Timothy Schwarz Biography
Concertizing regularly in recitals and concertos throughout the United States and
Europe, violinist Timothy Schwarz has been praised for his “energetic performances”
(Rome News), “technique beyond reproach” (Buffalo Times) and creative programming.
His 2012-13 season includes concerts in London, New York, Philadelphia, Las Vegas,
Portland, Asheville, and New England. In 2014 Naxos will release his fifth CD, which
features early chamber works by award winning composer Jennifer Higdon. Schwarz has
also recorded for EMI, Marquis Classics, and Centaur Records. The American Record
Guide praised his CD of live performances as “good enough to be the only recording in
your collection if you just want one”.
An avid educator, Dr. Schwarz is director and founder of Techne Music, which includes a
summer chamber music camp and concert series. His students have won national
competitions and have been accepted into the nation's leading conservatories. Dr. Schwarz has
served at Lehigh University for the past 12 years, most recently as Professor of Practice and
Head of the String Department (2007-present).
In addition to Europe and America, Schwarz has also performed extensively in South
America, Asia, and Africa. He served as an Artistic Ambassador for the State Department
from 1996-2001. He made his solo debut at age nine with the legendary Philadelphia
Orchestra , where he often appears currently as a section member.
As a winner of the Starling competition, Dr. Schwarz received a Bachelor of Music from the
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with the legendary pedagogue Dorothy
DeLay. He went on to receive a Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory and a Doctorate
in Musical Arts from Temple University, where he studied with Helen Kwalwasser.
For more information and a complete list of concerts, please visit
www.TimothySchwarz.com.
Full Biography
Noted as “Intense” (American Record Guide), “Energetic” (Rome News Tribune) and “The principal
purveyor of romance” (Richmond Times), violinist Timothy Schwarz is known throughout the world for
his innovative and educational programming. As a collaborative artist, he has performed recitals and
chamber music throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. His recording career
spans 15 years, with solo and chamber music albums distributed by EMI, Marquis Classics, and Centaur
Records. The American Record Guide praised his 2006 recording of the Bartok Sonata No. 2 as “good
enough to be the only recording in your collection if you just want one”. His extensive concerto
repertoire favors compositions with intricate and complex orchestra parts from a wide range of styles
and periods.
Schwarz’s 2012-2013 season includes London recitals at Kingston University, London College of Music,
City of London School for the Boys, and Saint Peter’s Church. In the United States, recitals are scheduled
at the University of Delaware, Lehigh University, WVIA Radio in Scranton, PA, AmiciMusic Festival in
North Carolina, and Classicpoia Festival in New England. Other chamber music concerts include
performances in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Portland (OR), and Wilmington (DE). In 2013
Schwarz founded the highly competitive string camp Techne Music which is based in Pennsylvania’s
Lehigh Valley. He also completed his most recent CD of chamber works by American composer Jennifer
Higdon, which will be released on Naxos in 2014.
In 1995 Schwarz (as part of the Upper Valley Duo with pianist Daniel Weiser) won the gold medal at the
Artistic Ambassador Competition in Washington, DC. The resulting nine week solo tour of the Middle
East, Southeast Asia and Northern Africa was a turning point for Schwarz. His All-American programs
featured works from a wide range of American lifestyles, including works by African American, Native
American, women, and homosexual composers. His magnetic personality and dynamic performances
made him a huge success at every venue. The United States Information Agency requested a second
tour in 1998 and an unprecedented third tour in 2001. During this period Schwarz had several
compositions commissioned which featured Arab and American melodies within one work. His strong
desire for communication between America and the Middle East led to several chamber music concerts
with Egyptian and Syrian musicians, and a special concert at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC.
Other thematic programs have become a staple of Schwarz’s performance style, which often include
short lectures or discussion about the concert’s topic. All of these express Schwarz’s desire to have the
performers and audience expand their knowledge and understanding of themselves and people
throughout history. His performances have taken him to many notable venues, including Carnegie Hall in
New York, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Saint John, Smith’s Square in London, The Phillips
Collection in Washington, DC, the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, and The Cairo Opera House. Other
solo recitals and concertos include venues in Boston, Baltimore, Nashville, New Orleans, Atlanta,
Richmond, Porto Alegre (Brazil), and numerous tours of the Midwest and New England.
Schwarz made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of nine, one of the youngest
violinists to have ever soloed with this legendary institution. Since then he has appeared regularly as a
violin soloist in North and South America, with a strong emphasis on baroque and 20th Century
composers. In 1994 the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Schwarz “Best Concert in Maryland”
for his performance of Violin Concerto No. 2 by Béla Bartók. Most recently he has appeared as soloist
with the Rome Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Philharmonic, the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony,
the Monocacy Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Delaware Symphony.
As a winner of the Starling competition, Dr. Schwarz received a Bachelor of Music from the Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with the legendary pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. He went on
to receive a Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory and a Doctorate in Musical Arts from Temple
University, where he studied with Helen Kwalwasser.
Schwarz is currently Head of the String Department at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. In 2005 he
became a member of the Serafin String Quartet, which is the resident quartet at the University of
Delaware, and in 2006 Schwarz was appointed Music Director of the Wilmington Community Orchestra.
He is also a founding member of the clarinet trio Tripod.
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