Many artists talk about bridging the gap between performer and audience. Timothy Schwarz does it- with wit, verb and compassion. Whether it is a children’s concert, or a benefit for world peace, his goal is to breathe new life into one of the most incredible and oldest art forms: Music.

Schwarz’s love of music and the violin were evident almost from birth, and by age seven he had already performed violin solos with several community orchestras. At age nine he was asked to give the Philadelphia premier of Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major with the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the youngest violinists to have ever soloed with this legendary institution. In his teens he was considered one of the top young violinists in the United States, having won numerous competitions throughout the United States.

Upon graduating from high school, Schwarz won the prestigious Starling International Violin Competition, and was awarded a full scholarship plus stipend to study under the renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. While at Cincinnati he was a three-time winner of the WGUC radio competition and of the school’s concerto competition. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance, he was admitted to the Peabody Conservatory, where he received a Master’s in Violin Performance. Peabody awarded him the Mary Lou Becker award for Artistic Excellence, and the National Endowment of the Arts presented him an award for Best Artist in the State of Maryland in 1994. In 1996 he won the Gold Medal in the Artistic Ambassador Competition held in Washington, DC (see solo recitals). In 2001, he received a University Fellowship from Temple University to study under Helen Kwalwasser, where he received a Doctorate in Violin Performance.

Schwarz is currently head of the string department at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He has also taught at the University of Delaware, Temple University, the Settlement Music School, and the Wilmington Music School.

Concertos

From a very young age, Schwarz has been in demand as a concerto soloist. He quickly became known for his interpretation of standard and contemporary works, both in the United States and abroad. The Richmond Times praised his “silvery and consistent tone” and the Bangladeshi paper Holiday commended his performance of the Barber Violin Concerto saying “Schwarz’s violin came alive in sharp, long notes which were played masterfully at every moment”. His performance of Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Cincinnati Concert Orchestra earned him a “Best Performance of the Year” award from the National Endowment of the Arts. Appearances with orchestra include the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Rome Symphony, the Brazilian Chamber Orchestra, the Richmond Philharmonic, the Fredrick Symphony (MD), the Monocacy Chamber Orchestra (PA), the Blue Ash Symphony (OH), the Cincinnati Concert Orchestra, the Cincinnati Baroque Ensemble, the University of Delaware Symphony, the Goucher Symphony (MD), and the Temple Symphony Orchestra, with multiple appearances with the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony (OH), the Johns Hopkins Symphony (MD), the Wilmington Community Orchestra, the Old York Road Symphony (PA), the Abington Chamber Orchestra (PA), the Bux-Mont Chamber Orchestra (PA), the Bucks-County Symphony (PA) , and the Lehigh Philharmonic (PA). Notable concerto collaborations have been with conductor JoAnn Falleta, pianist Sandra Rivers and violinist Diane Monroe.

Solo Recitals

Solo recitals are where Schwarz is able to use his creative abilities to the fullest extent. His recitals often have an interesting theme to them: combining readings or art with music, employing local musicians for one or more pieces on the program, or performing programs with a message. One example was a concert of all female composers Schwarz performed in Saudi Arabia; another was a combination of readings from Tolstoy’s short novel “The Kreutzer Sonata” with Beethoven’s “Kreutzer Sonata” for violin and piano and Janacek’s quartet titled “The Kreutzer Sonata”. He is well known for his educational concerts for both children and adults; musicians and music lovers.

This creative programming has earned him accolades from many venues. Notable performances include the Phillips Collection and National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, with multiple recital appearances in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, Wilmington, Bethlehem, New England and Brazil. He often collaborates with Tchaikovsky Competition winner Sandra Rivers.

