Cellist Julian Schwarz Takes First Prize in the Inaugural Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong

New York, August 26, 2013 - Cellist Julian Schwarz has been awarded First Prize in the professional cello division of the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition for Violin and Cello. Mr. Schwarz was chosen from a field of 25 cellists who were invited to Hong Kong to compete. As First Prize winner, Mr. Schwarz receives $25,000 in addition to a beautiful cello made by respected German luthier Helmut Illner. The Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition for Violin and Cello was founded to enrich the culture of music by recognizing and promoting outstanding violinists and cellists, offering these highly gifted young musicians invaluable experience and exposure at the outset of their careers.

Jorge Mester, Chairman of the Jury, stated “Julian Schwarz thrilled the jury and the public in Hong Kong with his magisterial, commanding performance of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1.” The jury also included Nathaniel Rosen and distinguished musicians from Germany, Italy, China, Hong Kong and Korea.

Already recognized as a rising star in the musical world, Mr. Schwarz maintains an active performance schedule while completing his final year at The Juilliard School. Highlights of his 2013/14 season include concerto appearances with the Modesto, Binghamton, and Wichita symphonies in the United States. In October 2014 he will travel to Queensland, Australia where he will perform with the Queensland Symphony and a series of trio concerts culminating in a recording of the Schubert Trios for the Master Performers label. He makes his television debut this fall performing Samuel Jones’ Cello Concerto with The All Star Orchestra, a nationally televised American Public Television program which will also be released as a DVD on Naxos.

Born into a musical family, Mr. Schwarz made his orchestral debut at the age of 11 playing the Saint-Saens Concerto No.1 with the Seattle Symphony. Since then, he has performed concertos with the San Diego, Puerto Rico, Columbus (OH), Syracuse, Virginia, Hartford, Sarasota, Grand Rapids, Omaha, and Wichita symphonies among others. Festival appearances include Verbier and Aspen, the Eastern Music Festival and the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico. He was a featured soloist with the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra on their 2010 national tour.

Internationally renowned violinist and cellist Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld both served on the USC Thornton faculty beginning in 1959 and were holders of the Alice & Eleonore Schoenfeld Chair in String Instruction and the Gregor Piatigorsky Chair in Violoncello, respectively. They concertized extensively as soloists with leading symphony and radio orchestras, in recitals, and as the acclaimed Schoenfeld Duo.

For more information on Julian Schwarz, please visit www.cmartists.com