Colleagues share 25 years of memories about Seattle Symphony's Gerard Schwarz

Seattle Symphony Orchestra's 2009-10 season marks Gerard Schwarz's 25th year as music director and principal conductor for the organization. The symphony's Sept. 12 program, the Gerard Schwarz Silver Anniversary Gala, celebrates the maestro's long tenure with a performance including "Fanfare and Celebration" by composer-in-residence Samuel Jones.

In months to come, there will be time for thorough reflection on Schwarz's years in Seattle. For now, it seems appropriate to hear from some of his many past and present collaborators and associates from a diverse career: Seattle Symphony, of course, but also New York's Mostly Mozart Festival (which Schwarz directed from 1982 to 2001); the Eastern Music Festival (principal conductor); and the National Council on the Arts.

"I'm forward-looking," says Schwarz, "always asking what can be done better, how to reach the community better, what innovative ideas can be tried. On the other hand, after you're done it's nice to look back and see what's been accomplished."

Herewith is an anecdotal record of a few of those accomplishments.

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin virtuoso

"Jerry had been a supporter of mine, and he conducted my first professional recording for EMI ('Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg: Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, Massenet') with the New York Chamber Symphony. The main piece was by Mendelsohn, and I was petrified. I asked myself, what can I do with this piece that hasn't been done before? I told Jerry how scared I was, and he said something I've never forgotten. He said a recording is only a document of how you played that particular day. He said everybody's nervous, but I should go in there thinking, this will only be how I played today. That got me through."

Leonard Slatkin, music director Detroit Symphony Orchestra

"We were at Juilliard together, and frequently put together chamber groups. We don't have a chance to see one another much because we're each conducting in different cities. This past June I conducted the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and Jerry was in town. It was great. We told stories about Jean Paul Morel, an amazing man who taught us conducting. Before Jerry became a conductor, I knew him more as a trumpet player. It was always assumed at Juilliard he would be first trumpet for the New York Philharmonic, and he was. At least a couple of generations don't know how good Jerry was playing trumpet. He was to the orchestral world what Wynton Marsalis is to the jazz world. But he gave that up for conducting. His natural talent and ability is always in evidence whether he's playing, teaching or conducting."

Samuel Jones, SSO composer-in-residence

"Jerry has accomplished a tremendous amount here. There are only a handful of directorships that can compare to his impact on the repertoire. He has rediscovered and rescued many American symphonists, 20th century American tonalists like Alan Hovaness and David Diamond. We're so close to it here, what he has accomplished almost goes unnoticed. On top of that, he's a great guy and fantastic musician. His generosity toward young composers, conductors and musicians is legendary. During the selection process for a new assistant conductor, Jerry took a half-hour with each of the finalists to discuss their strengths and areas for growth. He made it a learning experience. Every audition is like that with him, and it all goes under the radar. The key word to describe Jerry's tenure here is 'growth.' Audiences have grown more sophisticated, musicians have grown. And there's Jerry's own personal growth. He doesn't rest on his laurels. It's a joy to be his colleague. Not many composers are lucky enough to have such a champion."

Larry Tucker, former artistic director at Seattle Symphony

"I applied for the job of general manager of Seattle Symphony. I didn't tell Jerry as I was his manager at the time. Working with him in Seattle, I saw how his thinking about subscription programs embraced both artistic challenges and commercial appeal. It was fun going back and forth with him about concepts and seeing his creative process. He took a lot of responsibility for the many different programs that comprise a season. We were both proud of every season we worked on."

Nancy Gosen, Seattle Symphony director of education

"The organization Seeds of Compassion met with Jerry and me in January of 2008. They were bringing the Dalai Lama to Seattle in April, and they wanted to involve music. We were brainstorming with them around a table. They wanted something spiritual and something that would appeal to different generations. It was typical of Jerry to see unlimited potential in the situation. He had a grin on his face, and he said, let's do the last 20 minutes of Beethoven's Ninth. It was a perfect idea. The room was full of excitement. But Seattle Symphony's season was in full swing, and there were no resources to dedicate to this project. Because of Jerry's connection to the community, however, we all said yes and threw in our support. When he has an idea, resources tend to appear. In the end, Jerry brought together an all-volunteer orchestra of 650 musicians, no easy feat. There were Seattle Symphony members who gave of their time, community orchestra musicians, teachers, high school kids from Port Angeles. One woman, an amateur, e-mailed her mother, also an amateur, who came up from Los Angeles to play. Word went out and people just came. Jerry fills us all with a sense of possibility. That's what he gives the community."

Scott Goff, SSO principal flute

"I was getting my master's at Juilliard when Jerry arrived as a freshman. There was scuttlebutt about this fabulous trumpet player coming in. He was already a star. He did his audition and became first trumpet in Juilliard's orchestra from day one. He had talent and intelligence. There were a lot of stars in that class, including Itzhak Perlman. Then he kind of walked to the New York Philharmonic and became first trumpet there. But once he decided to conduct, he made a total commitment to it. He sold his trumpets and never played again. The scope of his talent, his musical ambitions were so large he could only go into conducting. He's one of the best in the world. I've played with Jerry the whole time he's been here. He hears everything well. He knows what's going on and has high standards. He's demanding in that sense, but he's also unfailingly patient and courteous. There are no cheap shots. Still, I'm always exhausted after rehearsals with him. They take a lot of energy. But that's how it should be with a fine conductor."

