Biography
About 10 years ago, while sitting at the piano, playing with some ideas of melodies, a friend of mine happened to show me Pachelbel’s Canon in D. After hearing it, I thought to myself, “Wow… this is heavenly. What If I could write something like this – so beautiful, inspirational, and spiritual.” As I played the chord progression, I began to sing over it with a counter melody, and in some time, somehow, I put together my first song. I called it Mi Adir.
My name is Shmuel Schwartz, but around my circle of friends they simply call me Shmueli. From the age of a young child till the current day, singing has been a passion of mine. Coming from a family who sings songs together on a weekly basis at the Shabbos (Sabbath) table, It is no wonder that singing became a prized hobby. However, my growth in music happened years later as a teenager. During my high school years, I discovered that I could compose melodies, allowing me to bring this evolving passion to a higher, more complex multi-dimensional level. Now as a singer/ songwriter, I enable my audiences to connect not only with my music, but with me. I want to inspire you with the ideas and spirituality that guide my life, hoping to bring comfort, joy, and personal growth to your’s.
Around ten years ago, I contemplated the idea of producing a music CD. Not realizing the enormity of such an undertaking, I really needed someone to guide me along. This is where Dov Scharf comes in. Dov, a friend of my parents, conductor with the Orange County Symphony and a musical genius to say the least, came to me from the heavens. He was my mentor; he critiqued my music, but most of all he stood by me and offered ongoing encouragement. Before his untimely death, he introduced me to a colleague of his, John Sawoski – an accomplished pianist, arranger/orchestrator and composer. John and I worked together, and with over three years of meticulous dedication and an outpouring of love… I have the absolute pleasure to introduce to you my first production– Believe.
While recording the strings for this production, Mei Chang, violinist concluded “After all these years, I have never felt so sad to see a session end. Those beautiful lines you wrote for us keep visiting my ears in a most pleasant way, they were just so enjoyable to play, and I know everyone in the room felt similarly… I want to not only thank you for putting the faith in us to bring the strings charts to life, but also to say that I left the recording studio much richer in spirit.”
I hope you also will find that Believe takes you on a wonderful musical journey. Accompanied by rich instrumentation with a classical yet modern sound, the feelings of the songs are extremely tangible and will bring a smile to your lips, and a tear to the eye.
My language is song and through this vehicle each and every one of you can access the energy, spirit, and direction which time endured wisdom brings.