Biography
Born and educated in Russia, Eduard Schmieder has been characterized as an “extraordinary musician of the late 20th century” (Henry Roth). As artist and teacher, Schmieder amalgamates and creatively transforms the great traditions of American and European art.
He maintains a concert schedule as conductor and violinist and teaches an internationally selected class of students. Schmieder has performed in such prestigious halls as Cite de la Musique in Paris, Crown Hall in Jerusalem, Grand Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and other major concert halls worldwide. He has collaborated with such musicians as Ida Haendel, Brooks Smith, Nathaniel Rosen, Jon Kimura-Parker, Erick Friedman, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Ron Leonard, Maria Kligel, Atar Arad, John Perry, Dame Diana Andersen, Fou Ts’ong and many others. He was a founding member and artistic director of the Venice International Violin Institute and the Moscow Trio.
In 1996, Eduard Schmieder performed a recital in Genoa on Paganini’s famous Guarneri del Gesu “Il Cannone” violin which is only given for the performances to exceptional virtuoso violinists. On this rare occasion, it was a posthumous International Peace Prize ceremony given by the Italian government to Yitzhak Rabin.
In 2020, Schmieder was presented with Temple University's Great Teacher Award for continuous excellence in teaching. Prior to his appointment at Temple University, he was Distinguished Algur H. Meadows Chair of Violin and Chamber Music in the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas (1990-2006), and tenured professor of the violin at the University of Southern California, the position formerly held by Jascha Heifetz.
Students of professor Schmieder are winners of top prizes at the most prestigious international competitions, have established careers as soloists, chamber musicians, and hold leading positions in orchestras in Europe, Asia, and the United States. He is a recipient of American Cultural Specialist Award from United States Information Agency (1999), and throughout the years received numerous awards for his accomplishments as a Musician and Teacher and recognition for his invaluable contributions to culture. Dr. Schmieder has taught master classes in virtually every foremost conservatory in the world. He has been performing, teaching, and conducting at international music festivals in Canada, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, and other countries.
In the United States he has worked in music festivals at Aspen, Interlochen, Musicorda, Idyllwild, and Summit in New York. Since 2004, he is on the faculty at the Mozarteum Summer Academie Salzburg.
He frequently represents the United States as a jury member at leading international competitions including Queen Elisabeth, Sibelius, Paganini, Sarasate, Lipizer, and ARD.