Gerard Schwarz

Gerard Schwarz (born August 19, 1947) is an American conductor and trumpeter. He was the 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. There he has expanded the festival's audiences to the largest in its history, enhanced education and programming (to include a composer in residence and three new concert series), and increased collaboration with An Appalachian Summer Festival, where he is artistic partner for symphonic music programming.

Schwarz was born in Weehawken, New Jersey, to Austrian parents. 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.

...
Wikipedia