David Zinman took up his post as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich at the start of the 1995/6 season, having conducted the Orchestra regularly as a guest since 1983. Since 1985 he has been Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He is also Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Born in 1936, David Zinman graduated from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Ohio and pursued advanced work in composition at the University of Minnesota where he was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Conducting studies at Boston Symphony's Tanglewood Music Centre brought him to the attention of Pierre Monteux, who guided his musical development and gave him his first important conducting opportunities with the London Symphony Orchestra and at the 1963 Holland Festival, where David Zinman was hailed by critics as a major conducting discovery.
David Zinman's tenure with Baltimore Symphony has been distinguished by his programming of an extraordinarily broad repertoire, his strong commitment to the performance of contemporary music, and his introduction of historically informed performance practice. As Music Director he has introduced new programming ideas to the Baltimore Symphony schedule: a summer music festival, a Discovery series devoted to contemporary music, and Saturday morning Casual Concerts featuring informal commentary by the conductor. In the autumn of 1994 he conducted the orchestra on a highly successful tour of the Far East.
Since his American conducting debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1967, he has conducted many of the world's leading orchestras, and has served as Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic (1974-85), Rotterdam Philharmonic (1972-82), Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (1964-77) and Artistic Director of the Minnesota Orchestra's Viennese Sommerfest (1994-96). He has guest-conducted all the leading North American orchestras including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York Philharmonic and Saint Louis Symphony. David Zinman has also made regular guest appearances at the Blossom, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Saratoga and Tanglewood Festivals. In Europe, he appears with such major orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Royal Concertgebouw, London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic.
David Zinman's reputation has been enhanced by his extensive discography of more than fifty albums, among which have earned him two Grand Prix du Disques and two Edison Prizes. His recording for Sony Classical of Danielpour's Concerto for Orchestra with Yo-Yo Ma, has received critical acclaim.
