On July 29, 30 and 31, 2017, Dr William Schimmel directed his 23rd Annual Accordion Seminars to a capacity crowd producing the best weekend yet. The 24th Annual Seminars will take place on July 27, 28, and 29, 2018 at Tenri – the theme: “Thinking inside the Box”.
He performed the accordion part written just for him for the Disney Cruise Ship production of “Beauty and the Beast”. Dr. Schimmel is featured in a new short film by A. Lauren titled “Artemis” – the subject is Alzheimers and will be shown soon.
Last month, Dr. Schimmel performed as soloist with The Minnesota Orchestra performing “Valentino Dances” by Domenick Argento. This was a celebration of Mr. Argento’s 90th Birthday. Dr. Schimmel has turned this except from his opera,”The Dream of Valentino” into a mini Accordion and has toured and recorded it with the Minnesota Orchestra on Reference Records.It received a rave review in the Twin Cities Pioneer Press: “William Schimmel made Argento’s Tangos sizzle and squeal” “What Schimmel did for his role in ‘Valentino Dances’ was comparable to the kind of show – stopping pyrotechnics you’ll get from a great rock guitarist or jazz saxophonist” – (Rob Hubbard of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press) – (complete review enclosed in file) Mr. Argento’s first instrument was the accordion – and the irony is that although Mr Argento and Dr. Schimmel are twenty years apart, they shared the same composition teacher, the great opera composer Hugo Weisgall and the notoriously fearsome ear training teacher, Rene Longy.
Dr. Schimmel has six new videos on YouTube: “1601″ on a text by Mark Twain, “A Bellows Pleated World and The Owl I thought I knew (in preparation) all directed by his wife, Micki Goodman and “Old Manayunk”, A cyberpunk reality -“Symphony #6 (Pathetic/Pastoral) Cyberpunk” and “Hoffman Combat”, A reality that fuses “Tales of Hoffman” by Offenbach with “Il Combattimento do trancedi e clorinda” by Monteverdi.
Dr. Schimmel can be heard in the soundtrack to the film “Norman” starring Richard Gere, the Showtime Series “Ray Donovan” starring Liev Schreiber and the PBS series, “Sacred”.On November 3, 2017, he will premiere his new work, “Green Jackets”, in memory of Suzanne Bloch – who was the daughter of Ernest Bloch, the great Jewish 20th century composer. Dr. Schimmel was her ear training assistant in the late 1960’s early 70’s at the Juilliard School.The concert will take place at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains New York. Denise Koncelik will join him on tenor recorder.
On November 5, 2017 His “Bactoblues” will be performed by Bactopus at St. Peter’s Church in Chelsea, Manhattan.
For further information: accordionbill@gmail.com