In 1995, the Upper Valley Duo (Timothy Schwarz, violin and Daniel Weiser, piano) won first place in the highly competitive Artistic Ambassador Competition held in Washington, DC. This resulted in a nine-week, 35-city tour of the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. The tour was a tremendous success, and in 1998 Schwarz was invited back on a second tour. During the 1998 tour, Schwarz-- along with the American Embassy in Damascus-- commissioned composer Joseph Goodrich to write a chamber work, which contained American and Arab melodies within the same piece. This was premiered in Damascus with a combination of American and Syrian musicians. The piece was met with rave reviews, and American Ambassador Ryan Crocker immediately arranged for several more performances in Damascus and Aleppo. After the success of this project, the American Embassy in Cairo invited Schwarz to do a similar concert tour throughout Egypt in 2001. Schwarz spent two weeks in Egypt performing chamber music by American composers with Egyptian musicians. These concerts received so much positive publicity the Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC and the United States State Department asked Schwarz to present a special concert of the music performed on his tours in Washington, DC. Over the course of the three tours, Schwarz performed over 60 recitals in a dozen different countries including Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand. Because of Schwarz’s interest and dedication to musicians in the Middle East, in 2009 Lehigh University asked him to serve on the core committee to oversee the founding of the University’s Islamic Center.

Recordings

Schwarz released his first recording in 1995 under Marquis Classics and EMI. The recording featured works by American Composers including Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, and John Corigiliano. John Corigliano praised the CD as “outstanding”. Other reviews soon followed, saying the CD was “beyond reproach… with exemplary technique” (Buffalo Times) and “The performance was one of dreamy enchantment” (RPM). In 2006 Centaur Records released a recording of live performances by Schwarz, which include works by Bach, Bartok, Stravinsky, and de Falla. American Record Guide praised the CD, saying “Schwarz and Charity Wicks give one of the very best readings of the Bartok Sonata I have ever heard. They have obviously given the work a good deal of thought, and this is good enough to be the only recording of this work in your collection if you only want one”. In 2010 Centaur Records released another CD featuring Schwarz on baroque violin, with unaccompanied works by Teleman, Biber, Westhoff, Geminiani, and Bach. That same year Centaur Records also released a CD of the Serafin String Quartet, of which Schwarz is a member (see Chamber Music). Schwarz has also recorded chamber works by composer Cynthia Folio under Centaur Records.

Chamber Music

In 2005 Timothy joined the Serafin String Quartet, and since that time quartet playing has dominated his chamber music performances. The Serafin String Quartet gives 30-40 concerts a year throughout the United States and Europe. Major venues include Carnegie Hall, Saint John’s Smith Square (London), Emory University (GA), Highland-Cashiers festival (NC), University of Delaware, Lehigh University (PA), Grand Valley State University (MI), Vanderbilt University (TN), Rowan University (NJ), Chamber Music Now (PA), and the Fanfare Festival (LA). Their first commercial CD was released in 2010 under Centaur Records, and includes works by Samuel Barber, Antonin Dvorak, George Gershwin, and William Grant Still. The New York Concert Review praised them for their “uncommonly fine interpretation” and “ensemble and intonation that are beyond reproach”. The Serafin Quartet was Quartet in Residence at Lehigh University from 2006-2009.

Schwarz is a founding member of the clarinet trio Tripod, which performs regularly throughout the United States and has recorded for Centaur Records. Major Venues include the Kimmel Center (PA), Temple University (PA) and Rowan University (NJ). From 1993-1998 Schwarz was a member of the award-winning Upper Valley Duo with pianist Daniel Weiser. The Duo performed works by American composers, both contemporary and from the 19th and 20th centuries. Aside from this Duo, Schwarz is a champion of contemporary works, and was a member of the Settlement School Contemporary Players for over 10 years. Other chamber music collaborations have been with cellist Jeffery Solow, violist Paul Coletti, pianist Sandra Rivers, and members of the Juilliard Quartet.

Conducting and Viola

In 2006 Schwarz was appointed Interim Conductor of the Lehigh Philharmonic. That same year he became the conductor of the Wilmington Community Orchestra; a position he still holds. WCO gives four concerts a year performing major symphonic repertoire. Schwarz has also been an active violist since 1998, performing with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and on numerous chamber music recitals. He performed as viola soloist in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Abington Chamber Orchestra in 2000, and taught a course titled “Viola for Violinists” at Temple University from 2004 to 2006.