David Zinman

Born in 1936 in New York, conductor David Zinman graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music before continuing his education at the University of Minnesota, which has since awarded him an honorary doctorate. At the Tanglewood Music Center of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he came to the attention of Pierre Monteux, who engaged Zinman as his assistant and obtained his first conducting assignments with the London Symphony Orchestra and at the Holland Festival, among other venues. In 1964 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Other leadership positions ensued, including with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and, beginning in 1985, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until 1998, shaping it into one of the leading American orchestras. Since 1995 David Zinman has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Tonhalle Orchester Zurich. He has led the orchestra on tours throughout Europe and the United States as well as Asia and has recorded numerous CDs, including a complete recording of the Beethoven symphonies that received the German Record Critics’ Prize. Zinman has been invited to perform as guest conductor with many renowned orchestras, such as the Berlin and Munich Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is especially dedicated to fostering new conducting talent. As leader of the Aspen Music Festival (1998-2010), every year he gave 20 talented young colleagues the opportunity to collaborate with professional orchestras. David Zinman received the Art Prize of the City of Zurich in 2002 and the Theodore Thomas Award in 2006; he was named Artist of the Year in 2008 as part of MIDEM’s Cannes Classical Awards.

One previous LUCERNE FESTIVAL appearance: on September 14, 2003, with the Tonhalle Orchester in works by Luciano Berio, Antonín Dvořák, and Richard Strauss.

July 2010