Contact: Genepritsker@gmail.com
Gene Pritsker Composer
“Mischief-maker and cultural blender-in-chief, Pritsker is a serious artist, yet much of his work is witty and irreverent.” Anyone can draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa, but few musicians draw it as artistically and creatively as Gene Pritsker.”
- Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine
'The shape-shifting Gene Pritsker is one of the only composers who continues to break down the barriers that still exist in the sometimes water-tight compartments that industry marketers revel in."
- Raul d'Gama Rose, All About Jazz
“Mischief-maker and cultural blender-in-chief, Pritsker is a serious artist, yet much of his work is witty and irreverent.” Anyone can draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa, but few musicians draw it as artistically and creatively as Gene Pritsker.”
- Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine
"...audacious...multitalented."
- The New York Times
'The shape-shifting Gene Pritsker is one of the only composers who continues to break down the barriers that still exist in the sometimes water-tight compartments that industry marketers revel in."
- Raul d'Gama Rose, All About Jazz
'Intending to make music
dangerous again.”
- Sequenza21
Gene Pritsker Composer
Recent albums
Featured Videos
Recent & Upcoming
Performances:
2025
Aug
8/1
Video to Lockdown Lullabies #1 premiered at William Schimmels Accordion Seminars
8/7
Premiere of 'Nothingness of Big Lies' with the Outreach Orchestra in Schwaz, Austria.
8/14
The Ukrainian Cultural - ZERNO Project with Petro & Noizepunk at the Outreach Festival at Mathoi Garden
8/18
Baritone Andrew White performs'Let Mother Breathe' and 'I Don't Do What I'm Told’ at the Ellington Room as part of Concordance presents 'Baritone Andrew White'
8/23
Sound Liberation performs at Joe's Pub for a set of Gene's compositions.
Premieres include 'Betwixt' and 'Who U R?'.
8/24
Petro Krysa performs The Ukrainian Cultural - ZERNO Project 'З України крізь вогонь / From Ukraine through The Fire' at the Patyk Museum in Livv, Ukraine
8/24
2nd movement of the trio 'Everything Profound' performed at ACM's Thirsty Ears Festival, by Seth Boustead/David Keller/Traci Huff
8/30
Violinist Machiko Ozawa and pianist Jai Jeffryes premiere 'Prism Sonata' as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Prism Duo' at Steel Wig Music
8/31
Low-Key Chamber Concert #38
featuring violist Eddy Malave. Composition performed: 'Folk Like Melodies', 'The Sky Is Too Crowded With Light', 'Sky Vault Theme Song' and 'Closing Bell'
Sept.
9/6
Soprano Ljiljana Winkler premieres ‘Poems of Imelda O'Rellly’ as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Art Of The Art Song' at Westbeth
9/12
Gene Performs a solo guitar set as part of Composers Concordance presents '21st Century Solo Electric Guitar'. His compositions include 'Three Ballades for Electric Guitar'. At Silvana in Harlem
9/27
Violinist Ekaterina Gubanova performs 'She’s So Chaconne’ at Myaskovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory
9/28
'The Food Hymnal' for SATB chorus is performed as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Ciabatta Cantata' at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery
Oct.
10/3
Premiere of 'Stir' for alto sax and piano and a performance of ’The Dark that Stand Aorund You’ as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Evan Francis and Steve Sandberg Duo' at The Ellington Room
10/11
Premiere of 'She Knows' by the CompCord Ensemble, inspired by a painting of Ford Krull as part of Composers Concordance presents' Interpretations of Art @ Hardware Gallery featuring The CompCord Ensemble'
10/19
Premiere of ‘Euphony’ and ‘Paradigm’ and a performance of 'Variations on My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama' as part of Composers Concordance presents Timbre Tantrum: Guitars with the My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama Guitar Trio
10/26
Premiere of ‘Tohubohu’and a performance of ’TMI Strut’ and 'Waltz Up' as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Alex & Gene with Friends' @ Silvana, Harlem.
10/28
Performance of Kostabi & Friends Quartet at ShapeShifter Lab opening for Alexander's Swing-Time Orchestra, performance of Pandemic Dance #11 and the premiere of Oscillate
Presented by Composers Concordance
10/31
Five string compositions premiered as part of Composers Concordance presents 'Composers Tournament' at Loft393
Nov.
11/7
Premiering In 'Another Light' to the silent film by 'In Another Light, 'Cinema of Memory Program' at The Kite Club as part of Home Movie Programs.
