The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognised as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five GRAMMY Awards, 27 GRAMMY nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year.

The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.

Photo: Brandon Patoc

Internationally recognised for his moving performances, innovative programming and extensive catalogue of recordings, acclaimed American conductor Gerard Schwarz serves as music director of The All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony and Mozart Orchestra of New York, conductor emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival and conductor laureate of the Seattle Symphony, with whom he completed his final season as music director in 2011 after 26 years.

He is distinguished professor of music; conducting and orchestral studies of the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, and music director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra.

As a guest conductor, he has worked with many of the world’s finest orchestras and has led the San Francisco, Washington National and Seattle Opera companies on many occasions.

Schwarz has won eight Emmy Awards and received fourteen GRAMMY nominations, and his considerable discography of over 350 albums showcases his collaborations with some of the world’s greatest orchestras. In 2017 The Gerard Schwarz Collection, a 30-CD box set of previously unreleased or limited release works spanning his entire recording career was released by Naxos (8.503294).

He is also a gifted composer and arranger with an extensive catalogue of works.

www.gerardschwarz.com

“Schwarz’s 26-Year Seattle Legacy - Au Revoir But Not Good-Bye” courtesy of American Record Guide

A pupil of Bernard Rogers at Eastman, of Roger Sessions and Paul Boepple in New York, and then of Nadia Boulanger in Paris, the American composer David Diamond lived in Italy for some time, returning to the United States in 1965. He held various important teaching positions, from 1973 to 1997 at the Juilliard School in New York, and received a number of awards and distinctions.

Orchestral, Instrumental and Vocal Music

Diamond, against prevailing musical fashions, held to what he described as the Romantic spirit in music, a belief that allied him with composers such as Harris, Barber, Hanson, Schuman and Piston. He lived to see his music winning an audience, after years of academic neglect.

His orchestral works include 11 symphonies and three violin concertos, with chamber music that includes some six string quartets. His Jewish heritage is represented by his Kaddish for cello and orchestra and by settings of texts relevant to Jewish life in America in AHAVA – Brotherhood and Mizmor L’David.