Renowned American conductor Gerard Schwarz is internationally recognized for his deeply moving performances, innovative programming, and extensive recording history. Schwarz, born to Viennese parents, has been Music Director of the Seattle Symphony since 1985 where his phenomenal artistic success with the orchestra led to the building of the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall and an increase in the subscription audience from 5,000 to 35,000. His passion and drive enabled an increase in classical subscription weeks from 12 to 27, created over 125 acclaimed recordings including 13 Grammy nominations and two Emmy Awards, and achieved overwhelming strides in education including five new series and the successful Soundbridge Discovery Center. He also currently serves as Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina where he has expanded the Festival's audiences to the largest in its history, enhanced education and programming to include a composer in residence, three new concert series, and increased collaboration with the Appalacian Summer Festival where he is Artistic Partner for Symphonic Music Programming.
Previously, he served as the Music Director of New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, where he developed the orchestra’s international touring, maintained a nine year residency in Japan, created sold out houses, considerably expanded its Mozart repertoire, and through its televisedLive from Lincoln Center appearances earned several Emmy nominations. His tenure as Music Director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra initiated the long standing partnership between the orchestra and Classic FM, drove the RLPO Live label forward and initiated a new partnership with Avie records, created the enormously popular Sunday matinee Musically Speaking concert series which remains the orchestra’s fastest growing audience to this day, led highly acclaimed tours to Spain and Prague, and brought the orchestra to National Television in BBC Proms broadcasts. As Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony he expanded concert series’ and audiences, made award winning recordings, and championed new works. In addition he served as Artistic Advisor to the Tokyo Philharmonic.
Schwarz’s considerable discography of some 265 releases showcases his collaborations with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Czech Philharmonic, The London Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, Orchestra National de France, Tokyo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony, among others. The focus of his distinguished recording career remains with the 19th century German / Austrian repertoire ( complete series of Mahler symphonies and Strauss tone poems ) and contemporary American composers ( complete symphonies of William Schumann and Howard Hanson, and works by Diamond, Foote, Piston, Sheng for example ). Most recent and upcoming releases include the final symphonies of his acclaimed cycles of Shostakovich and Mahler Symphonies, Deems Taylor Peter Ibbetson and Samuel Jones Symphony No 3.
He continues to conduct the major orchestras of the world and maintains his absolute dedication to music education at every level, including his internationally renowned series of Musically Speaking CDs.
Since his operatic debut in 1982 with the Washington Opera, he has appeared with the San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Kirov Opera, Juilliard Opera and Mostly Mozart Festival. He has conducted the operas of Wagner, Janacek, Strauss, Mozart, Bizet, Weber, Debussy, Bartok, Stravinsky, and Beethoven, including the US premiere of Strauss’s version of Indomeneo at the Mostly Mozart Festival, Wagner’s Das Liebesverbot, Strauss’s version of The Ruins of Athens, and Wagner’s version of Gluck’s Iphigenia in Aulis at the Waterloo Festival.
Schwarz has served on the National Council of the Arts. He has received two Emmy Awards, 13 Grammy nominations, six ASCAP Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards. In addition, he holds the Ditson Conductor’s Award from Columbia University, was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America, and has received numerous honorary doctorates, including from his alma mater, The Juilliard School. In 2002, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored Schwarz with its Concert Music Award, and, in 2003, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences gave Schwarz its first “IMPACT” lifetime achievement award. In 2009 he will be honored with the First Citizen of Seattle Award.
See Gerard Schwarz’s Naxos interview.
