Flutist-composer-pianist Gary Schocker is an accomplished musician of outstanding versatility. As a flutist, Mr. Schocker has performed with many of the world's great orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra (both while still in his teens), I Solisti Italiani, the Dallas Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony. He has performed in recital throughout the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Panama, Taiwan, Germany, France, Canada, and Japan. He often appears in concert with guitarist Jason Vieaux. Mr. Schocker teaches many students who travel to his home bases of New York City and Easton, PA, and many others in master classes throughout the world. He is currently on the faculty at NYU.
In addition to being the most published living composer for flute, Gary Schocker has composed sonatas and chamber music for most instruments of the orchestra. He also has written several musicals and children's musicals, including Far From the Madding Crowd and The Awakening, 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 (2003 and 2005) and at the Edinburgh Festival (2005), as well as in New Zealand. In New York they have been seen as winners of the ASCAP music theatre awards as well as in the NYMF and NAMT festivals.
Mr. 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. Sir James Galway commissioned and premiered his three-movement concerto Green Places at Ireland's Adair Festival and has also performed the work with the New Jersey Symphony. Sir Galway performed Schocker's Musique Française on his US tour in 2002.
Gary Schocker can be heard in his debut recording, "Regrets and Resolutions", on Jonathan Digital, and on 4 highly-acclaimed CDs on the Chesky label. The 1998 Jonathan Digital recording titled "Airborne" features his own works for flute with piano and harp. "Dreamtravels", on the Azica label, presents Mr. Schocker in duo with guitarist Jason Vieaux. "Arioso", also on Azica, is an all-Baroque disc featuring Mr. Schocker's interpretations of sonatas by Bach, LeClair, and Vivaldi. Gary Schocker's concert music can also be heard on the Koch, Troy, Sazas, Gionata, SNE, Paulinas Comep, Fleur de Son, and Innova labels, and on the all-solo "Flute Forest" release from Azica. New recordings of all-Schocker music featuring the composer on piano and flute, respectively, are "Conversations" and "Healing Music", both on the Azica label.
"For Dad" is a recording of his works as well as the music of Poulenc, Hindemith, Faure and Caplet with pianist Hugh Sung. Release date is July 2008 on Azica Records.