11/7
Orchestration of the song 'Ein Tag Wie Gold' performed by Meret Becker and the Bremer Philharmoniker
in the City Hall of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany
11/8
Premiere of 'There's A Bluebird In My Heart Tango' and a performance of a duo for electric guitar and classical guitar
as part of Composers Concordance presents Eclectic Virtuosi: Oren Fader at Hardware Gallery
11/ 14 & 15
Premiere of 'Nonchalance Existence' for hichiriki and bass flute by Thomas Piercy and Lish Lindsey as part of Vox Novus Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame at Martha Graham Studios presented by Random Access Music
11/15
'We Must Be Still And Still Moving Into Another Intensity' premiered by Lesi Mei and Chris Cortez Duo at as part of Composers Concordance event at St, Johns Church In The village
11/16
Prelude and Fugue from Suite #1 performed at the Moscow Conservatory’s Myaskovsky Hall by violinist Ekaterina Gubanova and pianist Maria Romanenko.
11/19
Premier of 'Migration Song III' at The Berlin Academy of American Music by saxophonist Christoph Enzel at Salon Christophori, in Berlin. Germany
11/21
Performing many compsotions as part of Composers Concordance and Without a Manifesto present 'Art of The Trio' with saxophonist Gottfried Stoger and bassist Moppa Elliott. Compostions include: ‘Light’, 'Gas Choral Trio’, 'My Unscheduled Fate’, 'End (from Stop Suite)’ and ’71' At Kismat
11/21
Release of the albu 'On The Verge' featuring Todd Rewoldt - alto sax and Jai Jeffryes - piano which contains Gene's ''Bach and the Nanny-Goat Bassoonist II
11/22
'When Creatures Stir' at as part of Composers Concordance Todd Rewoldt and Jai Jeffryes Duo Album Release Concert at Steel Wig Music
11/23
Petro Krysa performs The Ukrainian Cultural - ZERNO Project 'З України крізь вогонь / From Ukraine through The Fire' at Balboa Park Club in San Diego, CA
11/25
'Middle East Side Story' performed as part of Composers Concordance Pete & Gene with Friends.
11/29
Premiere of 'The Tohubohu Of Happiness' as part of Composers Concordance LittleBig Band at Loft 393
Dec.
12/5
Premiere of 'Rhyme Rgas' as part of Composers Concordance 'Rag Times' event at The Ellington Room
12/13
Premiere of 'Protest Suite' for flute and electric guitar as part of Composers Concordance 'Eclectic Virtuosi: Mina Sukovic' event at St. John's in the Village
12/18
Concert with the Deja-Simons Duo and Soprano Liliana Winkler at Caveat Marburg
In Marburg, Germany. Performances of Gene's compositions ‘Weeping', ‘Path', ‘Portrait in my Locket' and 'Silent Treatment'
12/19
Concert at Club20 Friedberg with Soprano Ljiljana Winkler and Peter Oswald on trumpet i Friedberg, Germany. Premier of 'MadJik Queen of the nigh’, Eclectic Electric Xmas Suite
12/20
Premier of 'Eclectic Xmas Suite’ as part of a Christmas event by The Outreach Festival in Ahwaz, Austria
12/27
Premiere of a new piece for cello da spalla, piano electric guitar as part of Composers Concordance 'Centuries Trio' event at Steel Wig
2026
Jan
1/2
Double Feature: Sound Liberation &
Sahara von Hattenberger / Joanne Kang Duo
Perform as part of a Composers Concordance at Shapeshifter Lab
1/3
Release of 'Lockdown Lullabies' on Composers Concordance Records
With William Schimmel - accordion and Gene on guitar.
1//11
New compositions performed as part of Composers Concordance presents
Machiko Ozawa & Tasos Papastamou -
Violins at Shrine.
About
Composer Gene Pritsker has written over one thousand compositions, including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music and songs for hip-hop and rock ensembles. His compositions employ an eclectic spectrum of styles, that are influenced by his studies of various musical cultures.
He is the founder and leader of Sound Liberation, an eclectic hip hop-chamber-jazz-rock-etc. ensemble. He also Co-Directs Composers Concordance and is a co-founder and composer-in-residence of the Grammy nominated Absolute Ensemble. Gene's music is performed all over the world at internationally recognized festivals and by highly respected ensembles and performers.
"My music is extremely eclectic, for me music has no bounds - I view the world of music as one big genre. My motto for my art is 'ending the segregation of sound vibration.'"
Gene is also a guitarist/rapper/Di.J./ and producer and incorporates each of these musical attributes to create music that is “not designed for easy listening or to melt into the background. It is insistent. It demands attention and curiosity."
- New York Newsday.
