Seattle Symphony Organizes Beethoven Festival

Following wine tasting, Music Director Gerard Schwarz will lead Seattle Symphony in hour-long performances of Beethoven’s music, presented without intermission.

The Festival runs September 9–11 with wine tasting beginning at 6:30 p.m. each evening, followed by a performance at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, September 9, Seattle Symphony will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, and Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, with Sara Buechner. On Thursday, September 10, the program will feature the Egmont Overture, Op. 84, and Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, Eroica. On Friday, September 11, the Orchestra will perform the Coriolan Overture, Op. 62, and Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67.

Gerard Schwarz

One of the leading conductors of his generation, Gerard Schwarz is internationally recognized for his engaging performances, innovative programming and renowned recording history. This season, Maestro Schwarz’s exciting work with Seattle Symphony enters into its 25th year as he leads the Orchestra in his Silver Anniversary Season. Maestro Schwarz also is Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, where he was honored in 2009 by the Mayor of Greensboro with the Key to the City. He also has served as Music Director of New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony, as well as Artistic Advisor to the Tokyo Philharmonic and Orchard Hall.

Maestro Schwarz has received 2 Emmy awards, 13 Grammy nominations, six ASCAP awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation awards. His extensive discography of some 260 releases showcases his collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. Born to Viennese parents, Schwarz is a recipient of the Ditson Conductor’s Award from Columbia University, and was the first American to be named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. He holds honorary doctorates from The Juilliard School, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle University, University of Puget Sound and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Schwarz has served on the National Council on the Arts. In 2002, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored Schwarz with its Concert Music Award, and, in 2003, the Pacific Northwest Branch of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences gave Schwarz its first “IMPACT” lifetime achievement award. In October 2009, Schwarz will receive Seattle’s First Citizen Award.

Sara Buechner

A major prizewinner of many of the world's most prestigious international piano competitions – Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, Leeds, Salzburg, Sydney and Vienna – Sara Buechner established her career by winning the Gold Medal at the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Bronze Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow.

With an active repertoire of over 100 piano concertos ranging from Albeniz to Zimbalist, Buechner has appeared as soloist with North America's most prominent orchestras: the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis and San Francisco symphony orchestras; the Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton and Calgary Symphony Orchestras; and abroad with the Japan Philharmonic, City of Birmingham (U.K.) Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Kuopio (Finland) Philharmonic, Slovak Philharmonic, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon (Spain). She was a featured artist at the Piano 2000 Gala Concerts in the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony, and has performed solo recitals at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival. In addition to her frequent North American concert appearances and radio broadcasts, she tours widely throughout East Asia on a yearly basis. -- www.seattlesymphony.org