The Composers Concordance is a presenting organization for contemporary music, primarily living Americans, which has been around 26 years, starting in 1984. Founded by composer/librarian Patrick Hardish and composer/pianist Joseph Pehrson, they have worked with William Schimmel for many years.
Schimmel was a teacher at the Juilliard School in 1969 when he first met Patrick Hardish. Patrick started showing Bill his compositions when he was in one of Bill’s Juilliard classes. As a result, Patrick became Bill Schimmel’s very first composition student and Bill was Patrick’s first composition mentor! Friendship and colleagueship followed, continuing to this day.
William Schimmel has played eleven pieces on Composers Concordance concerts over the years! Three pieces were by other composers: Patrick Hardish’s Accordioclusterville, May 14, 1986, Alexander Shchetynsky’s Sonata, March 19, 1999, and Luciano Berio’s Sequenza #13, November 11, 2005. The rest were his own original pieces:
Bill Schimmel performed his Suicide in C Minor for soprano and accordion on one of our very first concerts, April 24, 1984. Both Bill and the audience members lived to tell about this! The work was presented at the Sulzberger Parlor of Barnard College with Betty Faber, soprano and Bill at the accordion. He was also with us at one of our more prestigious early concerts May 3, 1985 at Weill Recital Hall with his Terminal Hotel. Bill performed this piece on accordion, adding his distinctive vocalizations.
But, the “Schimmelfest” was to continue with Space Requiem from May 14, 1986 at NYU’s Loewe Theatre, one of the locations we used for many years through the largess of NYU professor Dinu Ghezzo. Bill again vocalized, played and scampered.
November 20, 1987 brought one of Bill’s most distinctive performances to Composers Concordance at the St. Ignatius Church when he wore a toy truck on his head like a hat and did a memorial to American composer Roy Harris, a former part-time truck driver, in his Symphony #3 Roy Harris. This was a very moving performance as Bill marched down the aisle of the church, truck on head, performing.
December 3, 1992 brought William Schimmel’s accordion thesis Wagner IS Debussy to our concert at the larger hall of the Greenwich House . Many audience members were thoroughly convinced by this interpretation and theory. However, adding even more excitement, November 20, 1998 brought a larger-scale Schimmel piece, The Dolls to our concert at Christ & St. Stephen’s Church. For this presentation, Bill brought his wife Micki Goodman, singer/choreographer, and Kathleen Goodman singer/actress. This theatre work brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience.
To add a bit to the international music trend, November 19, 2004 brought Bill Schimmel’s Capriccio Brasilia to the Composers Concordance at Christ & St. Stephen’s church. For this work, Bill brought in Alyssa Lamb for vocals and melodica, adding to his own mighty playing and singing.
And finally, for the Composers Concordance very most recent concert at the Club Drom, January 31, 2010, all composers were asked to perform in their own pieces for a concert entitled “Composers Play Composers.” Bill performed his life-interpreting work, with a theme of “what ‘s it all about”: The Wheel of Becoming. With this wheel we have come “full circle” in a wonderful collaboration with the extraordinary Dr. Schimmel that we hope will continue as long as the Composers Concordance, Bill and the accordion inhale and exhale their distinctive breaths.
Photography by Jill Steinberg:
The top photo is Joseph Pehrson, Willliam Schimmel, Patrick Hardish.
The second photo is of William Schimmel.
For further information: Dr. Joseph Pehrson, Founding Director, Composers Concordance
info@composersconcordance.org
Phone: 212-564-4899
