The conductor who triumphed over polio
RIPHere is the life story of the US music director Gerhardt Zimmermann, posted by his loving family after his passing yesterday:
It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Gerhardt Zimmermann, a remarkable man whose indomitable spirit and unwavering determination inspired all who knew him. Gerhart departed this world on June 10, 2023, at the age of 77, after a flair of lung disease that started one week prior to his death. Unfortunately, it was rapidly progressive and unresponsive to treatment. He is leaving behind a legacy of resilience, musical excellence, and unwavering love for his family
Born on June 22, 1945, in Van Wert, Ohio, Gerhardt loved model trains and animals, and initially dreamed of being a second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. His life was marked by a defining moment when at age 7, he contracted polio, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. While many would have been sidelined by such an illness, his tenacity for life and determination allowed him to defy the limitations imposed upon him by the illness. He found a love of music, learning to play the trumpet, and finding a new dream to be in the marching band.
He graduated from Van Wert High School and headed to Bowling Green State University, with a plan to play in the band. However, after finding himself playing trumpet while sitting in an orchestra for the first time, he relayed “It was as if the heavens opened up” and from that moment on, a conductor was what he wanted to be. He moved forward with studying orchestral music at Bowling Green and The University of Iowa. His passion for orchestral music was thus ignited, never to be extinguished.
Throughout his 50-year career as a symphony conductor, it was always about the music. Gerhardt had the uncanny ability to set extraordinary expectations and motivate orchestras to meet those expectations. It is through this collaboration between musicians and conductor that they brought music to life, crafting emotional landscapes and igniting the souls of audiences around the world. While he had the pleasure of conducting across the globe, from Scotland to Costa Rica, from Carnegie Hall to Hawaii, he had lengthy tenures at The St. Louis Symphony, The North Carolina Symphony, The Breckenridge Music Festival, The University of Texas at Austin, and The Canton Symphony Orchestra. The Zimmermann Symphony Center in Canton, Ohio is a symbol of his dedication to music. He will forever be “the poet of the podium”.
While Gerhardt’s professional achievements were impressive, his greatest source of joy came from his family. He is known for his dry sense of humor, quick wit, loud sneezes, and capacity to hum and whistle 24/7/365. He is survived by his wife of 49 years Sharon, his daughter Anna (husband Chris), his son Peter (wife Ashley) and his six grandchildren, Trinity Rose, Emmeline Abigail, Lincoln Christopher, Elizabeth Marie, Heidi Grace, and Zoe Faith, and his puppy Troubadour.
Sharon, Anna, and Peter would like to invite you to an open house at their family home in Raleigh, NC on Thursday, June 15, 2023, starting at 4 pm. Please come prepared with your favorite Gerhardt stories and pictures to celebrate his zest for life and his love of music. Additionally, a tribute to Gerhardt and his contribution to the musical community will be held in Canton, Ohio in the fall, to coincide with the 2023 Canton Symphony Orchestra Season. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to The Canton Symphony Orchestra.
This story makes me cry and smile with gratitude at the same time….I haven´t known Mr.Zimmerman personally,but he seems to belong to the group of those wonderful human beings who made the world a better place.Let us cherish the memories of him.
A most remarkable person, and incomparable Maestro. Our first meeting was a short notice engagement in the middle 1990s with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 2 with his Canton Symphony Orchestra. After the concert, at a local pub, he was deeply engrossed in the overhead television screens cheering on the sports event enjoying beers with his comrades. No glass of wine in a fancy restaurant, mind you. In 2019, we performed Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto no. 2 and his assistant led Saint-Saens’s Carnival of the Animals. (Matthew conducted so beautifully and reverently tipping the hat to the great Music Director, Gerhardt). During a brief conversation, Gerhardt asked, “So, tell me, what project are you conjuring up next?” I told him about the American composer, Daniel Perttu and the new “A Planets Odyssey” and it’s premise of being the new “Planets” of the 21st century. Gerhardt immediately asked, “Who’s doing the premiere?” I responded, “We don’t have one yet.” He said – with his usual gusto, passion and positive spirit, “Maybe WE should do it!” Dan attended the concert, came backstage to meet Gerhardt, and after two minutes, they hit it off. I decided to leave them to talk amongst themselves – and that they did. As a result, they became friends, and the World Premiere took place (after two postponements during Covid) in May 2022. When I called Gerhardt two days before he passed just after he entered hospice, he said, “We need the Detroit Lions to win the Super Bowl!” Then, he added, “I feel bad for Dan.” Apparently, having taken Dan under his wing to premiere his music, Dan shared that Gerhardt was scheduled to lead the second performance of Dan’s Cello Concerto. No doubt, there will be conductors who will read this and seek out Dan to take over the honor in Gerhardt’s memory. I will miss my friend. He was known as the consummate accompanist for soloists. But his orchestras played like the greatest orchestras on earth when he led them from the podium. A huge legacy, a person bigger than life, humble and caring of people and music. These virtues will live within us eternally.
He departed us as he lived his life, with consummate class, professionalism, integrity and dignity — his final testament being a document to re-read and share forever. Gerhardt Zimmermann was a role model for us all.
I heard a wonderful performance he conducted in the mid-1970s of L’Histoire du Soldat with an ensemble from the St. Louis Symphony – my first time hearing the work and a great way to be introduced to it.
Here is a rousing recorded performance of Robert Ward’s Jubilation Overture (a work celebrating the end of World War II) with Gerhardt Zimmermann conducting the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIY-Cl18Re4
It was in the 1982-83 season that the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony invited 9 conductors to lead the orchestra with the possibility of being the next Music Director to replace Evan Whallon. Among them were Gerard Schwartz, Semyon Bychkov, Louis Lane, Christian Badea, and Gerhardt Zimmermann. Zimmermann was my hands down favorite, as he had meticulously prepared each individual part that we played off of, so that one almost didn’t need to rehearse. He was unfailingly kind, intensely musical, and looked upon us as fellow musicians. Sadly, those making the decisions chose a handsome individual with an exotic accent, who fired musicians with impunity and drove the orchestra into the ground within three years. I always what would’ve happened if Zimmermann had been selected instead. I probably would still be in Ohio.
Regardless, it was the best Brahms 4th I ever played in. RIP, Maestro.
What a great pleasure and honor it was for me to get to know the Maestro as we appeared together on a fund raiser for WUNC TV in Chapel Hill over a decade ago. I didn’t experience any of his loud sneezes. But his dry sense of humour was very present. And his unpretentious attitude regarding his own musical excellence was admirable. I cherish my memories of our brief time together as well as those of his wonderful performances leading the NC Symphony and bringing to the level of an ensemble worthy of international respect. I am so sorry to learn of his passing!
Heard him conduct the orchestra at the Rossmoor Festival many years ago. He got much better results from the students than the more famous conductor who was billed as the star. He will be missed