Conductor David Zinman, who was named Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Eastman School of Music in Fall 2016, will be in residence at the school on Feb. 20 and 21. During his visit, Zinman will give a public presentation, conduct rehearsals with Eastman School orchestras, hold a masterclass, and meet with conducting students.
Jamal Rossi, the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music, will lead a Q&A session with Zinman titled “A Life in Music” at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in Hatch Recital Hall. The event is open to the public.
Zinman’s 50-plus-year career, launched when Pierre Monteux saw him at the Berkshire Music Center and hired Zinman as his assistant with the London Symphony Orchestra, included 13 years as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Following critical acclaim for his conducting at the 1963 Holland Festival, Zinman was named conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and continued to be sought after by orchestras. In addition to the Rochester Philharmonic, he has held positions as Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich; Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; and Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival, School, and American Academy of Conducting. He continues to maintain a busy schedule as a regular guest with the world’s leading orchestras.
Zinman has long-standing collaborations with soloists such as Janine Jansen, Mitsuko Uchida, Alfred Brendel, Yefim Bronfman, Radu Lupu, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Sir András Schiff, and others. Among the composers whose work he has promoted are Christopher Rouse, Michael Torke, and Richard Danielpour.
With an extensive discography of more than 100 recordings, Zinman has received five Grammy Awards, two Grand Prix du Disque, two Edison Prizes, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, and a Gramophone Award. His 1990 recording of the Gorecki Third Symphony on the Warner Classics label with the London Sinfonietta became one of the most commercially successful classical recordings ever produced.
Named Echo Klassik Conductor of the Year in 2015, Zinman has been awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government; the Theodore Thomas Award by the Conductors Guild; the Midem Classical Artist of the Year award; and Columbia University’s Ditson Award for his commitment to performing the works of American composers.
Zinman’s Eastman residency is made possible through the support of Rochester community arts advocate Dawn Lipson.
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