Jack Benaroya, philanthropist

"I invited Jerry to lunch at the Rainier Club. I wanted to do something for the city, but wasn't sure whether to contribute to the University of Washington or to the arts. The night before our meeting, I read a story by Melinda Bargreen in The Seattle Times about discussions going on over whether to build a symphony hall at the Seattle Center or downtown. I got into a discussion with Jerry about what it would take to get the show on the road, and he said I should donate $15 million to build the hall downtown. I went off to think about it and talk with my family about it, and in the end we built Benaroya Hall. I decided after that there would be no more lunches with Jerry at the Rainier Club."

Norm Rice, former mayor of Seattle

"Jerry's always been a beacon of creativity and energy. When we came together and made up our minds about building the symphony hall downtown, I'd never seen anybody who could galvanize people the way he did in making it happen. He's been a partner and friend ever since. There are artistic directors and conductors who know the music, but Jerry transcends that to become a community icon. He understands how Seattle works and how to get things done. He made Benaroya Hall a hall for everyone."

Randall Ellis, principal oboist, Eastern Music Festival and Mostly Mozart Festival

"I've known Jerry since the early 1970s. Almost all the corrections I make with my students are inspired by Jerry's meticulousness and sense of rhythm and how seriously he took music. That gets him in trouble sometimes as a conductor, that specificity. Players get sick of being told what they're doing isn't right yet. But Jerry's feeling is that the composer took a lot of time to write the piece, and we have to get it right. He handles confrontation with amazing grace. I tell my students that a conductor is not interested in how you're ready to play your part when you walk into rehearsal. They're interested in how well you can adapt to his or her interpretation. Jerry always has a concept going in to rehearsals and if you can work with that, it's a match made in heaven. He demands you be at his level of commitment, but he's insistent without the insults."

William Gerberding, former president, University of Washington

"When I retired from the UW in 1995, there was a big celebration at the Olympic Hotel and Fifth Avenue Theater. Jerry put together an orchestra for the event, some Seattle Symphony players, some UW, others from the community. Here's this guy who conducts all over the world, and he took the time to do this. My wife and I have spent many remarkable evenings with Jerry and his wife Jody, and met many wonderful people in their home. It was like a high-level salon, where people in the arts were drawn. Jerry created that environment. For a while, we lived in the same building as the Schwarzes, and I have memories of seeing Jerry in the garage after concerts. It was fun to bump into the maestro after a performance and talk about it. Some composers move him more than others. I believe it was after a Mahler symphony that we saw each other in the garage and we talked about Mahler in the afterglow of that excellent concert."

Bruce Caldwell, executive director, Washington Music Educators Association

"It cost $350 per student to participate in an all-state, student orchestra, and we had to cover expenses. So some talented students didn't even try out for the orchestra because they couldn't afford to go. To help with that problem, we created Young Musicians Excelling to raise funds. We wanted to ask Jerry to be chairman. We expected him to say no, but we prepared a presentation anyway and were given a 15-minute meeting with him. Before I finished asking, he said, "of course." The left us with 14 minutes of material. We had to make small talk. Jerry's never missed a board meeting. In 2007, he conducted the all-state orchestra. Symphony conductors just don't do that. He conducted the all-Northwest orchestra this year. In 2011, he'll conduct the all-state again in Benaroya. He says, 'I'll conduct as often as you want.'"

Pat Takahashi-Blayney, principal orchestra librarian

"About a decade ago, Jerry was guest-conducting in Phoenix, and we went over to watch the Mariners in spring training. Chuck Armstrong came over and asked Jerry if SSO could perform at the first home game of the upcoming season. We weren't at all prepared to add something like that to our schedule, but Jerry didn't hesitate to say yes."

Nancy Evans, former Washington first lady and current Benaroya Hall Board member

"I was one of three or four board members working on the Benaroya Hall committee. We were choosing the architectural and design plans. I was pleased with Jerry's interest in everything. He took in every detail — not just the acoustics part, but all the colors, fabrics, designs. He was very strong in his opinions."

Dana Gioia, former chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

"I nominated Jerry for the National Council on the Arts because I considered him the greatest living champion of modern American symphonic music. I thought it was important to hear from a great conductor and a true believer in American music. He doesn't get enough credit for what he's done. Naxos Records began less than two decades ago, and is now the largest classical music company in the world. Jerry's made modern American music a large part of their catalogue. If you're listening to a CD of American symphonic music, chances are good it's Jerry conducting. He did not disappoint me on the council. He championed American arts, was invaluable at a time of rebuilding the NEA's credibility."

Dale Chihuly, artist

"Jerry loves working with artists. I designed the sets for Bartok's 'Bluebeard's Castle,' and working with him was fabulous. Recently, we both participated in Adventures of the Mind, a mentoring organization for brilliant high school students. Jerry did an evening program with his son, Julian. He went out of his way to help out those kids."

Tom Keogh: tomwkeogh@yahoo.com.