Seattle Legacy |
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Photo by Lara Swimmer
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“I came to Seattle in 1983 because I sensed an incredible musicianship within the Orchestra and a very special spirit within the community. The work we’ve done together has been a terrific team effort and I’ll be forever grateful to everyone who contributed to this strong partnership. Together we’ve established a remarkable recording legacy, helped instill a love of classical music to many thousands of young people, and enriched the musical repertoire by commissioning and performing the music of countless new and under-appreciated composers. I am humbled by the experiences we’ve had together and I look forward with great anticipation to the next great chapter in the life of our great Seattle Symphony.” — Gerard Schwarz |
Gerard Schwarz completed his final season as music director of the Seattle Symphony in 2011 after an acclaimed 26 years. During his leadership, Maestro Schwarz was instrumental in the building of Benaroya Hall, spearheading efforts that resulted in an acoustically superb new home for the Seattle Symphony. The many legacies of his extraordinary leadership include a critically acclaimed discography of more than 140 recordings; numerous television programs and concert broadcasts resulting in two Emmy Awards; major strides in music education programs including new series and the successful Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center; regular programming of innovative themed festival weeks; and dramatically increased audience attendance and classical subscription weeks. Schwarz’s final season in Seattle was emblematic of the conductor’s passionate dedication and support for contemporary music, with a total of 22 world premieres, 18 of these premieres being a part of the Gund/Simonyi Farewell Commissions, an unprecedented commissioning initiative celebrating his farewell season as music director.
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Returning to Seattle |
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Schwarz Returns to SSO Festival
Schwarz Returns to Seattle in February and March 2014
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Seattle Symphony Orchestra February 27 and March 1 Mozart,:Symphonies No. 39, No. 40, No. 41 March 6 and 8 Strauss: Don Juan, Burleske. Divertimento Strauss/Schwarz, Der Rosenkavalier Suite |
May 2013 Q&A with Gerard Schwarz
By Jamie Swenson (Seattle Symphony)
This month, Conductor Laureate Gerard Schwarz brings his expertise and passion for the music of Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich to Benaroya Hall for “Russian Spectacular.” Read on to learn what these three composers have in common, why the music of Shostakovich resonates so much with Schwarz, and what it’s like to conduct his own son. learn more... |
Live at FXMcRory’s:
With Ken Zeran SEATTLE, May 7, 2013 — Gerard Schwarz returns to Seattle for a festive "Russian Spectacular!" at Benaroya Hall. Tune into our insightful interview with the Seattle Symphony Conductor Laureate. First American to win 'America's Musical Conductor of The Year', nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, and 3 Emmy nominations. learn more...
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Farewell to Seattle |
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Gramophone: Tireless in Seattle
By: Joshua Kosman He's spent more than a quarter of a century as music director of the Seattle Symphony, a flukishly long stretch in this post-Ormandy, post-Szell era.At a time when most orchestras struggle to find a niche in an increasingly constrained recording marketplace, his discography extends for pages and pages. He's waged a long and, by some reckonings, quixotic campaign on behalf of the American symphonists of the mid-20th century: Howard Hanson, William Schuman, David Diamond and others. learn more...
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Seattle's Saviour
By: Chloe Veltman The outgoing director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz leaves behind him a world-ranking ensemble.
Around midnight on a chilly February evening, conductor Gerard Schwarz is regaling violist Pinchas Zukerman with jokes in a high-end Seattle bar. It's nearing the end of a day that would be considered grueling by most people. Schwarz has wedged meetings between leading rehearsals with brawling, musically-challenged ... learn more... |
Concluding Commissions
By: Molly Sheridan This year in Seattle, Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony are celebrating the music director's final season at the helm of the orchestra by presenting 22 world premieres, including 18 new works commissioned under the banner of the Gund/Simonyi Farewell Commissions. We caught up with the maestro in advance of his final concerts of the season to chat about new music, new ideas, and not taking no for an answer.
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