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Conductor Gerard Schwarz's Summer Features Eastern Music Festival and Fifteen Naxos Releases
July 3, 2012 — Conductor and composer Gerard Schwarz,
Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival since 2007, will
lead eight concerts during the Festival’s 51st Season,
including a world premiere of his own composition, A Journey.
In addition, throughout Summer 2012, Naxos will issue 15
more recordings as part of the year-long release of 49
recordings celebrating Schwarz’s recording history and
acclaimed 26-year tenure as Music Director of the Seattle
Symphony.
Maestro Gerard Schwarz and the Eastern Music Festival welcome a stellar array of internationally acclaimed guest artists to its four week summer festival in Greensboro, North Carolina including: pianists Vladimir Feltsman, Alexander Toradze, Awadagin Pratt and William Wolfram, cellist Mark Kosower, violinists Tasmin Little, Glenn Dicterow and Elmar Oliveira, violist Robert Vernon, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, and mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby. All artists will perform special concerts with the Festival Orchestra and work with young musicians.
Commissioned by Dave Gannett, Gerard Schwarz’s A Journey is scored for traditional large orchestra and will be premiered Saturday, July 7. Gannett was interested in a work that was in a tradition of the family-oriented and personality-oriented tone poems of Richard Strauss. “Dave Gannett is a brilliant, thoughtful and spiritual man with a very deep love of classical music,” said Schwarz. A Journey is a serious work about a man who is devoted to family and the thread throughout the piece is one of devotion.
A prolific recording artist, Schwarz’s total discography numbers more than 350 recordings on more than 11 labels. Similar to the 49 recordings to be released by Naxos this year, which include works by 54 composers, the set of 15 discs to be released this summer features works from the Baroque to contemporary periods. The 49 discs represent the breadth and depth of the conductor’s vast repertoire and vary in genre, including major 20th century ballets by composers Stravinsky, Strauss, Bartók, Ravel and Prokofiev, as well as multi-disc cycles of works by Schumann, Strauss, Wagner and Stravinsky. Schwarz’s dedication to the promotion of American music is also represented, with recordings featuring the works of 26 American composers. The 15 discs released in June, July and August include works by Handel, Arthur Honegger, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Ravel, Kodály, Hovahness, Peter Mennin, Deems Taylor and others. A complete listing of planned summer releases is included at the conclusion of the release.
Four albums of particular note in the set of 15 include Concertos by Handel, Vivaldi and C.P.E. Bach, Handel: Acis and Galatea, Deems Taylor: Through the Looking Glass and works by Charles Griffes, as well as the Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner cycles. The disc of Concertos by Handel, Vivaldi and C.P.E. Bach, released in June, demonstrates the nurtured virtuosity of the orchestra during Schwarz's tenure and features never-before released performances by star soloists of the Seattle Symphony. Another June release, Handel: Acis and Galatea, showcases Schwarz's remarkable versatility and skill in Baroque music. The August release of Deems Taylor and works by Charles Griffes includes Taylor’s Through the Looking Glass, an American impressionistic masterpiece based on the beloved story by Lewis Carroll, and was his most successful symphonic work. The albums of Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner cycles, also to be released in August, underscore the critically acclaimed performances of Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony in the core German Romantic repertoire.
Gerard Schwarz has been associated with the Eastern Music Festival since 2003, first serving as artistic advisor, then principal guest conductor and, since 2007, as music director. The Eastern Music Festival and School, founded in 1961 in Greensboro, North Carolina, by Sheldon Morgenstern, is an internationally-renowned classical music festival and institute for young musicians that runs for five weeks each summer with a mission to promote musical enrichment, excellence, professional collaboration, innovation, and diversity through a nationally-recognized teaching program, music festival, concerts and other programs. The institute accepts students ages 14 through 22 from around the country and the world. The EMF faculty consists of world-class performing artists selected from top orchestras and music schools nationally and internationally.
