History of iPalpiti
Schmieder and Lord Menuhin, on the jury of the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, Brussels (1997)
With the blessing and support of the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin — after years of collaboration, friendship, and conversations about the future of classical music with Eduard and Laura Schmieder — Young Artists International* was born in 1997.
In 2008, we became iPalpiti Artists International. From the beginning, our mission has been to discover and support post-conservatory musicians, whose talents were destined to make them the leading classical musicians of their generation. Sometimes referred to as a “Musical Peace Corps”, iPalpiti has created an international network of classical artists, forging life-time associations that transcend the conflicts of our time.
Our mission attracted the attention of a group of the world’s leading classical musicians, who joined as Artistic Advisors, with the Great Dame of the Violin Ida Haendel, CBE, as Honorary President. With their support and keen ear for talent, we have been able to promote the most exceptional young professional musicians from around the globe.
Our program grew from a six-artists festival in 1998 into an annual production of international significance, centered on the iPalpiti Orchestral Ensemble of International Laureates with Maestro Eduard Schmieder as conductor. In addition to the iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates at our home base in Los Angeles, iPalpiti has been an invited ensemble-in-residence in Japan, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Korea, Austria, Slovenia, Israel, performing to sold-out audiences in venues from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to Carnegie Hall in New York.
Schmieder and Haendel after performance with iPalpiti at the Ford Theater, Los Angeles (2000)
Since 1998, iPalpiti Artists International has:
- Presented awards and scholarships to 449 outstanding young musicians in 53 countries.
- Presented more than 600 private and public concerts promoting young exceptional artists nationwide, including international tours.
- Presented annual “Benefactors Concert Series” throughout the years in private estates.
- Released 25 CDs of iPalpiti Orchestra & Soloists in live performances.
- Four Grammy nominations.
- Created the Mentor Program and Student Coalition for the Arts for 5 -12th graders to nurture the growth of interests, personal confidence and building a future audience.
- Released three short documentaries about iPalpiti and its Festival.
In 2007, iPalpiti celebrated its 10th anniversary with a New York Carnegie Hall debut to a rave review in the New York Times. In 2009, iPalpiti expanded its festival to the East Coast, with performances in Philadelphia (Kimmel Center), a finale concert at Carnegie Hall, and returned to the East Coast in 2011. A bi-coastal presence in the US, iPalpiti is an ensemble-in-residence at Temple University in Philadelphia; “iPalpiti Musicales” has been presented in New York at the home of Susan and Charles Avery Fisher since 2007, and its live performances have been broadcast on WQXR-FM.
iPalpiti Festivals have been featured in publications such as the STRAD magazine (1999, 2004, 2013), Strings magazine (1998, 2004) and the Los Angeles Times (1998, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020), calling the Festival’s performances “world-class” and “take-your-breath-away demonstrations of musicianship and technique.”
iPalpiti Artists International is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that stands on the belief that “music is the spiritual factor which brings people together and unites them irrespective of religion and culture, appealing to sublime senses.”
– Eduard Schmieder
If you would like to learn more, be part of, or support the programs of iPalpiti Artists International, please contact Laura Schmieder, Director, (310) 205-0511.