Dorothy Ziegler (July 20, 1922 – March 1, 1972) was an American musician, a trombonist with the
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...
. She also taught piano at St. Louis Institute of Music, and conducted operas.
Early life and education
Dorothy Miriam Ziegler was born in
Muscatine, Iowa,
the daughter of Elmer Ziegler and Wilma Busch Ziegler. Her parents and brother were also musicians.
In 1940, she toured South America and the Caribbean in the All-America Youth Orchestra, conducted by
Leopold Stokowski. In 1943, she graduated from the
Eastman School of Music,
where she studied with
Emory Remington
Emory Brace Remington (1892–1971) was a trombonist and music teacher. His unique method made him one of the most well-known and influential trombone educators in history. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1923 to 1949 ...
.
In 1946 Ziegler earned a master's degree in piano from the
University of Southern California.
1947 she went to France for a summer of piano studies with
Robert Casadesus and
Gaby Casadesus. She attended the
Juilliard Institute for Opera Conductors in 1957, and studied conducting with
Nadia Boulanger, Felix Waldman, Max Rudolph, and
Boris Goldovsky.
Career
Ziegler played trombone at the
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
,
in the
National Symphony
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
under
Hans Kindler
Johannes Hendrikus Philip Kindler (January 8, 1892 – August 30, 1949) was a Dutch American cellist and conductor who founded the National Symphony Orchestra. He was married to painter Alice Kindler and Persis Chase Myers.
Kindler as ...
,
and in the
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, conducted by
Serge Koussevitsky.
She was first trombone with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1944 to 1958. At the time of her hiring, she was one of the only women trombonists performing with a major American orchestra.
She also taught piano at the St. Louis Institute of Music,
worked in a
music therapy program, and was full-time conductor of the Kirkwood Symphony in Illinois.
From 1955 to 1964 she was director of the St. Louis Grand Opera Guild. She led the guild in bringing adapted opera productions to high school and college audiences.
From 1964 to 1966 conducted for the
Indiana University Opera Theater. From 1966 to 1971, she was director of the
University of Miami Opera Theater.
In her Florida years, she played principal trombone with the Miami Beach Symphony and the
Fort Lauderdale Symphony.
In 1962, Ziegler's recording ''Your Rehearsal Accompanist'' was produced by her St. Louis colleague, trumpeter Robert Weatherly. In 1970, she accompanied three opera contestants at the
International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
Personal life
Ziegler died from cancer in 1972, aged 49 years, in a hospital in
South Miami, Florida.
In 2012, she was honored as a Brasswoman Pioneer at the International Women's Brass Conference meeting in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
.
's ''Tetra Ergon'' (1972), a composition for bass trombone and piano, features a movement titled "In Memory of Dottie", in memory of Dorothy Ziegler.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ziegler, Dorothy
1922 births
1972 deaths
American classical trombonists
Women trombonists
University of Miami faculty
Indiana University faculty
American women conductors (music)
Eastman School of Music alumni
People from Muscatine, Iowa