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
June
6/1
'Detektive Thumb and The Infinity House' for a silent film performed at Culture Lab as part of the 'Sound Of Silence' Festival.
6/2
Sound Liberation Di.J. Quartet performs as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Eclectic Bands' at NUBLU
6/8
'An An Anachronistic Melody' and 'Fugue For Sean' premiered as part of Composers Concordance presents 'A Knack for Anachronism' at St. John's in The Village
as well as an arrangement of a transcription of Thelonious Monk's solo version of 'Tea For Two'
6/13
Low Key Chamber Concert #35 with
Funda Cizmecioglu - violin,
Robert C. Ford & John Pietaro - poets
6/20
Multiple compostions performed as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Strings & Poems' at Jim Kempner Gallery
Including the premiere of 'Solstice Haikus' and 'Kyoshi's Seasons (summer)' and performances of 'In Memory Of Sean Satin', 'Water, Frog, Bird'
6/23
'Louder, Please, My Watch Can’t Hear You' a mini opera on words of John Pietaro and 'Deserts Lullaby' on wards of Roger Aplon performed as part of Composers Concordance presents 'CompCord Ensemble @ Howland Cultural Center' in Beacon NY
6/27
'Fugue For Sean' and 'Canons For Guitars' premiered a part of Composers Concordance presents 'Imitations' at Greenwich House.
6/29
'LittleBig Blues' the songs 'Cool It Out' and 'Swing Like Animals' and an arranrement of Eric Dolphys 'Miss Ann' premiered as part of Composers Concordance presents 'LittleBig Band'' at Loft 393
July
7/7
Clair Obscur Saxophone Quartet performs 'Elegant Piles Of Refuse' at the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, Germany.
7/9
Saxophonist Martin Stier perform 'Maggots' baritone sax concerto as part of his masters recital in Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.
7/10
Performances of various compositions as part of EMX presents a concert at Panda Platforma in Berlin, Germany
7/17-18
Concerts in Cephalonia, Greece with violinist Tasos Papstamou and soprano Ljiljana Winkler
7/20
Pianist Sayaka Takahashi performs ‘NYC’ in St. Petersburg at 'Ekaterininskoye Sobranie’ (Assembly of Empress Catherine)
721 - 8/11
Gene is back at the Outreach Festival in Schwaz, Austria. Concert with Sound Liberation at the main Festival s well a with the Outreach Orchestra. Other concerts, composition classes, and workshops.
7/21
‘Let the Rain Sing You A Lullaby’ for solo bassoon premiered by Scott Pool as part of the 53rd annual Double Reed Society Conference in Studio Theater at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
7/25
Premiere of 'Spark Fanfare' for 3 trumpets and bari sax as part of the Music Power in the Park feat. Outreach’s SPARK Orchestra concert at the Outreach Festival 2024
7/26
'More Love Is Better' for solo accordion is premiered by William Schimmel to a video by Graham Elliott.as aprs of the 2024 Accordion Seminars, An online event.
7/27
Concert with the Outreach Workshop band as part of Outreach Festival 2024. Gene will have many compositions performed.
Aug
8/1
Sound Liberation performs a set of Gene's music as part of Outreach Festival 2024.
Premieres include the song 'Dealing With it' and 'More Iguanas'.
8/2
'Critical Mass Of Positivity' performed by the Outreach Orchestra as part of Outreach Festival 2024.
8/2
Machiko Ozawa performs ‘Tango In V’ at Clang Atelier @ Bern, Switzerland
8/2
The album 'Gene & The Strings' released on Composers Concordance records, dist. by Naxos
8/16
Low Key Chamber Concert #35 with Stephanie Susberich
8/27
Suite #1 and 'Ladies First Tango II' performed as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Tango Prism' with Machiko Ozawa and Jai Jeffryes
8/30
CompCord Ensemble in Vermont Composers Concordance presents 'Moonlight & Maple Syrup' at Capital City Grange Gene's premieres inlude 'Maple Syrup (A Baseball Poem)', 'Moonlight', 'Follow Your Inner Moonlight; Don't Hide The Madness' and an arrangement of Captain Beefhearts 'Moonlight On Vermont'.
Sept.
9/5
Sound Liberation performs an event at Birdland, presented by Composers Concordance. A CD release concert for 'Gene & The Strings' and Genes Birthday celebration. Premiers include 'Must Be The Shosti', 'World’s End', and teh NYC premieres of 'Dealing With It', 'More Iguanas', 'Tony V Does The Tango'.
9/7
'Detektive Thumb and The Infinity House' performed as part of Mini Sound of Silent Film Festival at the 9th annual Thirsty Ears Festival in Chicago, IL
9/8
'Goldberg Blues Variations’ ‘performed by Kai Schumacher and the SIGNUMs Sax Quartet at Demmin, St. Bartholomaei Church as part of Festspiele is Mecklenburg- Vorpommern, Germany
9/15
Composers Concordance presents 'In Memory of Sean Satin' at Greenwich House As part of the Village Trip Festival. Gene will have performances of 'Fugue For Sean' for 4 electric guitars, and the premiere of 'Songs Sean Liked' fro solo violin and Samplestra, pre recorded by Petro Krysa
9/22
'Intersection of Nature and Humanity' and 'Deflating Earth' premiered as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Interpretations of Chuck Connelly's Paintings' at his home in Pennsylvania
9/22
'She’s SoChaconne’ performed by violinist Ekaterina Gubanova in Myaskovsky Hall at the Moscow Conservatory as part of the series 'Musical Bridges'.
9/28
Premiere of ‘Hunger Proverbs’ for mezzo soprano, clarinet and fretless guitar as part of Composers Concordance Presents
'World Central Kitchen Fundraiser' at St. John's church in the Village
As part of the Village Trip Festival
9/28
‘Under the Wolf’s Cloak’ premiered as a 360° Virtual Reality Dance Piece at John C Wells Planetarium in Harrisonburg, VA
Video by Joe Foley
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 ‘Spinatnoue 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
10/12
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
New composition premiered as part of Composers Concordance Composers Concordance Presents 'Interpretations of Art @ Ki Smith Gallery' Feat. The CompCord Ensemble.
10/25
New composition 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'.
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.
11/2
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.
11/9
'I Knew A Women' for baritone and Samplestra performed as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Baritone Andrew White'
at The Delancey
11/16
New compositions premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama Guitar Quartet' concert at Silvana
11/22
New compositions 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
11/29
New compositions premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Trumpetation' concert at NUBLU
Dec.
12/6
A new composition premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Adam Holzman - Piano' concert at Kostabi World
12/13
New compositions premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents ''Chamber vs. The 1s & 2s' concert at Red Eye
12/21
'Under The Wolfs Cloak' premiered as part of Composers Concordance Presents 'Music & Film @ Westbeth'
concert at Westbeth
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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