Eric J. Schwartz

Who is Eric J. Schwartz?

Eric J. Schwartz is an American composer specializing in frequently eerie and/or wacky experimental chamber music. He is the Artistic Director of Forecast Music, and the Music Director of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Dance. Schwartz describes his work as "genre bending", and cites diverse influences ranging from glam metal to Arnold Schoenberg. He most often goes simply by the name Eric Schwartz, however his middle initial, is occasionally added in order to avoid confusion with both the singer-songwriter and comedian of the same name.

Among Schwartz's most well known works are his Nosferatu experimental chamber music score, commissioned by the Mallarme Chamber Players, composed for live performance alongside screenings of the film, written for an ensemble of flute, bassoon, keyboard, percussion, viola, and electronics, as well as his duo for saxophone and guitar, Thrash, which was written for Christopher Creviston and Oren Fader. Thrash has also recently been used choreographically by the Winston-Salem Festival Ballet.