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Gerhardt Zimmermann has been Music Director
and Principal Conductor of the BMF Orchestra since 1993. Zimmermann also
holds the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Canton Symphony
Orchestra (Ohio). The Canton Symphony Orchestra has just celebrated his
25th anniversary. Zimmermann has just been named Director of Orchestral
Activities at the University of Texas, Austin. And after serving 21 years
as Music Director/Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, he is currently
Conductor Laureate of that orchestra.
His appearances as guest conductor are much in demand with orchestras
all across the country. After his debut with the Colorado Philharmonic
in 2003, the Denver Post said “…one would be hard pressed
to recall a better account of Edward Elgar’s … ‘Enigma’ Variations.
Zimmermann, though with a score on the music desk before the podium never
opened it, and led the orchestra with command and sure concert. It was
masterful, the orchestra responding with sonorous clarity.” And
the Rocky Mountain News read: “Zimmermann and company created an
exquisite reading of Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations… the
conductor, working from memory, made every note count. His control over
the proceedings was complete, and the orchestra responded with some of
its finest playing of the season.”
Of his leading the National Symphony (Washington, DC) in a five concert
Beethoven festival, the Washington Times, under the headline “Heavenly
Seventh,” wrote, “one of the marvels of Maestro Zimmermann’s
baton was they subtlety of the rubato. When tempos fluctuated, they did
so naturally…The full power of the National Symphony…arrived
gravely, magnificently under Maestro Zimmermann’s guidance.”
As comfortable in the pit as on the concert stage, the Maestro has conducted
staged works of Mozart, Verdi, Strauss Jr., Puccini and Gershwin and
made his debut with the Cleveland Opera this past February 2006, conducting
Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. The Cleveland Plain Dealer remarked
that “Zimmermann…went on to lead a warm, vivid reading… The
orchestra responded with a keen blend of ensemble finesse and solo suavity”.
The Akron Beakon Journal added “I’ve rarely heard the orchestra
sound so full or play more expressively than under …… Zimmermann”.
Mr. Zimmermann is also a dedicated advocate
for people with disabilities, donating his time on behalf of organizations
serving people with disabilities for speaking engagements and conferences.
He serves on the National Board of Easter Seals.
American born, Zimmermann lives in Raleigh,
North Carolina with his wife, Sharon, Gerhardt and Sharon have two children,
Anna Marie and Peter Karl Irum.
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