UFRGS in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Performers are the graduate students of the Postgraduate Program in Music at UFRGS
10/4
The albumin ‘Spontaneous’ is released on Composers Concordance Records, featuring Gene’s quartet ‘Spontaneous Salon’ and his arrangement of Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley and Nat Adderley’s 'Spontaneous Combustion’
10/6
Ethel premieres the new string quartet 'Emerging' as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Ethel' at Church Street School
10/6
'Dazed Variations’ for solo guitar performed by Warren Nicholson at Cathedral Arts in, Burlington VT
10/8
'Dazed Variations’ for solo guitar performed by Warren Nicholson at King’s Chapel Boston, MA. As pert of Tuesday Recitals Series
10/12
Guitarist 8 Warren Nicholson premieres
'Dazed Variations' for solo guitar and ''Bluebird Tango' for piccolo and classical guitar with flutist Snježana Pavićević as part of Composers Concordance Presents Warren Nicholson - Guitar event at St. Johns-in-the-Village.
10/13
'Ukrainian Lullabies Variations’ for violin and string orchestra premiered by
Petro Krysa - violin and the Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra in Philharmonia Hall, Lviv, Ukraine
10/18
The Bowers/Fader duo perform 'Coconut Cornmeal Cake’ at the Ellington Room at Manhattan Plaza NYC.
10/20
'Mugshot' premiered as part of Composers Concordance Composers Concordance Presents 'Interpretations of Art @ Ki Smith Gallery' Feat. The CompCord Ensemble.
10/25
'Change The Nature Of The One Who Prays II' premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Strings Attached' concert at Steel Wig NYC.
10/31
New compositions premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Charles Vs. Gene' concert at Kostabi World. Premieres include 'VS.', 'Vanishing', 'Nighthawks' as well as a new arrangement of a Mark Kostabi piece.
Nov.
11/1
Performances with dance of ‘Under the Wolf’s Cloak’ at James Madison University’s Forbes Performance Centers Forbes Mainstage Theater featuring JMU’s Virginia Repertory Dance Company.
11/1
‘ImproVisitaions’, Bruce Arnold and Gene Pritsker guitar duo, album released on Muse Eek Publishing Inc Records
11/2
Two performances with dance of ‘Under the Wolf’s Cloak’ at James Madison University’s Forbes Performance Centers Forbes Mainstage Theater featuring JMU’s Virginia Repertory Dance Company with Gene on guitar
11/2
Machiko Ozawa performs ’Tango In V’ as part of her Traveling Violin Recital at Kirara Hall, Kamakura, Japan
11/3 Machiko Ozawa performs ’Tango In V’ as part of her Traveling Violin Recital at the German Culture Center, OAG Hall, Aoyama Tokyo, Japan
11/9
'I Knew A Women' for baritone and Samplestra performed as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Baritone Andrew White'
at The Delancey
11/14
Miolina performs ‘Empty Bottles’ as part of their event Constructivism / Deconstructivism at Greenwich House Music School
11/16
'Mama, I Can't Breathe Chorale #1 & #3' performed as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama Guitar Quartet' concert at Silvana
11/22
'Game Over' premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Art of The Art Song' concert with soprano Ljiljana Winkler, trumpeter Peter Oswlad and the CompCord String Quartet at St. John's in the Village. Also a performance of new arrangements of Puccini and Mendelssohnsongs.
11/17
'Opposite Extreme of Compassion' for solo violin performed by Ekaterina Gubanova at the Nosov Mansion in Moscow, Russia
11/29
'Jocose Flows' for 4 trumpets and rhythm section premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Trumpetation' concert at NUBLU also on the event 'Canon - Speak Your Mind III' is performed
Dec.
12/2
Premier of ‘In Memory of Thomas E. Youngs’ for 2 trumpets as part of 'Thomas E. Youngs A Celebration Of Life' presented by Composers Concordance. Also a performance of 'Plastic Plants And Balloon Dogs’ on a poem of Robert C. Ford at this event.
12/6
Premiered of 'Awakening Your Inner Schizo' as part of Composers Concordance Presents
'Adam Holzman 'SCHIZO' Piano & Electronics' concert at Kostabi World
12/8
Machiko Ozawa performs 'Tango in V" as part of her 'Récital de violon' in Studio L'Accord Parfait, Paris France.
12/14
‘Fashion Runway I’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Expedition Continued I’ and ‘Ostinatos/Solos #2 - Reethigowla' performed as part of Composers Concordance Presents ''Chamber vs. The 1s & 2s' concert at Red Eye
12/21
'Under The Wolfs Cloak' and 'I Like The Memories' premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Music & Film @ Westbeth' concert at Westbeth
2025
Jan
1/4
Jeffryes Brothers piano and drum set duo perform 'Essence' and 'Time Here Becomes Space III' as part of Composers Concordance presents Jeffryes Brothers at Kosatbi world
1/24
duoJalal viola and percussion duo perform 'True' and an arrangement of Mark Kostabi's 'Mr. It' as part of Composers Concordance presents duoJalal at Kosatbi world
1/31
Tasman & Noizepunk (Tasos Papastamou - violin and Gene Pritsker - Di.J. / Guitar) perform a set and Sound Liberation performs a set both as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Double Feature' at Silvanas in Harlem
Gene premieres the 3 movement ' Pets Suite' with Sound Liberation
Feb
2/8
Todd Rewoldt and the CompCord String Quartet perform a new composition as part of Composers Concordance presents Pizza Pizzicato at St. John's in the Village
2/15
New composition performed as part of Composers Concordance presents Octogenarians at Gallery MC
with John Clark - horn, David Taylor - bass trombone and a rhythm section.
2/20
Premiere of the 40min composition 'The Painters' by the CompCord Modified String Quartet as part of Composers Concordance presents 'The Painters' at Westbeth.
2/23
New composition performed as part of Composers Concordance presents PRISM at Steel Wig Music with Machiko Ozawa - violin & Jai Jeffryes -piano
2/28
The Bowers/Fader duo perform 'Coconut Cornmeal Cake’ at the Tenri Cultural Institute
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 / Groove Possessed / Trump Concerto / Blog
This album demonstrates some of Composer Gene Pritsker's compsotions that explore the various sounds of string instruments. From solo violin compositions performed by Lara St. John and Machiko Ozawa to string quartets performed by the CompCord String Quartet and Kahlo String Quartet to music for multiple strings including compositions for 3 violin, 5 violins and 2 electric guitars.
‘Under The Wolf’s Cloak’ music by Gene Pritsker poem by Imelda O'Reilly, for narrator, chorus and two Marimbas Performed by Imelda O'Reilly - narrator David Cossin - marimba Macrófona Choir
Sound Liberation Di.J. Quartet Gene Pritsker - Di.J. / guitar Peter Oswald - trumpet Clemens Rofner - bass Simon Springer - Drums
'Blues from an Airport Bar' by Gene Pritsker is a song cycle based on 4 poems of Jacob Miller. The music is inspired by the blues, but with very extended harmony and melody.. The song ‘Path’ is originally written as an r&b track, here it is transformed into a jazzy/operatic chamber piece that features the brilliant voice of Ljiljana and the groovy ensemble playing of the Solenne Band
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
Albums
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