Eduard Schmieder

Conductor

Born and educated in Russia, Eduard Schmieder has been characterized as an “extraordinary musician of the late 20th century.” His ability to communicate with audiences and students alike places him in a rare category of elite performers and educators. As artist and teacher, Schmieder amalgamates and creatively transforms the great traditions of American and European art.

As a conductor, Schmieder has performed in such prestigious halls as Cite de la Musique in Paris, Crown Hall in Jerusalem, Grand Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wagner Hall in Riga and other major concert halls worldwide. On April 14, 1996, Eduard Schmieder performed a recital in Genoa, on Paganini’s famous Guarneri del Gesu “Il Cannone” violin.

Currently Eduard Schmieder holds Carnell Distinguished Professor Chair at Temple University, Philadelphia. Prior to his appointment at Temple University, he was Distinguished Algur H. Meadows Chair of Violin and Chamber Music in the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas (1990-2006), and tenured professor of the violin at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the position formerly held by Jascha Heifetz.

As violinist he has been collaborating with celebrated musicians in major concert halls throughout the world, and gives master classes at the foremost conservatories and music festivals.

He frequently represents the United States as a jury member at leading international competitions including Queen Elisabeth, Sibelius, Mozart, Paganini, Sarasate, Lipizer, and ARD among others.

Students of professor Schmieder have established careers as prominent soloists, active chamber musicians, and hold principal positions in major orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, London, Los Angeles, Israel Philharmonies, Bavarian State, Dresden Staatskapella, Dallas Symphony, and others. He is Music Director and Conductor of iPalpiti orchestral ensemble of international laureates.

“..a serous and resourceful podium personality.” Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times

“I shall never forget his extraordinary power over the players; his drive is quite astounding.” Margaret Campbell, FRSA Music Critic, The Strad and Author of The Great Violinists and The Great Cellists

“… [He] is a remarkable conductor.” John Ardoin, Dallas Morning news

iPalpiti Orchestra

Acclaimed by the press for its “beauteous string playing”, “lustrous, polished tone,” and “vocal quality”, iPalpiti (ee-PAHL-pit-ee is Italian for “heartbeats”) is a consortium of prize-winning young professional musicians from around the globe, where each member is considered a soloist.

Under his direction, iPalpiti has performed to sold-out audiences in prestigious venues such as Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Mozarteum Grosse Hall (Salzburg), Nikkei Hall (Tokyo), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), YMCA Jerusalem, Carnegie Zankel Hall (New York), and has been invited as ensemble-in-residence at festivals in Slovenia, Israel, Carinthia, Belgium, and Italy, as well as the Martha Argerich Festival in Beppu, Japan.

iPalpiti has since grown to an ensemble of international recognition, establishing a summer residency in Beverly Hills, California in 1999. iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates in Los Angeles—presented annually since 1998—is one of the nation’s significant music festivals and the subject of international accolades. The prestigious STRAD magazine devoted numerous enthusiastic features and reviews, and the Los Angeles Times acclaimed the Festival’s ”take-your-breath-away demonstrations of musicianship and technique,” where artists are encouraged to find their “own voice,” performing as iPalpiti Soloists in solo and chamber ensemble concerts. Referred to as a “Musical Peace Corps,” iPalpiti has created an international cultural network of hundreds of classical artists, forging life-time associations and friendships that transcend the conflicts of our time.

The orchestra’s players (ages 19-32) are all winners of prestigious international awards and represent countries worldwide. iPalpiti alumni have established solo and chamber ensemble careers and have taken up leading positions in major international orchestras such as the Chicago, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Monte Carlo, Bavarian State and Munich Symphonies, London, Berlin and Israel Philharmonics, Dresden Staatskapelle, etc. Several have exclusive recordings with labels like Decca, Telarc, and Supraphon records, and are considered among the premier musicians of their generation.

iPalpiti’s performances have been acclaimed by critics throughout the world. In 1996 Noord Holland Dagblad proclaimed “[iPalpiti’s] performance can be called righteously overwhelming.” John Ardoin of the Dallas Morning News raved “iPalpiti sprang to life as a single, singing voice. It was the natural, ‘vocal’ quality that stayed with me long after the final notes of the concert were sounded,” while the Los Angeles Times hailed the group’s performances as “an astounding demonstration of seamless and beauteous string playing…memorable, luminous, deeply moving performance” (Daniel Cariaga 2000) and as a “cool display of virtuosity…unified to an often startling degree” (2006). The New York Times noted that “…ensemble was particularly noteworthy for its unity of purpose and blend. It was as if the musicians’ hearts were beating to the same buoyant rhythm…lustrous, polished tone and graceful phrasing.” (2007)

iPalpiti has released 20 CDs issued on TELOS, YAI/iPalpiti and BCM+D Records. Performances are broadcast by Classic Arts Showcase nationally to over 62 million viewers on PBS/Art Channel and other public television channels, in Philadelphia on WRTI, New York on WQXR-FM.

Alexandru Tomescu

Violinist/Romania

STATE SOLOIST OF ROMANIA • iPalpiti alumnus

"Alexandru Tomescu is a great artist, an ambassador of Romanian culture. Together with his violin he went throughout Europe and America and changed people's views of Romania"-Kansan Uutiset, Helsinki, Finland

Alexandru Tomescu returns to iPalpiti and Disney Hall after establishing himself as an international "violin superstar" (Berliner Morgenpost). A former student of Eduard Schmieder and Tibor Varga, Tomescu was an iPalpiti soloist early in his career, in iPalpiti's first festival in 1998. Since then, he has gone on to perform in the world's leading concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, Tokyo's Metropolitan Arts Center, collaborating with conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Kurt Masur, Maxim Vengerov and Christoph Eschenbach. The winner of no fewer than 27 international competitions, he was presented in 2007 with the Stradivarius Elder-Voicu violin, which makes its Los Angeles debut in this festival.

Since returning to his native Romania, he has made it his mission to demonstrate that classical music is a world open to everyone, and one that fosters harmony across national and cultural borders. As a kind of Romanian musical ambassador, he and the Stradivarius he performs on have visited many of the world's capitals, uniting the sound of an extraordinary instrument to Tomescu's deep musical sensibility.

Tomescu has brought both conventional and unconventional means to his mission, deftly combining innovation and tradition. He played in a subway station to demonstrate the continuing appeal of classical music, not just to the cognoscenti, but to all. He has performed to raise funds for the Romanian Association for the Blind, and to fund hearing aids for children.

His efforts are not limited to performing; he is also a sought-after musical commentator in the press and on radio and television, addressing what it means to be an artist in the 21st century, how musical inspiration is developed, and why classical music continues to be a critical cultural force.

His powerful musical style may be best summarized by a quote about a single exemplary concert: "Alexandru Tomescu makes uncommon music out of Paganini's Caprices, playing up contrasts, letting each phrase live and breathe. I expected an evening of champagne bubbles. Tomescu serves up whiskey" (David Larsen-Metro Magazine, New Zealand).