Bio (~300 words)
Ariel Sol “Ari” Bertulfo Schwartz (2000) is at the cutting edge of musical arts as an internationally recognized composer, producer, and harpist. Deeply human, Ari facilitates community and connection with his uncompromising artistic vulnerability. He strives to diversify both the stage and audience, dismantling traditional accessibility barriers via innovative and interactive programs.
Ari currently studies at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana with professors Han Lash (composition) and Elzbieta Szmyt (harp) while also pursuing concentrations in entrepreneurship, folklore/ethnomusicology, and mathematics. Winner of the 7th USA International Harp Competition Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest, his compositions and commissioned works have been performed in such places as the Peoria Civic Center, the SoundNOW Festival, and Grant Park Festival’s Music in the Parks Series and have been recognized by organizations including Tribeca New Music, NAMM, and the Illinois Music Education Association. Ari is also at home behind the harp, featured as a Young Artist in Residence on American Public Media’s “Performance Today” and playing at events such as Lyon & Healy’s Scholarship Competition Winner’s Recital and the American Harp Society’s Young Composers Project. He has performed as principal harpist with such ensembles as the Americas Chamber Orchestra, Indiana University New Music Ensemble, and Sinfonietta Bel Canto. For his commitment to and passion for music, Ari is the recipient of several scholarship awards, including the Ruth Wickersham Papalia Scholarship, National School Orchestra Award, and Carlos Baldoceda Memorial Music Award.
An active community organizer and arts administrator, Ari held the role of undergraduate co-chair for the Jacobs School of Music Student Representative Committee and has served as financial officer for such organizations as the IU Performing Arts Council, Student Composers Association, and New Voices Opera. He also worked as the Lotus Foundation’s Artist Liaison for the 2021 Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. Through his synthesis of experiences and identities, Ari brings a genre-defying, multimedia approach to contemporary music practices.