Robert Zildjian (July 14, 1923 – March 28, 2013) was the founder of

Sabian Cymbals Sabian is a Canadian and Armenian cymbal manufacturing company established in 1981 in Meductic, New Brunswick, where it is still headquartered. Sabian is considered one of the ''big four'' manufacturers of cymbals, along with Zildjian, Meinl ...

, the second-largest manufacturer of cymbals in the world.

Career

Zildjian was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, and belonged to the Zildjian family, which brought the technology of cymbal production to the United States by

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

Avedis Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

, and then passed it on to future generations of family members. The company was founded in 1981 in

Meductic Meductic is a small village located along the Saint John River in southern New Brunswick, approximately 33 kilometres southeast of Woodstock. Meductic's mayor is Lance Royden Graham. History During the Expulsion of the Acadians, the village wa ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, by Robert Zildjian, son of Avedis Zildjian III, the head of the Avedis Zildjian Company located in Quincy,

. Family tradition had it that the head of the company would pass its secrets down only to the oldest son, but Avedis III gave the information to both his sons,

Armand Zildjian Armand Zildjian (February 18, 1921 – December 26, 2002) was an American manufacturer of cymbals and the head of the Avedis Zildjian Company. Born in Milton, Massachusetts, Armand Zildjian was the first Zildjian to be born in the United States. ...

and Robert Zildjian. A family feud resulted in Robert leaving Zildjian to form the rival Sabian Cymbals company. Robert Zildjian said, "It got to the point where they were taking away certain parts of my job. I was the export man. I was the advertising. I was the marketing. I was quite a few things. All of a sudden, I was bereft of all that." The companies continue to be rivals, and are both among the world's most popular cymbal brands. Sabian cymbals have been used by many famous drummers in the world, including Phil Collins, Tony Royster Jr. ( Jay Z),

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the ...

of the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

of Rush, and

Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure ...

, formerly of Dream Theater. Zildjian remained active in management until recently, spending most of the summer in a cottage in Meductic, New Brunswick, near the main production facility. Zildjian formed the word ''Sabian'' from the two first letters of the names of his three children Sally, Bill and Andy (a nickname for Armand) and "-ian" (indicating Armenian descent).

Death

Zildjian died from cancer on March 28, 2013, at his home in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

, at the age of 89. In addition to his wife Willi, sons Andy and Wilson (Bill), and daughter Sally Zildjian-Teague, he was survived by eight grandchildren.

References

External links

Official website
of Sabian
Zildjian
at the ArmeniaPedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Zildjian, Robert 1923 births 2013 deaths American musical instrument makers American people of Armenian descent Deaths from cancer in Maine American expatriates in Canada Businesspeople from Boston People from Brunswick, Maine Deaths from skin cancer 20th-century American businesspeople