SANDRA SCHWARCZ

The Samuel H. and Anne Latham Johnson Chair

Sandra Schwarcz began her musical studies at the age of nine in Pittsburgh, PA. At 14, she joined the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, and later studied with Jerry Horner, former principal viola with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Ms. Schwarcz attended Indiana University where she earned her Bachelor of Music Degree in performance, studying with the late Georges Janzer of the Grumieaux Trio. Later, at the University of Akron, she studied with Jerzy Kosmala and earned a Master of Music in Performance.

While a student at Akron University, she was instructor of violin and viola at several small colleges, including Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. She played with the Cleveland Opera Orchestra and performed in numerous chamber concerts and solo recitals with the Akron University Faculty Chamber Ensemble. Schwarcz was also a member of both the Canton and Akron Symphony Orchestras.

After spending a summer in Evergreen, Colorado performing with the Colorado Philharmonic, she accepted a position with the Savannah Symphony in 1983 where she stayed for one year.

She is now enjoying her tenure with the North Carolina Symphony, where she has been a member of the viola section since 1984. She also is on the faculty of Ravenscroft School, teaching viola.

Schwarcz resides in Raleigh with her husband, bass trombonist and composer Terry Mizesko, and their two children, Josh and Elena. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, word games, and nature walks with her family and poodle, Cisco.