Schwarz, who also serves as Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony, is a renowned interpreter of 19th Century German, Austrian and Russian repertoire, in addition to contemporary American works. Also a prolific and dynamic composer, Schwarz studied with such eminent composers as Paul Creston, Roger Sessions, Jacob Druckman, Milton Babbitt, Vincent Persichetti and Pierre Boulez and has created many acclaimed original works and arrangements of orchestral suites. The conductor began his professional career as co- principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic and has held leadership positions with Mostly Mozart Festival, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony. As a guest conductor in both opera and symphonic repertoire, he has worked with many of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies. In his nearly five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including Emmy Awards, Grammy nominations, ASCAP Awards and the Ditson Conductor’s Award. He was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and has received numerous honorary doctorates. Most recently, the City of Seattle named the street alongside Benaroya Hall “Gerard Schwarz Place.”
Gerard Schwarz’s Eastern Music Festival Performances: For full a calendar of EMF events visit: www.easternmusicfestival.org
Tannenbaum-Sternberger Young Artists Orchestra Series Friday, June 29, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor José-Luis Novo, conductor
Humperdinck/Schwarz Suite from Hansel and Gretel Verdi Overture to Nabucco Wagner Overture to Rienzi
EMF Presents Vladimir Feltsman Saturday, June 30, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Vladimir Feltsman, piano
Bright Sheng Prelude and Black Swan Beethoven Concerto No. 3 for Piano in C minor, op.37 Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op.78 (Organ Symphony)
Friends & Great Performers Series: An Evening of Mozart Concerti Wednesday, July 4, 8 PM First Presbyterian Church
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Les Roettges, flute Randall Ellis, oboe Shannon Scott, clarinet Chad Cognata, bassoon Kevin Reid, horn
Mozart Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191 Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, K. 417 Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313 Sinfonia Concertante for Winds in E Flat major, K. 279b
Tannenbaum-Sternberger Young Artists Orchestra featuring Mark Kosower Thursday, July 5, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Mark Kosower, cello
Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 1 for Violoncello in A minor, op.33 Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 in C minor, op.65
EMF Presents Elmar Oliveira Saturday, July 7, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Elmar Oliveira, violin
Gerard Schwarz A Journey – World Premiere Dvorák Concerto for Violin in A minor, op.53 Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra, op.30 (Thus Spake Zarathustra)
EMF Presents Alexander Toradze Saturday, July 14, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Alexander Toradze, piano
David Schiff Canzonetta Prokofiev Concerto No. 3 for Piano in C major, op.26 Glazunov Concerto for Saxophone in E-flat major, op.109 Rimsky-Korsakov Symphonic Suite from Antar, op.9
Special Event: Mozart’s Requiem Wednesday, July 25, 8 PM Christ United Methodist Church
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Shannon Scott, clarinet Andrea Edith Moore, soprano Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor Sidney Outlaw, baritone Members of the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale, Dr. Carole Ott, director
Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 Requiem, K. 626 Ave verum corpus, K. 618
EMF Season Finale feat. Anthony Dean Griffeyand Nancy Maultsby Saturday, July 28, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano
Danielpour Across the Span of Time Mahler Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D major, op.43
Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Naxos Summer 2012 Releases:
June Handel: Acis and Galatea Concertos by Handel, Vivaldi, C.P.E. Bach (feat. Seattle Symphony soloists) Arthur Honegger: Symphony No. 2, Henri Lazarof: Icarus, Poema
July Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet suites, and Pushkin Waltz No. 2 Ravel Daphnis and Chloé (complete ballet) & Hovhaness Meditation on Orpheus Alan Hovhaness: Symphonies No. 1 Exile and No. 50 Mt. Saint Helens Peter Mennin: Moby Dick, Symphonies 3 & 7 Kodaly: Dances of Galanta and Hary Janos, Dohnányi: Konzertstueck (Starker)
August 2 discs of Richard Wagner: orchestral excerpts from the operas Deems Taylor: Through the Looking Glass, and works by Charles Griffes 3 discs of Schumann Symphonies, overtures, Piano Concerto (Davidovich)
Gerard Schwarz Press and Media Relations Contact Karen Ames Communications Karen Ames or Kristin Schellinger (415) 641-7474 karen@karenames.com kristin@karenames.com
Naxos Press and Media Relations Contact Raymond Bisha, Director of Media Relations (917) 892-1249 rbisha@naxosusa.com
Kelly Rach, National Publicist (615) 465-3806 krach@naxosusa.com
Eastern Music Festival Contact Carrie Miller, Director of Marketing (336) 333-7450 ext. 32 Carrie@EasternMusicFestival.org
Stephanie Cordick, Executive Director SCordick@EasternMusicFestival.org
###
Maestro Gerard Schwarz and the Eastern Music Festival welcome a stellar array of internationally acclaimed guest artists to its four week summer festival in Greensboro, North Carolina including: pianists Vladimir Feltsman, Alexander Toradze, Awadagin Pratt and William Wolfram, cellist Mark Kosower, violinists Tasmin Little, Glenn Dicterow and Elmar Oliveira, violist Robert Vernon, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, and mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby. All artists will perform special concerts with the Festival Orchestra and work with young musicians.
