Biography

Born and educated in Russia, Eduard Schmieder has been characterized as an “extraordinary musician of the late 20th century” (Henry Roth). As artist and teacher, Schmieder amalgamates and creatively transforms the great traditions of American and European art.  He maintains a concert schedule as conductor and violinist and teaches an internationally selected class of students. 

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, Carnegie Hall, Disney Concert Hall, and other major concert halls worldwide. He has collaborated with such musicians as Ida Haendel, Brooks Smith, Nathaniel Rosen, Jon Kimura-Parker, Erick Friedman, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Ron Leonard, Maria Kligel, Atar Arad, John Perry, Dame Diana Andersen, Fou Ts’ong and many others. He was a founding member and artistic director of the Venice International Violin Institute and the Moscow Trio. 

In 1996, Eduard Schmieder performed a recital in Genoa on Paganini’s famous Guarneri del Gesu “Il Cannone” violin which is only given for the performances to exceptional virtuoso violinists. On this rare occasion, it was a posthumous International Peace Prize ceremony given by the Italian government to Yitzhak Rabin.

One of the most highly regarded violin pedagogues of his generation, Eduard Schmieder is the L.H. Carnell Distinguished Professor of Violin and Artistic Director for Strings at Temple University in Philadelphia. Prior to his appointment at Temple University, he held the 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, the position formerly held by Jascha Heifetz. Students of professor Schmieder are winners of top prizes at the most prestigious international competitions, have established careers as soloists, chamber musicians, and hold leading positions in orchestras in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

He is a recipient of American Cultural Specialist Award from United States Information Agency (1999), and throughout the years received numerous awards for his accomplishments as a Musician and Teacher and recognition for his invaluable contributions to culture. Most recent awards include: Proclamation from the City of Beverly Hills for his accomplishments as a Musician and Teacher and recognition for his invaluable contributions to culture; Certificate of Commendation from the City of Los Angeles for providing the world with cultural enrichment; Honors by Holland Music Sessions for 15 years of contribution to the culture of The Netherlands; 25th anniversary Durfee School of Music in Houston, TX for outstanding contribution as artistic advisor; Lifetime Achievement in Music Education, Russian American Center, Dallas, TX; Irving Symphony Orchestra honor dedication, City of Irving, TX; Diploma de Excelenta, Remember Enescu Foundation, Romania; Conductor of the Year - Beverly Hills Outlook Awards in 2003 and 2005. In 2006 he received President’s Associates Faculty Award at Southern Methodist University – only a 12th such recipient in the history of the university and the first ever in the Meadows School.

Eduard Schmieder’s recent performing highlights included recitals in St. Petersburg and in Paris, a solo with Meadows Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, conducting Jerusalem Symphony in Liturgica Festival series, Wroclaw Orchestra Ricordanza in Poland with Mme. Ida Haendel as violin soloist, and conducting at the Tokyo Festival and Martha Argerich Festival in Japan. The founder and music director of iPalpiti chamber orchestra since 1991, he conducted iPalpiti to sold-out and critically acclaimed performances in prestigious venues such as Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Mozarteum Grosse Hall (Salzburg), Nikkei Hall (Tokyo), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), YMCA Jerusalem, Carnegie Hall (New York), and is invited as ensemble-in-residence to festivals in Slovenia, Israel, Carinthia, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Netherlands, and Japan.   

Dr. Schmieder has taught master classes in virtually every foremost conservatory in the world. He has been performing, teaching, and conducting at international music festivals in Canada, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, and other countries.  In the United States he has worked in music festivals at Aspen, Interlochen, Musicorda, Idyllwild, and Summit in New York. Since 2004, he is on the faculty at the Mozarteum Summer Academie Salzburg. He frequently represents the United States as a jury member at leading international competitions including Queen Elisabeth, Sibelius, Paganini, Sarasate, Lipizer, and ARD. In 2003, he was invited and accepted the position as Artistic Advisor to the Sarasate International Violin Competition in Spain. He is also an Artistic Advisor to the Foundation “Remember Enescu” in Romania. In 2016 he was awarded Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Kazakh National University of Arts.

He has been written about in books by Henry Roth “Violin Virtuosos: From Paganini to 21st Century” and Margaret Campbell “The Great Violinists,” as well as three featured articles in The Strad magazine.

                                               www.EduardSchmieder.com

“Among (violin pedagogues) I consider to be of elite caliber I would, without hesitation, include the name of Eduard Schmieder. He is a born educator who possesses the rare ability to blend the finest precepts of modern Western violin pedagogy and musicianship with the virtuoso proclivities of the brilliant Soviet school. Equally important, he has intimate knowledge of and respect for the great violinistic traditions of the past, which further contributes to the extraordinary scope of his cognition.”                                     
                             -Henry Roth, Music Critic, The STRAD, Author of books “Great Violinists in Performance”, 
                                                                     “Violin Virtuosos, From Paganini to the 21st Century”, and other.


“… He elicits great dynamic from the orchestra…altogether, all the participants are wide awake and in fact, honor and wait anxiously for the conductor’s wishes… predominant excitement brought out by Schmieder.” 
                                                                             --Eberhard Iro, Review on Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Landshuter Rathausprunksaal


“Eduard Schmieder is a distinguished musician… his coming in Bucharest was an inspiring one… connected musical life from here to the world standards…” -- Fred Popovici, Romania Liberia


“…the founder of the admirable iPalpiti…Schmieder is an authoritative conductor.
A tall and serious Russian of the old school, he goes in for intense expression and dug-in string sonorities…” 
                                                                                                                                                                           - Los Angeles Times (2010)


“ Schmieder led [iPalpiti] with crisp signals more concerned with impulses and phrases than beats …they produced a splendid and colorful sound… and polished armor. The virtuosity was quite impressive.”
                                                                                                                          - Timothy Mangan, The Orange County REGISTER, 2013


“ The international ensemble’s playing at Walt Disney Concert Hall, led by conductor Eduard Schmieder, proves to be world-class…sensational… This was an invigorating world-class performance by young players with technique to burn and a palpable desire to live every note.” – Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2013


“ … under the knowing direction of Eduard Schmieder… strings were completely unified and opulent… absolutely bloomed… delivering a deep, rich bass in a movement from a C.P.E. Bach “Hamburg” Sinfonia in A, floating almost Stokowski-like in pater J.S. Bach’s “Air” with terrific control of dynamics.
                                                                                                                                -  Classical Voice America 7/24/2014 – Rick Ginell

“A dazzling international chamber orchestra…
Eduard Schmieder's art is all about communicating emotional energy through glorious sound.”
                                                                           - Rick Schultz, Los Angeles Times,  7/27/2014


“…conductor Eduard Schmieder elicited a lively pulse…the 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.”   - Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times (2007)


"..rich sonorities [of  iPalpiti] audibly took the audience’s breath away – especially whenever concertmaster Peter Rainer, whose technically immaculate tone throughout the night was sweet and thrilling, had a few bars to play – showed that iPalpiti had charms to soothe a hall well filled with music lovers of all ages." 
                                                                                                                      -STRINGS Magazine (2005)


“… a serious and resourceful podium personality.”
                        --Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times


“… The virtues of Mr. Schmieder as a sensitive and true musician inspired the players to create a very deep and emotional interpretation which kind of magnetized all its sensual harmonies and well phrased performance. This was a concert which could be titled as “pearls of music” from any point.”   
                                                                                                   – Ora Binur, Ma’ariv Jerusalem Daily