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For Immediate Release - New York, NY - On Halloween (Friday, October 31st, 2025) at 7pm, Composers Concordance presents the First Annual Composers Tournament! Five fearless composers enter, but only one will emerge victorious. Their weapons? Original compositions for string quartet and its subsets.
The showdown begins with five solo violin pieces, performed by the dazzling Audrey Morse — but only four make it through. Next, duos for viola and cello decide who stays and who goes. Then, trios for violin, viola, and cello raise the stakes, eliminating yet another contender. Finally, only two composers remain for the ultimate string quartet battle, where one will claim the crown! 👑
An electrifying panel of judges — violin virtuoso Lara St. John, dancer Linda Pehrson, jazz trombone legend Dick Griffin, and writer Peter Christian Hall — will determine the fates of our composers.
Since the tournament falls on Halloween, everyone — performers, composers, and audience alike — will be in costume. Expect tricks, treats, and a musical duel like no other. 🎭👻
The competing composers: Charles Coleman, Seth Boustead, Audrey Morse, Gene Pritsker, and Stephanie Susberich. Beyond their compositions, they’ll also take on unexpected roles — hosting, keeping score, even greeting and taking tickets! All works will be performed anonymously by the fabulous (and devilishly named) Hell’s Kitchen String Quartet. 🔥🎻
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Listing Information
Composers Concordance
Composers Tournament
Friday, October 31st, 2025 at 7pm - On Halloween - Wear a Costume!!
Loft393
393 Broadway (2nd floor), NYC
Tickets
$20 in advance, $30 at the door
Facebook
Live Stream
Composers
Charles Coleman, Seth Boustead, Audrey Morse, Gene Pritsker, Stephanie Susberich
Performers
Hell's Kitchen String Quartet
Audrey Morse, Mari Nakamura - violins;
Cindy Lan - viola, Robin Luongo - cello
Judges
Lara St. John, Linda Pehrson
Dick Griffin, Peter Christian Hall
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Staying in rotation for 42 years in NYC is a rare feat. In the case of a new music presenting organization, it requires not only diligence and cognizance of achievements of the past but also an ethic of keeping one's ear to the ground for emerging stylistic and technological developments, as well as talented new composers on the scene. Composers Concordance, founded in 1984 by Joseph Pehrson and Patrick Hardish, advised by Otto Luening, strives to present contemporary music in innovative ways, with an emphasis on thematic programming. Directors Gene Pritsker and Dan Cooper co-curate the programs and lead the CompCord Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Big Band. Associate Directors are Milica Paranosic, Peter Jarvis, Debra Kaye, Seth Boustead, and Audrey Morse. Composers Concordance has also created a Naxos-distributed record label: Composers Concordance Records. Composers Concordance's overriding vision is to promote contemporary music, composers, and new works as a rightful and respected part of society. Good music performed and recorded well, pushing the boundaries of sound and composition.
"Composers Concordance..a veritable New York new music institution of concerts, album production and multiple ensembles under a sweeping, tenacious brand, thriving on the emulsion of contemporary classical, free improv, jazz and rock, overt humor and fearless political statements, all very much in evidence..The ensemble..was masterful throughout.”- John Pietaro, The New York City Jazz Record
"An unwavering force in giving composers exposure through concert bookings and its own record label, the intrepid new-music organization Composers Concordance” - The Brooklyn Rail
"The Composers Concordance folks are unpredictable and at times refreshingly irreverent in a reverent sort of way....ingenious fun" - Classical-Modern Music Review
“Enterprising new music organization” - The New York Times
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