Gerard Schwarz
serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, and Mozart Orchestra of New York. Schwarz is Conductor Laureate of Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival, Distinguished Professor of Music; Conducting and Orchestral Studies of the Frost School of Music, and Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra. He has led productions with Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Juilliard Opera, and Mariinsky Opera. He has received hundreds of honors and accolades including eight Emmy Awards, 14 GRAMMY nominations, eight ASCAP Founders Awards, and the Ditson Conductor’s Award.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Established in 1958, Lyric Opera of Kansas City is one of the world’s premier regional opera companies and brings high-quality live operatic performances to the Kansas City region. Renowned for its dedication to excellence, Lyric Opera presents a diverse repertoire featuring original language productions from the traditional opera canon alongside contemporary and American operas. Lyric Opera is committed to lifelong learning through robust education, family, and community engagement programming. Through innovative initiatives and commissions, these programs deepen humanistic connections, artistic literacy, and social-emotional learning. Lyric Opera of Kansas City remains an integral part of the cultural fabric of Kansas City and the surrounding region.