The old neighborhood was diverse
The only thing we had in common was proximity.
—Robert C. Ford
On Sunday, September 22nd, 2024, world-class musicians and poets will gather at the home studio of renowned artist Chuck Connelly to interpret his paintings through music and words.
Connelly rose to fame in the 1980's and was immortalized by Martin Scorsese in the film New York Stories. However, he shunned the commercial art world, and for the past 25 years has lived as a recluse in his Victorian home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania surrounded by over 5,000 of his paintings.
One of Connelly’s works to be featured is Animals in the Street (1994) which was inspired by his time living in New York City’s East Village. Robert C. Ford, aka The Wall Street Poet, who will narrate his poetic interpretation of the painting at the event, noted, “Connelly’s playful ambiguity makes the humanoid animals relatable in many ways. It reminded me of my childhood neighborhood, where despite differences, we bonded simply because we lived on the same street.”
Gene Pritsker (Matrix Resurrections, Joe Zawinul) set Connelly’s image, as well as Ford’s words, to music, commenting, “I was influenced by a scene in Connelly’s documentary, Into the Light, where he’s teaching a student how to paint by seemingly splashing paint randomly on the canvas. You couldn’t tell what it was until much later when everything ingeniously came together, and a cityscape emerged. Similarly, my musical composition starts atonal. Then progressively becomes more tonal and coherent.”
Other Connelly paintings to be highlighted include: The Bride (1982), David Bowie (2016), Deflating Earth (2022), Forward Flash (1979) and Monkey Family (2011).
A who's who of performers will consist of Charles Coleman (baritone—Paavo Järvi, London Symphony Orchestra), Lynn Bechtold (violin—Donna Summer, Pablo Ziegler), Dan Cooper (alto flute—Ute Lemper, Sidra Bell), Franz Hackl (trumpet—Lew Soloff, Outreach Music Festival), Carli Muñoz (piano—Beach Boys, Eddie Gómez), Gene Pritsker (guitar) as well as the CompCord Murderer's Row of Poets—Peter Carlaftes, Carlinious M, Robert C. Ford, Kat Georges, Erik Thomas Johnson, Jim Kempner and Imelda O'Reilly.
The event is hosted by Composers Concordance, a NYC-based organization with a 40-year history of premiering music that pushes the boundaries of sound and composition.
It will be livestreamed on Composers Concordance’s Facebook Page.
In person attendance is limited. If interested, please contact Robert C. Ford at [email protected].
Connelly rose to fame in the 1980's and was immortalized by Martin Scorsese in the film New York Stories. However, he shunned the commercial art world, and for the past 25 years has lived as a recluse in his Victorian home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania surrounded by over 5,000 of his paintings.
One of Connelly’s works to be featured is Animals in the Street (1994) which was inspired by his time living in New York City’s East Village. Robert C. Ford, aka The Wall Street Poet, who will narrate his poetic interpretation of the painting at the event, noted, “Connelly’s playful ambiguity makes the humanoid animals relatable in many ways. It reminded me of my childhood neighborhood, where despite differences, we bonded simply because we lived on the same street.”
Gene Pritsker (Matrix Resurrections, Joe Zawinul) set Connelly’s image, as well as Ford’s words, to music, commenting, “I was influenced by a scene in Connelly’s documentary, Into the Light, where he’s teaching a student how to paint by seemingly splashing paint randomly on the canvas. You couldn’t tell what it was until much later when everything ingeniously came together, and a cityscape emerged. Similarly, my musical composition starts atonal. Then progressively becomes more tonal and coherent.”
Other Connelly paintings to be highlighted include: The Bride (1982), David Bowie (2016), Deflating Earth (2022), Forward Flash (1979) and Monkey Family (2011).
A who's who of performers will consist of Charles Coleman (baritone—Paavo Järvi, London Symphony Orchestra), Lynn Bechtold (violin—Donna Summer, Pablo Ziegler), Dan Cooper (alto flute—Ute Lemper, Sidra Bell), Franz Hackl (trumpet—Lew Soloff, Outreach Music Festival), Carli Muñoz (piano—Beach Boys, Eddie Gómez), Gene Pritsker (guitar) as well as the CompCord Murderer's Row of Poets—Peter Carlaftes, Carlinious M, Robert C. Ford, Kat Georges, Erik Thomas Johnson, Jim Kempner and Imelda O'Reilly.
The event is hosted by Composers Concordance, a NYC-based organization with a 40-year history of premiering music that pushes the boundaries of sound and composition.
It will be livestreamed on Composers Concordance’s Facebook Page.
In person attendance is limited. If interested, please contact Robert C. Ford at [email protected].
