View source for David Zinman

{{Short description|American conductor (born 1936)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2016}}
[[File:Tijdens het concert, dirigent Zinman (m staand), Bestanddeelnr 924-6523.jpg|thumb|right|David Zinman conducting the [[Netherlands Chamber Orchestra]] in 1971]]
<!-- please do not add an infobox, per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Classical music#Biographical infoboxes]]-->'''David Zinman''' (born July 9, 1936, in [[The Bronx|Bronx]], New York) is a retired American conductor and violinist.

==Early life and education==
Zinman was born in 1936<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Zinman {{!}} Kennedy Center |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/z/za-zn/david-zinman/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=The Kennedy Center}}</ref> in New York City.<ref>https://www.bruceduffie.com/zinman.html</ref> After [[violin]] studies at [[Oberlin Conservatory]], Zinman studied theory and composition at the [[University of Minnesota]], earning his M.A. in 1963.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubbard |first=Robert |title=Life on the Podium; Renowned conductor David Zinman reflects on his years at the U. |url=https://www.minnesotaalumni.org/stories/life-on-the-podium}}</ref> He took up conducting at [[Tanglewood]] and from 1958 to 1962 worked in Maine with [[Pierre Monteux]]; he served as Monteux's assistant from 1961 to 1964.

==Career==
===Netherlands===
Zinman held the post of second conductor of the [[Netherlands Chamber Orchestra]] from 1965 to 1977 and was principal conductor of the [[Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra]] from 1979 to 1982.

===United States===
Zinman served as music director of the [[Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]] from 1974 to 1985, during the last two years of which tenure he also was principal guest conductor of the [[Baltimore Symphony Orchestra]]. He became music director in Baltimore in 1985. There he made several recordings for [[Telarc]], [[Argo Records (UK)|Argo]], and [[Sony]]. He also toured widely and began to implement ideas from the historically-informed-performance movement in interpretations of the Beethoven symphonies.<ref>{{cite news |first=Scott |last=Cantrell |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/24/arts/music-preaching-to-the-unconverted.html?scp=3&sq=&pagewanted=all |title=Preaching to the Unconverted |work=The New York Times |date=2004-05-07 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref> Upon relinquishing that Baltimore post in 1998, Zinman was named the orchestra's conductor laureate. But he renounced this title three years later in protest at what he saw as the orchestra's increasingly conservative programming.<ref>{{cite news |first=Anthony |last=Tommasini |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/07/arts/music-review-setting-out-with-energy-along-the-road-most-taken.html |title=Setting Out With Energy Along the Road Most Taken |work=The New York Times |date=2003-05-07 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref> 

In 1998 Zinman worked as music director of the [[Ojai Music Festival]] alongside pianist [[Mitsuko Uchida]]. That same year he was appointed music director of the [[Aspen Music Festival and School]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.denverpost.com/watercooler/ci_6417345 |title=Learning to wield a mean baton |first=Kyle |last=MacMillan |work=The Denver Post |date=2007-07-25 |access-date=2007-08-10}}</ref> where he founded and directed its American Academy of Conducting until his sudden resignation in April 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?archived=0&storyID=22608&categoryID=1 |title=David Zinman quits Aspen Music Festival |first=Susan |last=Elliott |work=Musical America |date=2010-04-11 |access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref>

