On September 19, 2016 a free concert to honor the 70th birthday of Dr. William Schimmel will be held at Shea Auditorium, William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Road in Wayne, NJ at 7:PM.

The concert is sponsored by the Composers Concordance and the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble and will present contemporary music in honor of Bill Schimmel who has commissioned and premiered many new works.

Presently he is the accordionist with the popular Broadway show “An American in Paris”. Over the years his music has been included in television shows and films. His best known appearance is in the tango scene of “Scent of a Woman” starring Al Pacino.

Bill Schimmel learned accordion as a child and attended Julliard School of Music where he received his doctorate in composition. While he was still a student at the school, his career was launched after he recorded songs of avant gard composer, Luiano Berio. An authority on Kurt Weill, Dr. Schimmel has recorded all of Weill’s music with accordion

Beginning in 1981, Schimmel’s Tango Project has released a string of acclaimed recordings on the Nonesuch and Newport Classic labels. The first Tango Project recording went to No. 1 on Billboard’s classical charts and was named Record of the Year by Stereo Review magazine.

Schimmel has described the accordion as having a “built-in ironic duality,” both “elegant and vulgar.” That dual quality is captured in the tango scene of “Scent of a Woman,” where it adds a spirit of fun and an undertone of raw sexuality.

He has served and continues to serve as Artist in Residence of The American Accordionist’s Association (AAA) where he also serves as Distinguished Lecturer in Residence and member of the Governing Board.

Directed by Peter Jarvis, the Composers Concordance program will feature eight world premieres. Music written by Schimmel will be featured alongside compositions by John Clark, Dan Cooper, Franz Hackl, Jarvis, Gene Pritsker, David Taylor and Payton MacDonald. Performers will include Schimmel, Pritsker on guitar, the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble and the B3+ Brass Trio.

For further information: accordionbill@gmail.com