Lisa Swerdlow, a pianist and composer of classical crossover instrumental music, releases Coming to America Concerto (9/17/21), a dynamic and cinematic exploration of a journey of Russian immigrants, told in three parts. 

This is the story of Swerdlow’s grandparents, who in the early 1900s escaped the pogroms of Russia and found refuge in a new land. Releasing Sept 17, 2021, Coming to America Concerto blends musical voices with sweeping layered piano-driven instrumentation, including clarinet, cello, flute, oboe, and violin. The music subtly moves from reflective to more uplifting melodies, as the story evolves from difficult circumstances to aural images of hope.

“Last year, I started researching my grandparents’ immigration to the United States from Russia (and what is now Ukraine) in the years 1907-1910 due to persecution of the Jewish people,” says Swerdlow.  “I reflected on the courage it must have taken for them to leave their homeland of many centuries, their family and friends, to sail to a foreign country they had barely heard of called America. The music came to me, and I started writing.” 

The first movement - the Russian klezmer-themed "Home of My Ancestors" -  tells the tale of life in the Jewish ghettos and villages of late 19th and early 20th century Russia in a global music style. Listeners will hear a hint of the cadences and ornamentation of Ashkenazi heritage. Life had its joys and celebrations as well as its fears, especially of the Czar’s army showing up to desecrate what the villagers most loved and valued: their traditions, their homes, their temples.

The Concerto progresses to the second movement - “The Crossing” - evoking the transition and anticipation of what lies ahead. The ocean’s horizon is infinite, the future is unknown and the past is already far behind them. “I imagined my Grandparents carrying what possessions they could, living in cramped steerage quarters far below deck on a huge ocean liner such as the Mauritania,” Swerdlow reflects. Wonder and optimism are stirred from the darkness. The music captures the journey: feeling seasick, longing for their homeland, and all the great challenges of crossing an endless ocean bound for America. 

In the final movement - “Arrival” - reality dawns. A  new life awaits them, in a country where they don’t speak the language, don’t understand its culture, and don’t have any friends or relatives waiting for them. Still, as their ship passes the Statue of Liberty, they understand her welcoming message and feel grateful for their new homeland. “Arrival" weaves calm melodies of sorrow and builds into an exhilarating message of hope.

“I believe music can be a vehicle to healing our hearts as well as healing the planet,” adds Swerdlow on this powerful concerto. “I hope that my music enters people’s hearts and souls and lifts up their spirit.”

America is a concept of refuge as well as a land of new opportunities. America can be the first choice for a new start, but sometimes it was also the last resort after losing everything. This music tells a story of loss and disaster, which resolves into a positive message of inspiration, survival and spiritual endurance.

The music was recorded at Piano Haven Studio, in Sedona, AZ.  It was engineered by Joe Bongiorno, orchestrated by Doug Hammer, and mastered at Dreamworld Productions. The album is available in various formats including physical CD, digital download, and streaming worldwide.

Lisa Swerdlow is a pianist and composer of classical crossover, neo-classical and new age music. Born and raised in Los Angeles, her childhood home was full of music thanks to her father's piano, accordion, mandolin playing, and his beloved RCA record player.

Lisa began studying classical piano at the age of six, and by age 16, she was writing and performing songs on piano and guitar. She went on to study music theory and composition at Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods.

Lisa's early musical influences range from Laura Nyro and Carole King to Harry Belafonte and Burt Bacharach. Later in life, she was drawn to the piano music of Keith Jarrett, David Lanz, Eddy Palmieri, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Barbara Higbie and Mary Watkins.

In the 1970s, Lisa performed in coffee houses on Fairfax Avenue in L.A. and went on to play piano in a rock 'n' roll band in San Francisco. In the 1980s she performed at the West Coast Women's Music Festival, and soon after toured Northern California with a ten-piece all women salsa band called Las Malandras. These genres have influenced her unique composing style, and Lisa has moved into more complex orchestration and arrangements in recent years.

Lisa’s solo piano compositions are featured on her debut CD Equus Rising (2017), and Voyager (2018). She followed up with Lasting Impressions (2019) and a series of singles: “Dawn Contemplation” (2020), “Carousel of Life” (2020), “Still Here” (2019), and the latest “All Is Not Lost” which released August 13, 2021; the latter two works pay tribute to her triumph over cancer. Lisa has also been featured on the Mindful Music Association’s compilations A Better Life (2019) and Focus Zone (2021). Her new EP, the fully-orchestrated Coming to America Concerto, releases on September 17, 2021.

Lisa lives in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California with her wife, Lucie, their horses, and Tuxedo the cat. Lisa balances her time at the piano with beekeeping and organic gardening, which she has enjoyed doing for over 40 years.