Gene worked closely with jazz fusion legend Joe Zawinul and has orchestrated major Hollywood movies, including 'Cloud Atlas', for which he wrote his ''Cloud Atlas Symphony’ and the 2021 film The Matrix Resurrections
PROJECTS
Sound Liberation / Recordings / Film/Commercial / Money (hip-hop opera) VRE Suite / solo, duo, trio... / Cello Lounge / William James's... opera
Di.J. Noizepunk / Cloud Atlas Symphony / Samplestra / Reinventions / DAYS Composers Concordance & Comp Cord Records / EMX / Maggots / Concertos
RiteOfSpring..Eclectic / Manhattan in Charcoal / Melodies Alone.. / EroicAnization / Groove Possessed / Trump Concerto / Blog
Sound Liberation’s ninth studio album, Elegy, continues the band's fearless exploration of eclectic soundscapes. Founded by Gene Pritsker, the group follows a bold musical philosophy—breaking down barriers between genres and “ending the segregation of sound vibration.” Their music blends an array of styles, driven by hip-hop and rock rhythms, seamlessly weaving elements of classical, jazz, and world music into a uniquely immersive experience.
This album demonstrates some of Composer Gene Pritsker's compsotions that explore the various sounds of string instruments. From solo violin compositions performed by Lara St. John and Machiko Ozawa to string quartets performed by the CompCord String Quartet and Kahlo String Quartet to music for multiple strings including compositions for 3 violin, 5 violins and 2 electric guitars.
‘Under The Wolf’s Cloak’ music by Gene Pritsker poem by Imelda O'Reilly, for narrator, chorus and two Marimbas Performed by Imelda O'Reilly - narrator David Cossin - marimba Macrófona Choir
Sound Liberation Di.J. Quartet Gene Pritsker - Di.J. / guitar Peter Oswald - trumpet Clemens Rofner - bass Simon Springer - Drums
'Blues from an Airport Bar' by Gene Pritsker is a song cycle based on 4 poems of Jacob Miller. The music is inspired by the blues, but with very extended harmony and melody.. The song ‘Path’ is originally written as an r&b track, here it is transformed into a jazzy/operatic chamber piece that features the brilliant voice of Ljiljana and the groovy ensemble playing of the Solenne Band
On ‘Better Now’ Gene Pritsker’s compositions explore soul, hip-hop, modern jazz, cross over classical, blues, r&b, jazz fusion and more. Recorded over a period of two years in various locations and studios, some tracks recorded remotely some in a studio station. The album takes you on a no holds bar genre defying journey that is the defining style of Sound Liberation.
Composer/bass trombonist Dave Taylor and composer/guitarist Gene Pritsker present a full album of duets for this unique instrumental combination. The album was mostly recorded remotely during the pandemic, some of the music was newly written for the project and many of the pieces Dave and Gene performed together before. The whole album was inspired after the duo recorded Gene’s ‘Pandemic Dance #22’, which was part of his Pandemic Dances project.
‘Only A Game’ was a commission by Robert Shannon Fields, to write music for his ballet libretto that he wrote decades ago in the former east Germany. I wrote this string trio inspired by the actions and words of Robert's ballet scenario. The music flowed to the imaginary dancers in my mind that were swaying, jumping acting out Robert's story; the 3rd act starts with a scene called 'A Special Game’. Here the solo cello delves into Shostakovich like chromaticism and lyricism, playing a game with
Soubrette auf der Toilette
‘Let’s Save the World Suite’ is a seven movement composition based on three poems of Erik T. Johnson. It is scored for a quintet of trumpet, sax, electric guitar, electric bass and drum set, with a narrator reciting the poem in three of the movements.
CLOUD ATLAS SYMPHONY
Duets For The End Of The World' is a collaboration between alto saxophonist Todd Rewoldt and composer/guitarist Gene Pritsker, recorded remotely during the pandemic. The album emphasizes duets Pritsker wrote for Rewoldt and himself, but also features Gene’s music for solo alto sax and electronics, larger chamber ensembles, and a composition by composer Seth Boustead.
'Stray-in-Place Song Cycle' is an album of six eclectic songs by Gene Pritsker, based on the poetry of Erik T. Johnson and inspired by the lockdown of 2021. Three of the songs are rock-influenced and the others have jazzier roots. All are performed by world-class musicians. A variety of singers add their unique styles to six pieces, giving the recording an extra-eclectic flavor. They are: Stefanie Egger (Austria); Sophie Dunér (Sweden); Berzan Önen (Turkey); Yelena Dudochkin (USA); and Stefani
Protest
GP Trio
EroicAnization
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