Dr. William Schimmel has played the accordion in various prominent symphony orchestras. He performed “Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King” at Radio City Music Hall in New York with the Orchestra of St. Lukes. This three and a half movie spectacle was projected on the large screen with the orchestra playing live. The sold out performances were Feb 27, 28 ,March 1, and  March 2, 2025.

Additional performances that Dr. Schimmel has performed live with movie and orchestra include: “The Godfather”  – with The New York Philharmonic; “On the Waterfront” – with the New York Philharmonic; “Ratatouille” – with The Philadelphia Orchestra; “Mary Poppins” with The New Jersey Symphony

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. William Schimmel holds a BM, MS and DMA degrees 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, most contemporary ensembles, Broadway as well as numerous European tours. 

His Tango Project CD’s 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 (who received an Oscar). His current CD, “The Theater of the Accordion” features trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and has reached #2 on the Amazon charts (They perform a 6 minute version of “Mahler 9”). He has  performed  with rock stars as diverse as Sting and Tom Waits.

Dr. Schimmel resides in Manhattan with his wife, Micki Goodman, a dancer/choreographer and son, Michael, a 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 Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library. 

For further information: Accordionbill@gmail.com