Carnegie Mellon University
February 19, 2014

Press Release: Internationally Renowned Gerard Schwarz To Guest Conduct Carnegie Mellon's Philharmonic Orchestra and Choirs, Feb. 20

Contacts: Dana Casto / Marketing & Communications / School of Music / 412-268-4921 / dcasto@cmu.edu
                Pam Wigley/ Media Relations / College of Fine Arts / 412-268-1047 / pwigley@andrew.cmu.edu

Gerard SchwarzPITTSBURGH—Esteemed American conductor Gerard Schwarz will guest conduct the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic Orchestra and Choirs at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Schwarz is the third in a series of guest conductors this year. The concert will feature Brahms' "Schicksalslied," Ginastera's "Harp Concerto, Op. 25," featuring soloist Natalie Severson, and Holst's "The Planets."

This concert also will feature "Tweet Seats," or seats where a subsection of the audience engages in an online discussion about the performance. After successfully launching this project with the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra on Jan. 26, the Carnegie Mellon School of Music decided to continue the practice. Participants who are not able to attend in person can watch the webcast and join the conversation. Using the hashtag #CMUSchwarz, participants may engage in an online conversation with School of Music faculty members Lance LaDuke and Daniel Nesta Curtis, who will be leading the discussion from @CMUMusic. More information is available at http://music.cmu.edu/events/194.

Internationally recognized for his moving performances, innovative programming and extensive catalog of recordings, American conductor Gerard Schwarz serves as music director of the All-Star Orchestra, an ensemble of top musicians from America's leading orchestras featured in a new television series airing throughout the United States on public television. Schwarz has created an "all-star" team of top musical athletes for an eight episode series created to encourage a greater understanding and enjoyment of classical music. The series will be released by Naxos as a DVD. Schwarz also serves as music director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina and conductor laureate of the Seattle Symphony.

With more than 300 world premieres to his credit, Schwarz has always felt strongly about commissioning and performing new music. A new initiative with the Eastern Music Festival, the Bonnie McElveen Hunter Commissioning Project, will bring 10 new world premieres from American composers to the festival over a period of 10 years. During Schwarz's tenure with the festival, he has expanded audiences to the largest in its history, incorporated a composer-in-residence program, developed three new concert series and increased the focus on new works with 15 world premieres over the last three seasons.

Learn more about Schwarz at http://www.aormanagement.com/artists/gerard-schwarz/.

Tickets for the Feb. 20 concert are $5 and can be purchased in advance by going to http://music.cmu.edu/events/194 or by calling 1.888.71.TICKETS.

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Gerard Schwarz (pictured above) is the third in a series of guest conductors this year. The concert will feature Brahms' "Schicksalslied," Ginastera's "Harp Concerto, Op. 25," featuring soloist Natalie Severson, and Holst's "The Planets."