===Switzerland===
Zinman became music director of the [[Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich]] in 1995. His innovative programming with that orchestra included a series of late-night concerts, "Tonhalle Late", which combined classical music and a nightclub setting.<ref name="Midgette">{{cite news |first=Anne |last=Midgette |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/07/movies/carnegie-program-shows-the-conservative-side-of-a-new-music-man.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=Carnegie Program Shows The Conservative Side Of a New-Music Man |work=The New York Times |date=2004-05-07 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref> His recordings of the complete Beethoven symphonies for Arte Nova were based on the [[Jonathan Del Mar]] critical edition and was acclaimed by critics.{{Citation needed |date=April 2023}} He subsequently recorded Beethoven's overtures and concertos with the Tonhalle.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/jan/14/classicalmusicandopera.shopping3 |title=Beethoven: Complete Overtures, Zurich Tonhalle Orch/ Zinman |work=The Guardian |first=Edward |last=Greenfield |date=2005-01-14 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/apr/28/classicalmusicandopera.shopping1 |title=Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Two Romances, Tetzlaff/ZTO/Zinman |work=The Guardian |first=Andrew |last=Clements |date=2006-04-28 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/sep/22/classicalmusicandopera.shopping |title=Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5; Choral Fantasy (''Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt''), Bronfman/ Swiss Chamber Choir/ Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra/ Zinman |work=The Guardian |first=Andrew |last=Clements |date=2006-09-22 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref> He conducted the Tonhalle Orchestra in its first-ever appearance at [[The Proms]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/sep/13/classicalmusicandopera2 |title=Proms 70 and 71: Musiciens du Louvre; Tonhalle Orchestra (Royal Albert Hall, London) |work=The Guardian |first=Erica |last=Jeal |date=2003-09-13 |access-date=2009-04-19}}</ref> He concluded his Tonhalle music directorship on July 21, 2014, with a concert at The Proms.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/22/prom-5-tonhalle-orchestra-zurich-review-david-zinman |title=Prom 5: Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich review – sadness and celebration |work=The Guardian |first=Tim |last=Ashley |date=2014-07-22 |access-date=2014-07-25}}</ref>

=== Film scores ===
Zinman conducted the [[soundtrack]] of the 1993 film of the [[New York City Ballet]] production of Tchaikovsky's ''[[The Nutcracker|Nutcracker]]''. In 2009 he led the [[Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich]] in the filmscore ''180°: If Your World Is Suddenly Upside-Down'', composed by the sibling trio [[Diego Baldenweg with Nora Baldenweg and Lionel Baldenweg]]; this won the Suisa prize for "Best Original Score" at the Locarno Film Festival in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reelmusic.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/180-diego-baldenweg/|title=180° – Diego Baldenweg|first=Alan|last=Rogers|website=Reelusic.wordpress.com|date=August 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.suisa.ch/nc/en/suisa/stay-informed/recent-news/detail/artikel/2010/aug/geschwister-baldenweg-in-locarno-geehrt.html|title=Baldenweg siblings honoured in Locarno |access-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216130815/https://www.suisa.ch/nc/en/suisa/stay-informed/recent-news/detail/artikel/2010/aug/geschwister-baldenweg-in-locarno-geehrt.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Awards==
In 2006, he received the [[Theodore Thomas (conductor)|Theodore Thomas]] Award presented by the Conductors' Guild.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.mir.de |first=MIR MEDIA-Digital Agency- |title=David Zinman |url=https://www.lucernefestival.ch/en/program/directory-of-artists/david_zinman/52 |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=www.lucernefestival.ch |language=en}}</ref> 

===Best-selling recording===
Zinman's 1992 recording of [[Henryk Górecki]]’s ''[[Symphony No. 3 (Górecki)|Symphony no.3]]'' with [[Dawn Upshaw]] and the [[London Sinfonietta]] was an international bestseller.<ref name="Midgette" />

==Personal life==
Zinman and his second wife, Mary, an Australian violist, live in [[New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/arts/music/david-zinman-ends-his-tenure-with-tonhalle-in-zurich.html |title=After a Run of 19 Years, Passing the Baton |work=New York Times |first=Michael |last=White |date=2014-07-18 |access-date=2014-07-25}}</ref> Zinman has two sons and a daughter.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* David Zinman [http://www.davidzinman.org/ official website]
* David Zinman [http://davidzinmanmusic.wordpress.com/ official blog]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060211171808/http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/performer.pl?perf=460 David Zinman]}} at Art of the States
* {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=q61995}}
* [https://archive.today/20051017231940/http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/zinman/bio.html David Zinman] at [[Sony Classical]]
* {{NYTtopic|people/z/david_zinman}}
* [http://www.bruceduffie.com/zinman.html Interview with David Zinman], February 11, 2000

{{s-start}}
{{s-culture}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra|Music Director, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| before = [[Edo de Waart]]
| years = 1979–1982
| after = [[James Conlon]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Rochester Philharmonic conductors}}
{{Baltimore Symphony conductors}}
{{TOZ principal conductors}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zinman, David}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:People from New York City]]
[[Category:American male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Aspen Music Festival and School faculty]]
[[Category:20th-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:21st-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
[[Category:University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Educators from New York City]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:Music directors of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra]]
[[Category:Music directors of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra]]
[[Category:Chief conductors of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich]]
[[Category:Chief conductors of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra]]