“Black Swan” is a new work by Dr. William Schimmel scored for Accordion and Chamber Orchestra. The instrumentation is for Accordion solo, Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute, French Horns 1 and 2, Violins 1 and 2, Viola, Cello, Contrabass and Vibraphone.

The Accordion Solo will be performed by Dr. Denise Koncelik, who has studied extensively with Dr. Schimmel for many years and has been the recipient of the Order of the Shield Diploma under the tutelage of Dr. Schimmel. She holds a Doctorate from The University of Texas.

A Black Swan is a symbol of Beauty, Mystery and Transformation. Three descending notes make up the Melodic Principle,The use of the Accordion alone or with the orchestration make up the Sonority Principle, The Rhythmic Principle is rather straightforward but with melodies that overlap the bar lines producing interesting subdivisions to the final surprise, The Reality
Principal, a familiar melody in a new context, both Tango and Fado, perhaps depicting the rarely seen Black Swan.

The work will be performed by The North South Consonance Orchestra conducted by Max Lifchitz (also the founder). The concert will take place on February 23, 2024 at The DiMenna Center in New York – 450 W 37th St. The piece was written for the 44th Anniversary of North South Consonance.

Since 1980, North/South Consonance has garnered widespread praise for its eloquent performances of music by composers of our time. Under the leadership of Max Lifchitz, its founder and director, this adventurous ensemble has brought to the attention of the New York public over 750 different works by composers from every corner of the world.

Dr. William Schimmel holds BM, MS and DMA degrees, with a doctorate from the Juilliard School. He performed with virtually every ensemble in New York, from the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center, many contemporary ensembles, and on Broadway as well as on numerous European tours. His Tango Project albums have reached #1 on the Billboard charts along with Stereo Review Album of the Year and Grammy nominations. He has performed in many movie soundtracks, and can be seen and heard in Scent of a Woman starring Al Pacino. His current album, The Theater of the Accordion features trumpeter Wynton Marsalas and has reached #2 on the Amazon charts. Dr. Schimmel resides in Manhattan with his wife, Micki Goodman, a dancer/choreographer and video artist. Together they have produced numerous videos that can be seen and heard on YouTube. Dr. Schimmel’s works are currently being archived at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Dr. William Schimmel’s versatility is evident by the many musical projects that he is involved in. He has devoted his life to musicianship particularly utilizing the accordion.

Conductor Max Lifchitz, a native of Mexico City met Dr. Schimmel in a class at Juilliard taught by Luciano Berio. They have been close colleagues since 1966. Max Lifchitz was awarded first prize in the 1976 International Gaudeamus Competition for Performers of Twentieth Century Music held in Holland. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, Mr. Lifchitz has appeared in concert and recital throughout the US, Latin America and Europe.

Denise Koncelik, Brooklyn, NY, holds a DMA in Flute Performance, MA in Flute Pedagogy, and a BM in Theory/Composition. She is Co-director of the New York Flute Club Ensemble Program and has performed on Bass Flute with the National Flute Association Professional Flute Choir. Dr. Koncelik taught flute, class piano and woodwind methods at Texas Woman’s University, flute and composition at Midwestern State University, and played piccolo, jazz piano, and 3rd flute in the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra.  Her flute choir arrangements have been performed in NY and TX, and she has written arrangements for the Main Squeeze (accordion) Orchestra in NYC and the Accordion Pops Orchestra in New Jersey.  She writes arrangements and plays keyboard with Chelsea Musica, has performed in the accordion quartet Bachtopus, and conducted holiday programs for the Brooklyn Accordion Club. She is a member American Federation of Musicians.

As an accordionist, Dr. Koncelik has played at Carnegie Hall with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the American Symphony Orchestra, at Symphony Space, le poisson rouge, Bowery Poetry Club, Joe’s Pub, Brooklyn Bowl, Rockwood Music Hall, Duane Park, Bryant Park, and for Make Music New York. She played in the Off-Broadway productions of “Fiddler on the Roof – in Yiddish” and “The Last Boy” (Broadway production April 2022). She is the recipient of the Order of the Shield from the Neupaurer Conservatory of Music and studies with Dr. William Schimmel.

For further information: accordionbill@gmail.com