Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learns hosted by Palm Beach Symphony Music Director Gerard Schwarz at The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties Building (Symphony's conference room)

This installment of Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learns will be hosted by Music Director Gerard Schwarz. Individual tickets are $125 per lunch and learn or a subscription package is available for $600 for admission to all six. During these informal and informative sessions, guests will enjoy a three-course gourmet lunch catered by SandyJames Fine Food & Productions and a selection of wines curated by Palm Beach Symphony sponsor Private Cask Imports while deepening their connection with the musicians and performances through a glimpse behind the curtain of how the Symphony prepares for concerts, selects repertoire and more. Attendees will learn about the subject matter and composers that will be performed during the upcoming concert, while enriching their concert experience. Complimentary valet parking is provided.

At this Lunch & Learn, Maestro Schwarz will discuss the March 2 concert featuring guest violinist Vadim Repin. Hailed as one of the most compelling violinists in the world, Repin shines in Prokofiev’s lyrical and dynamic Violin Concerto No. 2. The program also includes the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s Lullaby, commissioned for Palm Beach Symphony by Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, alongside his Miami Variations, and Brahms’ richly romantic Symphony No. 3.

Held the Thursday preceding each concert, Lunch & Learns are also scheduled for April 16 and May 14.

About Gerard Schwarz

Gerard Schwarz is recognized internationally for his moving performances, innovative programming, and a lifelong dedication to music education. He is the Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Festival of Music, Palm Beach Symphony and The Frost Symphony Orchestra. He is also Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. Schwarz is the Distinguished Professor of Music, Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Schwarz’s discography of over 350 albums showcases his collaborations with the world’s greatest orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Tokyo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. In the 2023-24 season, Schwarz recorded Arthur Foote’s long-forgotten cello concerto with his son Julian Schwarz and the Buffalo Philharmonic. It will be released on Delos Records.

Schwarz has commissioned and performed more than 300 world premieres. As Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival, he initiated the Bonnie McElveen-Hunter Commissioning Project in 2013, celebrating American composers. The project has commissioned works by John Corigliano, Richard Danielpour, André Previn, HyeKyung Lee and Lowell Liebermann, among many others. His commissioning project for the 100th anniversary of the University of Miami and the Frost School of Music has included works by Paul Moravec, Bernard Rands, Augusta Read Thomas, Carlos Rivera, Etienne Charles and Dorothy Hindman.

In more than five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Schwarz has received eight Emmy Awards, 15 GRAMMY® nominations, eight ASCAP Awards, eight Emmy Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards. He holds the Ditson Conductor’s Award from Columbia University and was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. He has received numerous honorary doctorates, including from The Juilliard School, his alma mater. In 2002, ASCAP honored Schwarz with its Concert Music Award and in 2003, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences gave Schwarz its first “IMPACT” lifetime achievement award. Schwarz’s memoir, Behind the Baton: An American Icon Talks Music, was published by Hal Leonard in 2017.

About Palm Beach Symphony

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 90,000 students in recent years.  For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include Cindy and Jerome Canty, Mrs. James N. Bay, Carol and Harold Baxter, C. Kenneth and Laura Baxter Foundation, Inc., Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, Leslie Rogers Blum, Jerey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Jerome J. Claeys, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Michelle DuBois and James Roiter, Ray K. Farris, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation,  Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Paul* and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo Gressette, Irwin and Janet Gusman, Walter Harper, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, HSS Florida, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Elaine Kay, Aban and Percy Kavasmaneck, Leonard and Norma Klorne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Gary and Linda Lachman/The Lachman Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Palm Beach Design Masters, Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez and Dr. Jesus Perez-Mendez, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Karen Hunt Rogers, The Honorable Ronald A. Rosenfeld, David Schafer, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Kimberly V. Strauss, Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods.

*Deceased