Gerard Schwarz

From Wind Repertory Project
Gerard Schwarz

Biography

Gerard Schwarz (b. 19 August 1947, Weehawken, N.J.) is an American conductor, composer and trumpeter.

Schwarz's parents were both medical doctors and gave him many opportunities, one of being able to go to concerts and operas. Schwarz began his trumpeting career at the age of 8. By 12 years of age, he dedicated his life to be a musician. He graduated from New York City's High School of Performing Arts and Juilliard School of Music and began his musical career as a trumpeter, performing until 1973 as principal of the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez, but also began conducting in 1966. In 1971 he won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. He has been music director of several other organizations, most notably of New York's Mostly Mozart Festival, which he led from 1982 to 2001. He was also Music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from 1978 to 1986. He was the music director of the Seattle Symphony from 1985 to 2011.

He served as Music Director of Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart festival between 1982 and 2001. From 2001 to 2006, Schwarz was music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO). He also served as Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the New York Chamber Symphony and Music Advisor to Tokyo's Orchard Hall in conjunction with the Tokyo Philharmonic.

Schwarz is noted for championing American composers, past and present. The more than 100 recordings he has made with the Seattle Symphony include many American works – in particular, he has won widespread acclaim for his recordings of symphonies and other orchestral works by Walter Piston, Howard Hanson, William Schuman, Alan Hovhaness, and David Diamond.

His numerous awards include Musical America's Conductor of the Year in 1994 (the first American to win that award), 14 Grammy nominations, and 5 Emmy nominations (4 of which resulted in Emmy wins) for his performance of Mozart's Requiem on Live from Lincoln Center and performances with the Seattle Symphony on PBS. He received Seattle's City of Music Outstanding Achievement Award for 2010.


Works for Winds


Resources

  • Gerard Schwarz website Accessed 7 April 2018
  • Gerard Schwarz, Wikipedia Accessed 7 April 2018
  • McKinney, Donald J. "Above and Beyond." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 10, Compiled and edited by Richard Miles, 881-893. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2015.