William Schimmel, a virtuoso accordionist and author, is also a philosopher, composer, and philosopher. He was one of the principal architects of the American Tango revival, the resurgence and philosophy of Musical Reality (composition using pre-existing music). He earned his diploma at the Neupauer Conservatory for Music, and his BM MS and DMA degrees at the Juilliard School. He has taught at Juilliard School, Brooklyn College CUNY and Upsala College. National Public Radio considers him the greatest accordionist in the world. He has performed with almost every major American symphony orchestra (and the Kirov), as well as every chamber music group in New York, including Ensemble Sospeso, the Odeon Jazz Ensemble, and even the Janacek Conservatory in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Sting and Tom Waits are among his pop star friends. He has also made the famous statement that Bill Schimmel is not the accordion player, but he is the accordion player. He founded the Tango Project. In addition to their hit records, he has also appeared alongside Al Pacino in “Scent of a Woman”, for which Pacino was awarded an Oscar. The Stereo Review Album of the Year Award was won by the Tango Project. It also received a Grammy nomination, rose to number one on the Billboard Classical Charts and reached number 1. You can hear him in films like True Lies, Kun Dun, and many other films. He also scored and performed in films and films for Nature Conservancy. These films have won numerous awards in documentary categories. He is an authority on Kurt Weill’s music, having recorded all Weill music using the accordion. He is a prolific composer, with numerous commissions ranging from Broadway music to Broadway music. He has written many accordion pieces, including one for Coupe Mondiale, which is the most prestigious international competition for accordion players. Leopold Stockowski conducted Portrait No I for the orchestra. Dr. Schimmel’s theatre work with Micki Goodman has made accordion history. The Neupauer Conservatory Ord of the Shield is a private study program for gifted students at the graduate and post-graduate levels. He conducts a three-day master class and concert series that is sponsored by the American accordionists’ Association. This program is now in its 20th year. Confederations International of Accordionists awarded Dr. Schimmel the distinguished Merit Award for the AAA Master Class, Concert Series and his contributions to the international accordion scene. He was awarded the American Accordionists Association Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his fifty years of accordion activity and as Lecturer-in-Residence. He is listed in Who’s Who in America as well as Great Minds of the 21st Century. Keyboard Magazine named Dr. Schimmel the “best accordionist” as well as the person who has done most to promote accordion in mainstream arts such classical, jazz, rock and rolling, world music, and avant-garde. Dr. Schimmel and Micki Goodman, his wife and choreographer, director and filmmaker, co-founded and direct the Institute for Private Studies. It is a pluralistic think tank. Their son Michael, a 34-year-old accordionist and visual artist—and a Special Olympics medalist, is their child. From www.billschimmel.com
