'Saw Lady' Goes To Carnegie Hall

L. to r.): Paruz, Munson, Dong Gyun Ham and Byung Woo Kim backstage at Carnegie Hall.

An apocryphal anecdote has it that the absent-minded violinist Jascha Heifetz was racing up New York's Seventh Avenue to a rehearsal when a stranger stopped him. "Pardon me", he said. "Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?"

"Yes", answered the maestro breathlessly, "Practice, practice, practice!"

Astoria resident Natalia Paruz, affectionately known as the "Saw Lady", has her own answer to the famous question- "Via the subway!" For the past 12 years Paruz has been playing the musical saw in the New York City subway system to much acclaim, having been chosen for the '"Best of New York" lists of the Village Voice, Time Out NY, the New York Press and the New York Resident. On November 18, the subway brought Paruz to Carnegie Hall, where she was a featured performer in a concert titled "A Celebration of Life". Accompanied by pianist Margrit Zimmermann, prizewinner in the 1996 International Johannes Brahms Piano Competition in Austria and the Roma International Piano Competition 1997 in Italy, Paruz performed solos by J.S. Bach and Saint Saens.

(L. to r.): Paruz, Margrit Zimmermann and Scott Munson on stage at Carnegie Hall.

The centerpiece of the concert was the world premiere of a composition by Queens composer Scott R. Munson, "The Undeterred", for piano (Dong Gyun Ham), musical saw (Paruz) and baritone (Byung Woo Kim), a setting of a poem by the same name by Vivian Schulte.

The poet's granddaughter said that when she turned around to look at the audience, she saw awe and astonishment at the sound of the music on every face. In attendance were people from Queens who have been following Munson's and Paruz' careers since Paruz first performed for the Greater Astoria Historical Society more than a decade ago.

Paruz has gone on to perform with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta, the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Air Moroccan Symphony Orchestra and at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall with PDQ Bach composer Peter Schickele, and with the Little Orchestra Society. In addition, she has performed extensively on TV, radio and film (she can be seen in the movie "Dummy" staring Adrian Brody, and can be heard on the soundtracks of films such as "American Carny" and "Carnaval Sodoma").

Denis O'Connell, stage manager at Carnegie Hall for the past 31 years, said he has never seen the musical saw featured at Carnegie Hall before. Paruz' performance might be a Carnegie Hall first for this instrument.

Composer and vibraphonist Scott R. Munson has been a recipient of grants and awards, most notably a "Meet The Composer" grant for his composition "Fantasy for Trumpet and Vibraphone" and the "Most Outstanding Vibraphonist' award from the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. Munson served as Composer In Residence with Goliard Concerts, where he had an opportunity to tour the Southeastern United States, lecturing and performing his music.

Munson has written a number of pieces for members of the Eric Hawkins Dance Company, has orchestrated and arranged music for Branford Marsalis and for several years has worked extensively with Wynton Marsalis. His music has been played numerous times on CNN, the Bravo Network, MTV, the WE Channel, XM Satellite Radio, Israeli Radio and WBAI. Munson's body of work includes many chamber works, more than 100 songs and original jazz compositions as well as numerous arrangements of folk songs and carols. To hear Munson's music played by Paruz, visit www.SawLady.com