Commissioned by Dave Gannett, Gerard Schwarz’s A Journey is scored for traditional large orchestra and will be premiered Saturday, July 7. Gannett was interested in a work that was in a tradition of the family-oriented and personality-oriented tone poems of Richard Strauss. “Dave Gannett is a brilliant, thoughtful and spiritual man with a very deep love of classical music,” said Schwarz. A Journey is a serious work about a man who is devoted to family and the thread throughout the piece is one of devotion.
A prolific recording artist, Schwarz’s total discography numbers more than 350 recordings on more than 11 labels. Similar to the 49 recordings to be released by Naxos this year, which include works by 54 composers, the set of 15 discs to be released this summer features works from the Baroque to contemporary periods. The 49 discs represent the breadth and depth of the conductor’s vast repertoire and vary in genre, including major 20th century ballets by composers Stravinsky, Strauss, Bartók, Ravel and Prokofiev, as well as multi-disc cycles of works by Schumann, Strauss, Wagner and Stravinsky. Schwarz’s dedication to the promotion of American music is also represented, with recordings featuring the works of 26 American composers. The 15 discs released in June, July and August include works by Handel, Arthur Honegger, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Ravel, Kodály, Hovahness, Peter Mennin, Deems Taylor and others. A complete listing of planned summer releases is included at the conclusion of the release.
Four albums of particular note in the set of 15 include Concertos by Handel, Vivaldi and C.P.E. Bach, Handel: Acis and Galatea, Deems Taylor: Through the Looking Glass and works by Charles Griffes, as well as the Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner cycles. The disc of Concertos by Handel, Vivaldi and C.P.E. Bach, released in June, demonstrates the nurtured virtuosity of the orchestra during Schwarz's tenure and features never-before released performances by star soloists of the Seattle Symphony. Another June release, Handel: Acis and Galatea, showcases Schwarz's remarkable versatility and skill in Baroque music. The August release of Deems Taylor and works by Charles Griffes includes Taylor’s Through the Looking Glass, an American impressionistic masterpiece based on the beloved story by Lewis Carroll, and was his most successful symphonic work. The albums of Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner cycles, also to be released in August, underscore the critically acclaimed performances of Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony in the core German Romantic repertoire.
Gerard Schwarz has been associated with the Eastern Music Festival since 2003, first serving as artistic advisor, then principal guest conductor and, since 2007, as music director. The Eastern Music Festival and School, founded in 1961 in Greensboro, North Carolina, by Sheldon Morgenstern, is an internationally-renowned classical music festival and institute for young musicians that runs for five weeks each summer with a mission to promote musical enrichment, excellence, professional collaboration, innovation, and diversity through a nationally-recognized teaching program, music festival, concerts and other programs. The institute accepts students ages 14 through 22 from around the country and the world. The EMF faculty consists of world-class performing artists selected from top orchestras and music schools nationally and internationally.
Schwarz, who also serves as Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony, is a renowned interpreter of 19th Century German, Austrian and Russian repertoire, in addition to contemporary American works. Also a prolific and dynamic composer, Schwarz studied with such eminent composers as Paul Creston, Roger Sessions, Jacob Druckman, Milton Babbitt, Vincent Persichetti and Pierre Boulez and has created many acclaimed original works and arrangements of orchestral suites. The conductor began his professional career as co- principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic and has held leadership positions with Mostly Mozart Festival, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony. As a guest conductor in both opera and symphonic repertoire, he has worked with many of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies. In his nearly five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including Emmy Awards, Grammy nominations, ASCAP Awards and the Ditson Conductor’s Award. He was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and has received numerous honorary doctorates. Most recently, the City of Seattle named the street alongside Benaroya Hall “Gerard Schwarz Place.”
