Paul Schwartz, a son of the songwriter Arthur Schwartz, began his career in classical music, becoming assistant conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. While continuing to work in the classical world, he also crossed over to the musical theater, working as musical director for such shows as Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song & Dance and The Phantom of the Opera. In the 1990s, he was signed as a recording artist to Astor Place Records and in 1997 released Aria, which became a considerable success in the field of classical crossover. Revolution (1998) contained Schwartz's arrangements of Beatles songs, and Aria 2: New Horizon (2000) was another hit on the classical crossover charts. The religiously oriented State of Grace (2000), released on Windham Hill Records, scored on the new age charts. In May 2002, under the name the Paul Schwartz Project, the composer/conductor released Earthbound, his first album to consist entirely of his own compositions. Meanwhile, he continued to conduct and score occasional independent films. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide