Eighteen-year-old cellist Julian Schwarz of Bellevue was born into the world of music. His mother, Jody, was a professional flutist and his father Gerard Schwarz has been the music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra since 1985.

At the age of five, Julian began piano lessons and later dedicated himself to the cello under the instruction of the late David Tonkonogui.

Following in his parents footsteps, Julian made his orchestral debut at the age of 11 playing the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1 with the Seattle Symphony. He has since made a name for himself appearing as a soloist with many of the Seattle area orchestras including the Bellevue Philharmonic, Philharmonia Northwest and the Port Angeles, Eastern and Sammamish symphonies.

In the summer of 2009, he was named the “Featured Young Artist” at both the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and the Cape Cod Music Festival and was invited to attend and perform at the prestigious Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He attends The Colburn School in Los Angeles where he continues his cello studies with Ronald Leonard.

In the winter of 2010, Julian will be one of the featured soloists on an extensive U.S. tour with the Moscow State Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

The talents of Julian Schwarz can be heard on Sunday, October 18 at 2 p.m., at the Eastlake Performing Arts Center (at Eastlake High School, 400 228th Ave. N.E. in Sammamish). Schwarz will be a guest artist during the “Russian Diversions” concert.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.