Winner of the 2010 Southeastern Louisiana University President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity, Dr. Richard A. Schwartz has been a freelancing musician throughout the United States and Europe for nearly 20 years. As a freelance artist he has performed featured solos with such pop musical legends as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin and has shared the stage with major jazz artists backing up Tom Scott, Byron Stripling, Diana Krall, Steve Tyrell, Ernie Watts, John Clayton, Dave Grusin, Roy Hargrove, Bob Mintzer, The Turtle Island String Quartet, Paquito d’Rivera, Justo Almario, Don Menza, Bud Shank, and Bill Watrous. Having also performed in orchestras, most notably the Mobile and Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestras and the Boston Pops, Dr. Schwartz has worked with an array of renowned commercial composers, conductors, and performers including Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Mathis, Keith Lockhart, Dennis Green of The Temptations, Nathan Scott, Johnny Mandel, Peter Boyer, Jack Elliot, Mitchell Glickman, Frank Proto, Charles Floyd, Samuel Adler, Frank Battisti, H. Robert Reynolds, Ray Pizzi, Johnny Mandel, and Patrick Williams.
 
As a classical saxophonist, Dr. Schwartz has commissioned and/or premiered over twenty-five new works and has performed at regional and national conventions. After performing the Boston premiere of Jan Curtis’ Transformations for voice, piano, and alto saxophone in Jordan Hall, The Boston Globe declared, “…Richard Schwartz displayed extraordinary talent on the saxophone, sympathetically mirroring the voice and contributing his own improvisatory imagination.” As a woodwind doubler, Dr. Schwartz has performed in pit orchestras including the national tours of Kiss Me, Kate, The Color Purple and The Producers and has recorded projects for Public Television and the Toshiba label.
 
Having been awarded two United States patents, Schwartz also authored the internationally recognized intonation tool The Tuning C.D. and instructional guide Circular Breathe Now with published contributions in Saxophone Journal and International Trumpet Guild Journal. He has performed for United States senators, governors and President Ronald Reagan.  Dr. Schwartz has offered lectures on intonation and extended woodwind techniques at conferences.  His saxophone students have performed at regional, national and international conferences and have won concerto competitions and named scholarships.  

The Tuning C.D. booklet is dedicated to Allan and Nancy Schwartz, Don Sinta, Frank Mazzeo, Harold Karabell, and the author's friends and family.

Thanks are also given to: Blair Johnston, Steven Buck, Kelland Thomas, Paul Eachus at Tape One (recording), Glenn Fadool (art work), Roy Schwartz (art work), Michael Forbes (website) and Monte Belknap (string consultation).

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