“To me, the best art is that which manages to sound fresh and new while also giving a feeling of familiarity and connection to the past.”
Musician and composer Matthew H Schwarz has recorded and performed with various rock bands since 1999 (on guitars, vocals, and flute as well as songwriting), with his Lodi, NJ-based group Sleepy Hollow in particular receiving praise in the progressive rock and heavy metal press. As a harper, he has performed at festivals in Colorado and along the east coast from Maine to North Carolina, focusing on traditional folk and early music. Schwarz combines this popular music background with years of classical music study to compose engaging and exciting classical music - classical music that rocks!
THANK YOUS
Thank you to all my listeners, audiences, teachers, and the students at Montclair U who performed my works!
I'd like to give a special thanks for those who have performed or promoted my classical works above and beyond the usual school/hired-musician/bandmate level.
Matt Rose and the Castle Rock Orchestra for performing my first three orchestral works
Oren Fader for performing my “Dungeons of Danger” guitar quintet with his Purchase U ensemble.
Victoria Heath and Anna Cameli for debuting my works in Europe
Janet Arms and Julia Duggan for using “The Naiad” in Duggan's flute recital