Conductor Gerard Schwarz Renews Contract with Florida's Palm Beach Symphony

The American conductor will undertake a further five years with the orchestra

As the Palm Beach Symphony (PBS) enters its fiftieth anniversary season, conductor Gerard Schwarz has renewed his contract as the Music Director of the Florida-based orchestra.

Schwarz has achieved a great deal at the PBS since he arrived in 2019. During that time, he commissioned five new works by living American composers, added a range of new music to the orchestra's repertoire, and brought in top-tier soloists such as Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Maria João Pires, and Hélène Grimaud.

In addition to his role at PBS, Schwarz serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, and Mozart Orchestra of New York. He is also the Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival.

As an educator, he holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Music; Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. At the institution, he also serves as Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra.

The orchestra's CEO, David McClymont, has also been awarded a five-year contract extension — in recognition of the work he carried out to take the orchestra from an annual deficit back into a healthy financial position. McClymont has also increased the symphony's annual budget to $4.2 million.

"We are proud to retain this extraordinary duo to continue leading the upward trajectory of Palm Beach Symphony,” said James Borynack, Chairman of the Board.

"David and his team have steered a community performing arts organization into one of the major cultural institutions in the Southeast and further fortified the Symphony’s fiscal foundation supporting its continued artistic growth under Maestro Schwarz. During the past few years, we have seen an expanded season, our first televised broadcasts, our first recording and what will soon be world premieres of five commissioned works."