Maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann, who led the Canton Symphony for half its existence, passed away Saturday. His wife, Sharon, shared the news online, just days after they announced he was entering hospice care. Zimmermann was 77.
“Gerhardt put on the march from the first movement of Shostakovich 7,” she wrote on Facebook. “He held my hand and we did a rolling march out of the hospital to the transport to hospice. Holding hands as we did through tough times, he looked at me and said, ‘I couldn’t have planned a better exit if I tried.’”
Zimmermann was born June 22, 1945, in Van Wert, Ohio. In 2021, he told the Canton Repository that he wanted to grow up to play second base for the Cincinnati Reds. But after contracting polio at age seven, he found that music spoke to his heart.
“Music saved me and saved my soul,” he said.
Zimmermann studied at Bowling Green State University and pursued graduate work at the University of Iowa. He spent several years with the St. Louis Symphony before coming to Canton in 1980. In 1982, he began a simultaneous 20-year tenure as music director for the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. Other posts include principal conductor for the Breckenridge Music Festival and teaching at the University of Texas at Austin.
With the CSO, he oversaw the founding of the Canton Symphony Chorus in 1983 and the construction of the Symphony's current home, which bears his name. The Zimmermann Symphony Center opened in 2014. He pushed to have the building wired to transmit directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants. The first concert in the new hall featured a sign language interpreter for the works of Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.
“We’ve had children come to rehearsals, and they will hold balloons,” he said at the time to WKSU. “The vibration of the balloons… they couldn’t hear but they could see the orchestra really playing out, and it was a lot of fun to watch their reaction.”
On Saturday, social media was filled with tributes to Zimmermann. CSO Boardmember Virginia Banks wrote, "He was an amazing person and he welcomed me on the board with open arms. RIP Maestro. Life is so damn short."
Nancy Ditmer, director of bands emeritus at the College of Wooster, called Zimmermann "a wonderful musician, conductor, educator, and human being."
Mario Buchanan, director of music at Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson, said Zimmermann's "musical memory will live on for years to come."
A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday in North Carolina. A tribute will also be held in Canton this fall, coinciding with the opening of the orchestra’s 2023-24 Season. Details are available by emailing boxoffice@cantonsymphony.org. In lieu of flowers, family requests donations in his honor to the Canton Symphony Orchestra.
Zimmerman’s final message to the community was shared on Thursday:
Dear Canton Symphony Orchestra Musicians,
I hope this letter finds you well and surrounded by the joy of music. It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I write to you today to share some difficult news. After nearly 50 extraordinary years of leading this marvelous orchestra, it is my responsibility to inform you of a significant decline in my health and my transition to Hospice care.
Throughout the past half-century, it has been an absolute privilege and honor to stand before this exceptional group of musicians as your conductor. Together, we have created unforgettable experiences for ourselves and our audiences. The dedication, talent, and passion that each of you brings to our performances have made the Canton Symphony Orchestra a beacon of excellence in the world of classical music. The music we have brought to life, the harmonies we have crafted, and the emotional landscapes we have traversed are a testament to the power of our collective artistry. The Canton Symphony Orchestra has become my musical family; it is the gem that many people search their whole lives for and never find and I was lucky enough to have it for so many years.
Though my body may weaken, my love for music and the incredible talent each of you possesses remains undiminished. I implore each and every one of you to continue nurturing music; embrace the beauty of every note, find inspiration in every measure, and strive for excellence in every performance. Cherish the camaraderie that exists within this orchestra, for it is the bond that fuels our collective brilliance.
Please understand that I will forever be with you in spirit, even if I am unable to stand on the podium. Your dedication, talent, and commitment have made the Canton Symphony Orchestra an artistic force to be reckoned with, and I have the utmost faith in your ability to carry that torch forward. May music always be your guide, and may the passion in your hearts continue to ignite the souls of your audiences. Never stop pursuing the beauty that lies within each note.
Sitting in the orchestra for the first time at Bowling Green, it was as if the heavens opened up. From that moment on, a conductor was all I wanted to be. In life, if you're going to do it, give it all you can. Live it. Breath it. Sing it. Enjoy it. Love it. Sing, sing, sing...
