Schimmel’s new CD, “THE THEATER OF THE ACCORDION”, has been on the Amazon.com best seller list for a number of weeks. The album features guest artist,Wynton Marsalas, trumpet. It is on the Roven Record label and can be ordered throughAmazon.com
Dr. Schimmel is the featured artist in a new video by Serbian composer/dj Milica Paranosic. The title of the video is “NINA” and the release date is October 31, 2015.
Dr. Schimmel’s choral work, “YUD LAMED YUD,” had its world premiere on October 15, 2015 at the MC Gallery in New York.
On September 18,19 and 21, He appeared with the New York Philharmonic performing Leonard Bernstein’s score to “ON THE WATERFRONT” and Nino Rota’s score to “THE GODFATHER”.
Both movies were shown as the orchestra played. “ON THE WATERFRONT” was performed again on October 11 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
On October 16, He appeared with The American Symphony at Carnegie Hall in a performance of Henri Dutteliex’s “CORRESPONDENCES” for Soprano and Orchestra.
Dr. Schimmel continues to perform in the hit musical “AN AMERICAN IN PARIS” on Broadway.
He can be heard in the new movie “ROCK THE KASBAH” starring Bill Murray. The music is by Marcelo Zarvos
On November 29, 2015 his composition “NEVER SAY DIXIELAND” will have it’s world premiere at Spectrum performance space in New York.
William Schimmel is a virtuoso accordionist, author, philosopher and composer. He is one of the principle architects in the tango revival in America, the resurgence of the accordion and the philosophy of Musical Reality (composition with pre-existing music). He received his diploma from the Neupauer Conservatory of Music and his BM, MS and DMA degrees from the Juilliard School.
He has taught at the Juilliard School , Brooklyn College CUNY, Upsala College, New School University, Neupauer Conservatory (dean) and has lectured on accordion related subjects at Princeton , Columbia , Brandeis, University of Missouri , Duke University, Manhattan School of Music, the Graduate Center CUNY, Santa Clara University, The Janacek Conservatory in Ostrava, Czech Republic and at Microsoft.
He has performed with virtually every major symphony orchestra in America (and the Kirov ) including a longstanding relationship with the Minnesota Orchestra, as well as virtually every chamber music group in New York including Ensemble Sospeso and the Odeon Jazz Ensemble.
He is founder of the Tango Project, which, in addition to his hit recordings with them, has appeared with Al Pacino in the film: Scent of a Woman, for which Pacino won an Oscar. The Tango Project also won the Stereo Review Album of the Year Award, received a Grammy nomination and rose to number I on the Billboard Classical Charts. He can be heard in other films including True Lies, Kun Dun and many others including films that he both scored and performed and a series of films for the Nature Conservancy which have won numerous prizes in documentary categories.
He is an authority of the music of Kurt Weill, having recorded all of Weill’s music that employs the accordion. He is a prolific composer with many commissions from concert music to Broadway and off-Broadway. He has written countless accordion pieces for himself and others including a test piece for the Coupe Mondiale, the accordions’ most prestigious world competition. His Portrait No I for orchestra was conducted by the late Leopold Stockowski.
Dr. Schimmel’s theatre works in collaboration with Micki Goodman have made accordion history.He now heads the Neupauer Conservatory Order of the Shield program, a private studies program for gifted students on a graduate and post graduate level. he conducts a successful three day master class and concert series sponsored by the American Accordionists’ Association (where he is distinguished lecturer in residence) moving into its 20th season.
The Confederations International of Accordionists have awarded Dr. Schimmel the distinguished Merit Award for the AAA Master Class and Concert Series as well as his contribution to the international accordion scene. He received the American Accordionists’ Association Distinguished Service Award for Fifty Years of Accordion activity and his work as Lecturer in Residence. He is listed in Who’s Who in America and Great Minds of the 21st Century.
Dr. Schimmel, and his wife, choreographer, director, filmmaker Micki Goodman co-founded and co- directs the Institute for Private Studies, a pluralistic think-tank. They have a 34 year old son, Michael, an accordionist and visual artist—and a Special Olympics gold medal winner.
For further information: billschimmel@billschimmel.com
