Background
Mr. von der Schmidt was born in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Loyola High School and the University of Southern California.
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Jeff Schmidt
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University of Southern California.
Career
He is the founding Artistic Director of Southwest Chamber Music and the Los Angeles International New Music Festival. Mr. von der Schmidt is the conductor and Founding Artistic Director of Southwest Chamber Music (founded in 1987), the Los Angeles International New Music Festival (founded in 2012), and the Summer Festival at The Huntington (1994-2014). In addition to his activities in Los Angeles, Mr. von der Schmidt has conducted concerts nationally and internationally in Europe, Asia, New York City, Washington, District of Columbia, Mexico and Vietnam.
Mr. von der Schmidt created the 2010 Ascending Dragon Music Festival and Cultural Exchange, sponsored by the United States. Department of State, the largest cultural exchange in history between Vietnam and the United States.
He has conducted and presented over 100 west-coast, local and world premieres through his programming of Latino, African-American, Asian, American, and women composers. Mr. von der Schmidt has brought about over 40 new commissions.
His commissions of contemporary composers were assisted by soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson through a 10 year collaboration which included a performance of Felciano’s An American Decameron at the Library of Congress in Washington,District of Columbia Mr. von der Schmidt also conducted Mississippi Bryn-Julson and the ensemble at the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna, Austria, and New York’s Cooper Union.
Grawemeyer Award-winner Chinary Ung’s Aura was the centerpiece of an Asian tour that included performances at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) and the 2006 World Culture Expo in Cambodia.
2004 Grammy Award for conductor of Best Small Ensemble.
Achievements
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2004 Grammy Award for conductor of Best Small Ensemble 2005 Grammy Award for conductor of Best Small Ensemble 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album 2006 Grammy nomination for Best Small Ensemble 2006 Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album 2007 Grammy nomination for Best Small Ensemble 2007 Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album 2009 Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album 2013 Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Composition.
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