Conductor David Zinman will be returning to Rochester, as Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He is the second person named to this position; the first was opera singer Renee Fleming, whose tenure has included teaching, masterclasses, a public talk, and a collaboration with the Eastman Philharmonia on the premiere of "Letters from Georgia" by Kevin Puts.
Zinman’s activities will include conducting master classes with graduate students, working with the school’s Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman School Symphony Orchestra ensembles, and giving presentations to students. His first visit will occur in February 2017.
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. During his two-year appointment as Distinguished Visiting Artist at Eastman, Zinman will coordinate his visits with Professor of Conducting and Ensembles Neil Varon.
“It is a great joy for me to return to Rochester, where I spent my early career as Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra,” said Zinman. “I have great affection for Rochester, where I still have many friends and it will be a huge pleasure to work with the students of the Eastman School of Music. Teaching is not only one of my priorities, but I am passionate about teaching aspiring young students of conducting.”
