Background
Schwarz, Gerard was born on August 19, 1947 in Weehawken, New Jersey, United States. Son of John and Gerta (Weiss) Schwarz.
Schwarz, Gerard was born on August 19, 1947 in Weehawken, New Jersey, United States. Son of John and Gerta (Weiss) Schwarz.
Bachelor of Science, Juilliard School, 1972, Master of Arts, 1972. Doctor of Fine Arts(honorary), Fairleigh Dickinson University, Seattle U. Doctor of Music (honorary), University Puget Sound.
Trumpet player American Symphony Orchestra, 1965-1972, American Brass Quintet, 1965-1973, New York Philharmonic, 1973-1977. Trumpet player, guest conductor Aspen Music Festival, 1969-1975, board directors, 1973-1975.
Music director Erick HawkinsDance Company, 1967-1972, SoHo Ensemble, 1969-1975, Eliot Feld Ballet Company.
New York City, 1972-1978. Music School Princeton (New Jersey) U. Music director New York Chamber Symphony, 1977, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, 1978-1986, White Mountains (New Hampshire) Music Festival, 1978-1980, Music Today at Merkin Concert Hall, New York City, 1988-1989.
Music advisor Mostly Mozart Festival, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1982-1984, music director, 1984. Music advisor Seattle Symphony, 1983-1984, principal conductor, 1984-1985, music director, 1985.
Artistic advisor Tokyu Bunkamura"s Orchard Hall, Japan, 1994.
Member of faculty Juilliard School, New York City, 1975-1983, Mannes College Music, 1973-1979, Montclair (New Jersey) State College, 1975-1980. Guest conductor various orchestras including Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saint Louis, Buffalo, Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Jerusalem Symphony, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Moscow Radio Orchestra, Orchestra National de France, Paris, London Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio, Stockholm Radio, Helsinki Philharmonic, Ensemble InterContemporain, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, National Orchestra Spain, English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, City of Birmingham (England) Symphony, Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique, Sydney (Australia) Symphony, Melbourne (Australia) Symphony, Orchestre National de Lyon, France, Orchestre Philharmonic de Montpellier, France, Washington Opera, Da Capo Chamber Players, 20th Century Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music Society Lincoln Center, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Tokyu Bunkamura, Japan, Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, The Netherlands, Saint Louis Symphony, London Mozart Players, Kirov Orchestra, Saint-St. Petersburg, Russia, Tokyo Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool (England) Philharmonic, Vancouver (Canada) Symphony Orchestra, City of London Symphonia, Evian Festival in France, 1994. Also numerous appearances on television
Recording artistColumbia, Nonesuch, Vox, MMO, Desto, Angel, Delos records.
Record: Seattle Symphony 1994-1995 Season, 1995, New Orchestra of Japan, 1998. Board of directors Naumburg Foundation, 1975.
He was music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra 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.
In 2007, Schwarz was named music director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, having served as principal conductor since 2005. Schwarz was born in Weehawken, New Jersey, to Austrian parents.
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.
Schwarz is noted for championing American composers, past and present.
Among the other orchestras which Schwarz has led on his other recordings are the Czechoslovakian Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre National de France. In 2003 he recorded two concertos by Philip Glass: the Cello Concerto (with Julian Lloyd Webber) and the Concerto for Two Timpanists (with Evelyn Glennie and Jonathan Haas with the RLPO). He has also recorded all of Mahler"s symphonies and Richard Strauss"s tone poems with the RLPO. Schwarz is also noted for his success in building the strength of the orchestra.
When he began directing the Seattle Symphony in 1983 it had 5,000 subscribers.
As of 2008 it had 35,000. He also spearheaded the effort to build Seattle Symphony"s new home, Benaroya Hall.
However, his style of leadership and management of the Seattle Symphony has also been very controversial among some musicians there. As a trumpet soloist, Schwarz has recorded the concertos of Franz Joseph Haydn and Johann Nepomuk Hummel for Delos.
In 2011, the block around Benaroya Hall was named "Gerard Schwarz Place." A portrait painting of Schwarz by artist Michele Rushworth was unveiled and installed at Benaroya Hall in 2011.
Member of faculty Juilliard School
Married Jody Greitzer, June 23, 1984. Children: Alysandra, Daniel, Gabriella, Julian.