Gerard Schwarz’s Eastern Music Festival Performances: For full a calendar of EMF events visit: www.easternmusicfestival.org
Tannenbaum-Sternberger Young Artists Orchestra Series Friday, June 29, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor José-Luis Novo, conductor
Humperdinck/Schwarz Suite from Hansel and Gretel Verdi Overture to Nabucco Wagner Overture to Rienzi
EMF Presents Vladimir Feltsman Saturday, June 30, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Vladimir Feltsman, piano
Bright Sheng Prelude and Black Swan Beethoven Concerto No. 3 for Piano in C minor, op.37 Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op.78 (Organ Symphony)
Friends & Great Performers Series: An Evening of Mozart Concerti Wednesday, July 4, 8 PM First Presbyterian Church
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Les Roettges, flute Randall Ellis, oboe Shannon Scott, clarinet Chad Cognata, bassoon Kevin Reid, horn
Mozart Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191 Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, K. 417 Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313 Sinfonia Concertante for Winds in E Flat major, K. 279b
Tannenbaum-Sternberger Young Artists Orchestra featuring Mark Kosower Thursday, July 5, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Mark Kosower, cello
Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 1 for Violoncello in A minor, op.33 Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 in C minor, op.65
EMF Presents Elmar Oliveira Saturday, July 7, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Elmar Oliveira, violin
Gerard Schwarz A Journey – World Premiere Dvorák Concerto for Violin in A minor, op.53 Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra, op.30 (Thus Spake Zarathustra)
EMF Presents Alexander Toradze Saturday, July 14, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Alexander Toradze, piano
David Schiff Canzonetta Prokofiev Concerto No. 3 for Piano in C major, op.26 Glazunov Concerto for Saxophone in E-flat major, op.109 Rimsky-Korsakov Symphonic Suite from Antar, op.9
Special Event: Mozart’s Requiem Wednesday, July 25, 8 PM Christ United Methodist Church
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Shannon Scott, clarinet Andrea Edith Moore, soprano Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor Sidney Outlaw, baritone Members of the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale, Dr. Carole Ott, director
Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 Requiem, K. 626 Ave verum corpus, K. 618
EMF Season Finale feat. Anthony Dean Griffeyand Nancy Maultsby Saturday, July 28, 8 PM Dana Auditorium, Guilford College
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano
Danielpour Across the Span of Time Mahler Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D major, op.43
Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Naxos Summer 2012 Releases:
June Handel: Acis and Galatea Concertos by Handel, Vivaldi, C.P.E. Bach (feat. Seattle Symphony soloists) Arthur Honegger: Symphony No. 2, Henri Lazarof: Icarus, Poema
July Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet suites, and Pushkin Waltz No. 2 Ravel Daphnis and Chloé (complete ballet) & Hovhaness Meditation on Orpheus Alan Hovhaness: Symphonies No. 1 Exile and No. 50 Mt. Saint Helens Peter Mennin: Moby Dick, Symphonies 3 & 7 Kodaly: Dances of Galanta and Hary Janos, Dohnányi: Konzertstueck (Starker)
August 2 discs of Richard Wagner: orchestral excerpts from the operas Deems Taylor: Through the Looking Glass, and works by Charles Griffes 3 discs of Schumann Symphonies, overtures, Piano Concerto (Davidovich)
Gerard Schwarz Press and Media Relations Contact Karen Ames Communications Karen Ames or Kristin Schellinger (415) 641-7474 karen@karenames.com kristin@karenames.com
Naxos Press and Media Relations Contact Raymond Bisha, Director of Media Relations (917) 892-1249 rbisha@naxosusa.com
Kelly Rach, National Publicist (615) 465-3806 krach@naxosusa.com
Eastern Music Festival Contact Carrie Miller, Director of Marketing (336) 333-7450 ext. 32 Carrie@EasternMusicFestival.org
Stephanie Cordick, Executive Director SCordick@EasternMusicFestival.org
###
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