Andreas Xaver Schwarz, born 1953, was first trained as a secondary school teacher specializing in music. He then studied singing and choral conducting at the Academy of Music in Basel. In addition to teaching, his focus was on productions of plays and musicals, composing diverse music genres and writing books (specialist literature, fiction, novels, etc.). Schwarz founded and directed the chamber choir of the Basel Music Academy and the Mädchenkantorei Basel. At present, all his creative power is devoted to new works of the genre "symphonic rock opera".