Special concert: Canton Symphony to remember Gerhardt Zimmermann with 'heightened emotion'

JoAnn Falletta has worked with some of the finest symphony conductors in the country.

A Grammy-winning conductor herself, Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, says one of them stands out: the late Gerhardt Zimmermann.

Zimmermann, music director and conductor of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, died earlier in June at age 77 after his health had declined and he was moved to hospice care.

"He was generous and warm, and not all conductors are like that," Falletta said. "It's a very competitive field, and sometimes, you find people (who are not) friendly or gracious or collegial, and Gerhardt was absolutely the opposite.

"There was some magic about him because I have to tell you, every orchestra that worked with him would tell you that they absolutely loved him, and that is rare.

"He had some sort of charisma, some charismatic power with orchestras," she said. "I think in watching and knowing him, it was really a combination of really knowing and loving the music that always came first, and he had such a great respect for the musicians."

Those qualities will be remembered at a memorial concert and celebration of life for Zimmermann at 3 p.m. Sept. 10 at Umstattd Hall at the Zimmermann Symphony Center in Canton at McKinley High School, 2331 17th St. NW. Tickets can be purchased for $15 at https://cantonsymphony.org/. The box office can be contacted at 330-452-2094 and via email at boxoffice@cantonsymphony.org.

Additional donations are encouraged, with all proceeds benefitting the Gerhardt Zimmermann Endowment Fund, which will be used to support the MasterWorks concert series. The Maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann Memorial Fund has a goal of $250,000. So far, roughly $30,000 has been raised.

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Dividends received from the fund will sponsor a MasterWorks concert every season under Zimmermann's name. The conclusion of the campaign also will unveil a “Legacy Wall” within the lobby of the Zimmermann Symphony Center, which will feature portraits of and excerpts regarding prominent figures throughout the the local symphony's history, all of which will surround Zimmermann.

"That is something we are doing in partnership with his family to solidify his legacy in perpetuity," said Nathan Maslyk, director of marketing and development at the symphony.

The concert, featuring a full orchestra, also will tell the story of Zimmermann's passion for music by projecting images from his life on a video screen.

"There's going to be a heightened emotion in his performance," said Matthew Jaroszewicz, music director designate at the Canton Symphony. "And performances are always emotional. We always bring everything we have to every performance, but there is going to be a heighted emotion in this performance for sure."

Maslyk said the concert will be celebratory while honoring the maestro's many accomplishments.

Zimmermann was "basically the catalyst for transforming the Canton Symphony from a community orchestra into a regional orchestra and the size it is today," he said.

Acclaimed conductors, musicians to honor Zimmermann

A slew of acclaimed conductors and musicians will perform at the concert.

Other guest conductors include Stefan Sanders, music director of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra in North Carolina; John Vincent Russo, a freelance conductor and former associate conductor at the Canton Symphony Orchestra; Peter Wilson, former staff conductor of the Canton Symphony; Wesley Schulz, music director and conductor of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra; and Jaroszewicz.

Featured musicians include violinist Nathan Olson; pianist Norman Krieger; soprano Jacqueline Culpepper; pianist Sara Davis Buechner; and the Canton Symphony Chorus.

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Music that was 'very near and dear to Gerhardt.'

Jaroszewicz, who has been with the Canton Symphony since 2017, said music was selected in honor of Zimmermann, each piece a favorite of the maestro or meaningful to him.

"I think it will absolutely stand out as one of the more special concerts," he said. "I'm humbled to share the stage with so many incredible musicians, and to know that all of us are there because Gerhardt touched our lives in some way.

"People are conducting pieces that were either very near and dear to Gerhardt or evoke a specific memory with Gerhardt, and I think memory and nostalgia and all that is such a powerful thing," Jaroszewicz added.

Conductors like Jaroszewicz said he will be practicing what he learned from Zimmermann about the craft.

"The important thing is that Gerhardt really showed me to not be afraid to inject my own artistry into a performance," he said. "This crescendo is not on the page ... but if I feel it should be there, or if I feel strongly that something should be there, and it's going to serve the music, and it's going to give that little extra special element to the performance, if i feel strongly about it, then I should do it, I should go for it."

'He was never judgmental.'

For those who knew Zimmermann, they speak glowingly of his gift for music, but they equally admire his kindness and compassion.

Both Jaroszewicz and Falletta believe Zimmermann may have been influenced by his own experience when he was stricken with polio at age 7.

Contemporaries say that Zimmermann's attitude of acceptance was especially applicable to diversity. Falletta cited the example of Buechner, an openly transgender classical soloist who is among the guest list.

Zimmermann initially faced some backlash when Buechner first performed with the Canton Symphony Orchestra several years ago.

"He was open to people, and he was never judgmental," Falletta said. "For someone like Sara, who had gone through a big change and needed people to stay with her, and he did, and there weren't that many people who did at first, and he did it just in a natural way. He would never ever imagine not helping her."

Jaroszewicz echoed those sentiments.

"She's a great artist, she's a wonderful artist, and her music deserves to be heard, in the concert hall," he said of Buechner. "And it didn't matter to him ... who she was outside the concert hall. She deserved to be on the stage and he was going to put her on the stage."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Concert to remember late Canton Symphony maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann