Composers Concordance Hosts "Beat Gene Pritsker" Halloween Musical Showdown

Breaking news to your phone. US mobile only. No password required.

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

West End / UK

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

Four composers including Charles Coleman, Ginka Mizuki, Audrey Morse, and Will Rowe will compete in musical challenges at the Gallery MC venue.

Most Popular

Get all the top news & discounts for Music & beyond. No password required.

Composers Concordance presents Beat Gene Pritsker : Think Beat Bobby Flay , but replace the kitchen with a concert stage, the secret ingredients with musical challenges, and the celebrity chef with composer Gene Pritsker .

Get all the top news & discounts for Music & beyond.

This Halloween, Composers Concordance invites composers to enter the musical arena for 'Beat Gene Pritsker ', an evening of competition, surprise, audience participation, and musical mayhem.

Four composers— Charles Coleman , , Audrey Morse , and Will Rowe —will face off against Gene in a series of musical challenges. But this isn't your ordinary composition concert. The contestants won't always know which instruments will perform their music, and as the rounds progress, the challenges get bigger, longer, and more complicated.

The evening begins with solo pieces and moves through duos and trios before culminating in the ultimate Halloween musical showdown: Gene and the final remaining composer each writing a four-minute quartet. A panel of judges will score the works after each round, with composers eliminated along the way until only one challenger remains.

And there's a twist: the audience gets involved! In the duo round, audience members help determine which instruments will perform the contestants' pieces. The composers must therefore write music capable of surviving whatever musical combination the audience summons.

The performers for the evening will be the CompCord Mixed Quartet:

Laura Patterson — flutes

Mark Zaki — violin/viola

Gottfried Stöger — tenor saxophone/clarinet

Sahara von Hattenberger — cello

Judging the musical battle will be:

Milica Paranosic — composer / designer

Linda Pehrson — dancer

Michelle Shocked — singer / songwriter

Dick Griffin — trombonist / composer

The rules are simple: write the music, face the challenge, survive the judges, and beat Gene. Each round raises the stakes, with composers eliminated along the way until one challenger reaches the final showdown.

And because it's Halloween, costumes are strongly encouraged! Come dressed as your favorite composer, musical instrument, terrifying avant-garde score, or whatever else you think might give you a competitive advantage.

Who will survive? Who will be eliminated? And, most importantly, can anyone actually Beat Gene Pritsker ? Come to Gallery MC on Halloween and find out.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Bobby Flay , Food Network, or Beat Bobby Flay .

Beat Gene Pritsker ! A Halloween Musical Showdown

Date: Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 PM — Halloween!

Time: 7pm

Venue: Gallery MC

549 West 52nd Street, New York City

Composers: Charles Coleman , Ginka Mizuki , Audrey Morse , Gene Pritsker , Will Rowe

Performers: Laura Patterson - flutes

Mark Zaki - violin/viola

Gottfried Stoger - tenor sax/clarinet

Sahara von Hattenberger - cello

Tickets : $20 in advance $30 at the door

Staying in rotation for 43 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.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

THE FAMILY BUSINESS LTD Debut Self-Titled Album Released

Brent Faiyaz to Return for Three-City Arena Tour November–December

Photos: AI Twins Neuro and Evil to Perform First-Ever Live Concert at Vermont Hollywood

Brandi Carlile to Launch BURN THE SETLIST Tour Fall 2026

Also text me

When are you seeing ?

Get an Alert Each Time Rachel Stone Writes

BroadwayWorld TV

Breaking Broadway news and show discounts. No password required.

Breaking Broadway news on your phone. US mobile numbers only.

POPULAR

Sign up for announcements and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 — Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Composers-Concordance-to-Present-BEAT-GENE-PRITSKER-Halloween-Showdown-20261001)._