Poster Ari Schwartz
Harpist Ari Schwartz
Photo: Dylan Kinneavy
Performance Today®

Young Artist in Residence: Ari Schwartz

PT Young Artist in Residence: Ari Schwartz - Parts 1 & 2

It will take more than one or two words to adequately describe all that is Ariel Sol (Ari) Bertulfo Schwartz, the most recent PT Young Artist in Residence. He is not just a harpist and composer. Schwartz is also a producer and content creator who describes himself as a human-centered artist. He also bakes croissants from scratch in his spare time.

Schwartz thinks of performing arts as a form of communication, and he’s really big on community. When it comes to creating and performing, he takes an interdisciplinary approach, weaving together storytelling, linguistics, mathematics, sociology, and current events. Schwartz says he “aims to create community and unite listeners through per-oriented performance experiences” with his music. He also “strives to dismantle the traditional accessibility barriers associated with classical music.”

As a composer, Schwartz’s compositions have been recognized multiple times by the Illinois Music Education Association. He was recently named the 2021 winner of the 7th USA International Harp Competition Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest. As a performer, he has been tapped more than once by the Greater Chicago Chapter of the American Harp Society’s Scholarship Competition to perform as a soloist at Lyon & Healy.

Currently, Schwartz is pursuing a double major in harp performance and composition at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

To see Ari’s Performance Today in the Classroom Lesson featuring video performances click the link below:

Performance Today in the Classroom: Ari Schwartz



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