Palisades Virtuosi - Program Biography
The Palisades Virtuosi, consisting of flutist Margaret Swinchoski, clarinetist Donald Mokrynski and pianist Ron Levy, is a 501(c)(3) organization that was established to promote and enrich the repertoire for flute, clarinet and piano. PV has been delighting audiences throughout the northeast for nearly five years. Their programs combine standard repertoire with newly commissioned works, all performed with virtuosic and passionate flair.
As of the 2007-2008 season, the Virtuosi has commissioned new works from Seymour Barab, Dan Cooper, Gary Eskow, Eric Ewazen, Randall Faust, Carlos Franzetti, Aaron Grad, Matt Halper, Dick Hyman, John Lampkin, Richard Lane, Frank Ezra Levy, Robert Manno, Ben Model, Caroline Newman, Brian Schober, Godfrey Schroth, Paul Mack Somers, Allen Shawn and Gwyneth Walker. In addition, they have commissioned arrangements or transcriptions of existing works from Matthew Baier and Michael Colina, as well as having been gifted with works by Ron Levy, David Messer and Fred Messner. Composers commissioned for 2008-2009 include Melinda Wagner and David Sampson.
They have presented concerts at many important venues throughout the Northeast, including Lincoln Center Library (NYC), The New York Flute Club (NYC), Troy Music Hall (Troy, NY), Abendmusik in Morristown (NJ), Southern Vermont Arts Center (Manchester, VT), and in New Jersey at the 342-year-old First Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth, the First Presbyterian Church of Englewood, and the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, where they present their annual subscription concert series. They have also presented concerts for the Morning Music Club of Pearl River (NY), the Crossroads Arts Council (Rutland, VT) Music at Noon in Morristown (NJ) Rossmoor Music Association of Monroe Township, (NJ) and the First Night celebrations in both Mannasquan and Ridgewood, (NJ).
Volume One of their New American Masters series has been released by Albany Records to critical acclaim and features works by Aaron Grad, Robert Manno, Dan Cooper, Richard Lane, Paul Mack Somers, Godfrey Schroth and John Lampkin. They were recently awarded a substantial grant from the Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund to assist in the production of Volume Two of this series, also for Albany. This disc will feature World Premiere recordings of works by Allen Shawn, Carlos Franzetti, Gary Eskow, Caroline Newman and Frank Ezra Levy and will be released on June 1, 2008. They have also released a CD on High Point Records - Palisades Virtuosi in Recital, which includes music of Ernest Bloch, Phillipe Gaubert, Debussy, Scriabin, Saint-Saens and Franz Danzi.
Visit the Virtuosi online at http://www.palisadesvirtuosi.org.