Gary Schocker
Gary Schocker (born October 18, 1959) is a flutist, composer, and pianist who has performed with the New York Philharmonic (at age 15, in a nationally-televised Young People's Concert), the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the West German Sinfonia, and I Solisti Italiani among others. He won the National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition in 1978, the New York Flute Club's Young Artist Competition in 1980, and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1985. He has concertized in duo with Grammy award winning guitarist Jason Vieaux. In 2015, Vieaux and internationally acclaimed harpist Yolanda Kondanassis commissioned Schocker’s “Hypnotized”, a 5-movement work for guitar and harp which can be heard on their highly acclaimed duo recording, Together. Internationally, he has toured and taught in Colombia, Panama, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, France and Italy.
Mr. Schocker has composed sonatas for piano, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, horn, and two pianos, as well as works for flute, many songs, theatrical works, and children's musicals. His musicals, written with Barbara Campbell, include Far From the Madding Crowd and The Awakening, both of which can be heard on Original Cast Recordings. Both shows were winners of the Global Search for New Musicals in the UK and were performed in Cardiff and at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as in New Zealand. In New York, they were winners of the ASCAP music theatre awards.
He is the most-published living composer of flute music with over 200 works in print. James Galway premiered Mr. Schocker’s three-movement concerto Green Places at Ireland’s Adair Festival and has also performed this work with the New Jersey Symphony. Schocker has won the International Clarinet Association's annual composition competition twice and the National Flute Association's annual Newly Published Music Award numerous times.
As a flutist, Schocker has performed often in Japan and Taiwan. In August 2015, he performed his Concerti Green Places and Hannah’s Glade at the 17th Japan Flute Convention, where he also performed in recital with pianist Fumi Kuwajima, playing works from their 2015 CD Inside Out. He performed at the Taiwan International Flute Festival in 2012, also playing three of his works for flute and orchestra. In 2008 he was commissioned to compose the contest piece, titled Biwako Wind, for the Biwako International Flute Competition.
Since 2003, Gary Schocker has taught masterclasses at the Holy Cross Monastery in NY, which bring together flute players from all over the world. He is on the faculty at NYU and also teaches privately in NYC and in Easton, PA. Schocker performs on flutes made by William S. Haynes and Louis Lot. He also plays on headjoints made by David Williams (the Gary Schocker headjoint) and David Chu.
Mr. Schocker's music is primarily published by the Theodore Presser Company.
He lives in New York City and Easton, Pennsylvania.
Discography
Solo
- Bach Handel Telemann baroque Sonatas on (Chesky)
- Mozart Flute Quartets with Chester String Quartet (Chesky)
- Flute Forest (2004)
- Regrets and Resolutions, modern flute works (2000)
- Airborne, compositions by Schocker himself (2000)
- The Awakening and Far From the Madding Crowd, a selection of songs from two exciting new musicals recorded by a cast of today's top Broadway performers (2000)
- Healing Music all-Schocker (Azica)
- Conversations with Schocker as pianist for Flutist Angela Kelly. All-Schocker on (Azica)
- Garden in Harp, works for harp and chamber ensemble with Emily Mitchell Harp, Cavani Quartet and others, including Schocker on flute, from (Azica), 2012
- For Dad Poulenc, Hindemith, Faure and Schocker on (Azica) with pianist Hugh Sung
- Inside Out All-Schocker with pianist Fumi Kuwajima, including works for two flutes and piano with flutist Gaspar Hoyos, released August 2015 on CD Baby
Duet
With Jason Vieaux
- Arioso (2004)
- Dream Travels (2002)