Timothy Schwarz

Timothy Schwarz began his musical training at age four, and by age seven had already soloed with Jenkintown Chamber Orchestra and the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra. Two years later he was invited to solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra, performing Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major.

Since his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 1978, Mr. Schwarz has appeared as soloist with the Richmond Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Concert Orchestra, the Orquestra de Câmara do Theatro São Pedro (Brazil), the Goucher Chamber Orchestra, the Frederick Symphony, the Cincinnati Baroque Ensemble, the Landsdowne Orchestra, the Bux-Mont Chamber Orchestra, the Old York Road Symphony, and the Abington Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Schwarz has performed solo recitals in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Muncie (Indiana), Hanover (New Hampshire), Porto Alegre, and Novo Hamburgo (Brazil). He has also been heard on radio stations in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Brazil.

Mr. Schwarz’s awards include first prize in the 1994 Maryland Council of the Arts Classical Music Competition, winner of the WGUC Classical Radio Competition for three years in a row (1988, 1989, 1990), the Cincinnati College-Conservatory Concerto Competition (1990), the Starling International Scholarship Competition (1986), the Drexel Music Competition (1983), and the Landsdowne Concerto Competition. In 1992, the Peabody Conservatory of Music awarded Mr. Schwarz the Rose and Lou Becker Prize for performance.

Mr. Schwarz, who received a Master’s Degree from the Peabody Conservatory, has performed chamber music with many renowned artists, including Earl Carlyss (formerly with the Juilliard String Quartet), Paul Coletti, Ruth Inglefield, and Sandra Rivers, During his two summers as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Mr. Schwarz was principal second violin under Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein.

In addition to his musical studies, Mr. Schwarz often participates in different meditation techniques and volunteer activities. Before committing to a musical career, Mr. Schwarz spent two years as an Associate with the Order of Friars Minors (Franciscans). He has attended meditation seminars in Albuquerque, Dayton, and Cincinnati, and has done volunteer work with homeless children in Albuquerque, Chicago, and Baltimore.