Gary Schmidt was born in Quebec, Canada. Age the of 14 he was a prize in winner in a major competition after only 3 months of formal lessons. Subsequently he pursued professional piano studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Besides performing as a pianist he is an award winning composer. In 2016 his Cd release "Landscapes of the Heart", featuring original piano pieces, earned him two separate Album of the Year awards. The Cd was produced by Grammy award winning and founder of Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman. Gary's music motto is "Enhancing Life Thru Music". He composes from a meditative foundation and seeks to speak directly to the heart.