About Us

Since our formation in 2023 as a division of Schultz Strings, Cadence Chamber Music has brought world‑class performances of both standard and contemporary repertoire to audiences across the Midwest. Originally founded as a string quartet, our vision has grown to include a wide range of ensembles and performing forces. Whatever you’re seeking—exceptional music for your event or wedding, engaging educational programming for your students, or staged presentations of the great chamber masterworks—we are committed to delivering artistry of the highest caliber.

Our work spans genres including Classical, Romantic, Contemporary, Jazz, Rock, Folk, and more. We champion the masterpieces of the chamber music tradition while also elevating cutting‑edge new compositions and rediscovering nearly lost gems.

Cadence Chamber Music is led by Artistic Director John Schultz and Executive Director Robbie Gearhart, supported by a diverse roster of outstanding professional musicians from Eastern Iowa and beyond. Together, we create meaningful, memorable, and artistically fulfilling experiences for every audience we serve.

Whether you’re planning a special event, designing an educational residency, or curating a concert experience, Cadence Chamber Music is here to help bring your vision to life. We look forward to collaborating with you.

Artistic Director

John Schultz

John Schultz enjoys a wide-ranging career serving in leadership roles in many areas of the industry. John is co-founder, with his wife Rebecca, and President of Schultz Strings which serves over 30 communities with string instrument sales, rentals, repairs, identification and advocation. In addition to leading operations John provides restoration services, identification services and teaches through the Schultz Strings school. As an educator, John has a great love of developing the next generation of musicians and his students have earned spots in major conservatories such as Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and more. They have been featured in and on renowned programs such as From the Top, National Youth Orchestra, Sterling DeLay Symposium and more. His students have been featured soloists with over a dozen symphonies and many have become educators in public and private music programs around the country and are members of major US symphonies. In addition to teaching at Schultz Strings he has taught at institutions such as the Preucil School of Music, Cornell College and has founded several youth orchestras and chamber music and orchestral festivals. As a performer, John has had a lifelong passion for chamber music. He has performed with numerous chamber music ensembes such as the Kenwood Piano Trio, Arreaux String Quartet, Corridor Piano Trio, and now the Cadence String quartet. He is an active recitalist performing many times a year with collaborators and has been featured as a soloist with many ensembles and orchestras. John enjoys performing regularly with symphonies such as Orchestra Iowa and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony. John most regularly performs on a rare violin from Brescia, Italy c.1550. John earned a BA and MM from the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he studied chamber music and violin with Myron Kartman and chamber music Stefan Kartman. John is a proponent of the Suzuki Method and has studied pedagogy with Nancy Jackson, William Preucil Sr., Mark Bjork, and Alice Joy Lewis. John studied viola with Lewis Rosove. Aside from music, John is very active in volunteer work and has served on leadership roles with numerous boards and has helped to found several not-for-profits. He is actively involved with Rotary serving primarily in youth exchange. John has a deep passion for riding bicycle and has ridden across many countries several times. John resides in Cedar Rapids with his wife Rebecca and their two children.

Executive Director

Robbie Gearhart

Robbie Gearhart is a musician and composer whose work extends over multiple musical genres including classical, jazz, and musical theatre. He began playing violin at age nine through the Suzuki Program, and bass at age 13. He continued his private and orchestral studies through college, and graduated from St. Ambrose University with a bachelor’s degree in K-12 music education in 2018. Robbie has experience working with students ranging from four to 18 years old in private, small-group, and classroom settings. His approach to teaching is characterized by his ability to diagnose problem areas in students’ playing, and apply appropriate solutions through both comprehensible language and physical demonstration. In addition to his work with orchestral instruments, Robbie also plays guitar and bass in the indie pop band, “The Horse Theory.”

Cadence Chamber Music

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