Maestro Gerard Schwarz, distinguished professor and music director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra at the Frost School of Music, has renewed his contract as music director at his summer home, the Eastern Music Festival (EMF) in Greensboro, North Carolina.
An internationally renowned conductor, music director and composer with a five-decade long career, Maestro Schwarz, who came to the Frost School in 2019, joined EMF as music advisor in 2005, became principal conductor in 2006 and music director in 2008. His new contract extends through EMF’s 2026 season.
Maestro Schwarz, who leads the conducting and orchestral studies program at the Frost School, is also music director of the All-Star Orchestra, the Palm Beach Symphony, and the Mozart Orchestra of New York. He is Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival, and has conducted and recorded with many of the world’s greatest orchestras, and recorded over 350 albums.
Established in 1961 at Guilford College, the EMF is a celebrated classical music event that brings several hundred young, aspiring classical musicians from across the United States and internationally for summer study. The festival also hosts distinguished visiting guest artists, performances, and community programs.
“It is a great pleasure and honor to continue to make music in my summer musical home of the Eastern Music Festival through 2026,” says Maestro Schwarz. “It is a great joy for me to work with so many wonderful musicians, both faculty and students as well as a very supportive staff and board. The vibrance and enthusiasm of the Greensboro area audience is very special, and I am very excited to see what the next three years bring.”
As music director at EMF, Schwarz oversees the festival’s repertoire and commissions music from up-and-coming composers. During his time there, he has established new initiatives including the Conducting Scholars Institute and the Euphonium-Tuba Institute.
“We are delighted that our collaboration with Gerard Schwarz will continue,” says Melanie Tuttle, EMF board chair. “He is an integral part of why our festival is so widely and highly regarded. The Board of Directors faced a very easy decision to renew our relationship with Jerry. We look forward to the coming seasons of magical music-making at EMF.”
