Canton Symphony Orchestra

The Canton Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1937 and became incorporated just one year later in 1938.[1] The symphony’s first conductor, Richard Oppenheim, was invited to form the orchestra and held auditions and selected the orchestra’s very first musicians. Each musician was paid for their services from the very beginning, which was uncommon for community orchestras at the time.[2]

Before joining the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Oppenheim was born in Aachen, Germany and studied violin, harmony, and composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.[2] He continued his education at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and studied under Oscar Bach and Cesar Thomson. Upon graduation, Oppenheim became the concertmaster for the Durand Symphony Orchestra and toured around France and Belgium.[2] In 1911, Oppenheim moved to the United States and worked for various colleges including Dickenson Seminary in Williamsport, PA. Finally, after serving in WWI for the Allied Forces, he became a professor of violin and theory at the University of Mount Union.[1]

On February 16, 1938, the Canton Symphony Orchestra held its first concert for free at the City Auditorium for over 3,300 concert goers.[1] The program featured Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G major “Surprise,” Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave. Exactly 75 years later, the Canton Symphony Orchestra performed this same program in celebration of its 75th year anniversary.[2]

On June 2, 1974, the Canton Symphony Orchestra earned national recognition for achieving metropolitan status as it was no longer considered a community orchestra.[5] The conductor of the time, Michael Charry, made this possible by increasing their annual performances from seven to twenty-one, some of which were children's concerts.[5] Charry also increased the annual budget from $19,000 to $135,000 and involved over 20,000 fourth and fifth grade students in their free programing.[5]

Today, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is proud of its heritage and seeks to enrich, entertain, and challenge diverse audiences through commissioning new music and by performing standard and contemporary repertoire.[1] The Canton Symphony Orchestra is now ranked as the region’s leading ensemble and is second only to the Cleveland Orchestra in Northeast Ohio.[6]

The Canton Symphony Orchestra had no place to call home until July 13, 2014 when the Zimmermann Symphony Center opened its doors.[7]  Before its construction, the administrative staff worked in a windowless office at the Canton Cultural Center for the Arts with no kitchen and a shared bathroom while the musicians prepared for concerts in the McKinley High School band room and basement storage room.[8] Today, that reality is no more as the Canton Symphony Orchestra’s musicians, conductor, and staff have a new home.

The Zimmermann Symphony Center boasts many new features. The administrative offices have a kitchen, two bathrooms, archives, a board room, and a reception desk, not to mention many windows covering their walls. The Symphony Center also features an education program area, a multi-purpose reception hall, a music library, and an exhibition space.[9] McKinley High School’s auditorium, also known as Umstattd Hall, was remodeled and has new seats, new carpeting, new lighting, and a hearing loop. Chuck Hoover, Chairman of the Symphony's Board of Trustees, stated that support from local foundations, community leaders, and orchestra patrons have made this expansion possible.[9]

To celebrate the Canton Symphony Orchestra’s 70th anniversary and Gerhardt Zimmerman’s 25th year as Music Director, PBS Western Reserve aired a special feature on PBS 45 & 49 titled A CANTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CELEBRATION in 2006.[10] The program aired for three days and highlighted the orchestra’s past and included staff interviews. The chief operating officer of PBS Western Reserve stated that the Canton Symphony Orchestra was selected for the highlight due to its importance in the community. [11]

• Richard Oppenheim (1937-1949)
• Louis Lane (1949-1961)
• Michael Charry (1961-1974)
• George Szell (... -1971)
• Robert Marcellus (1971-1976)
• Thomas Michalak (1976-1980)
• Gerhardt Zimmermann (1980–present)

• The Canton Symphony Orchestra's official website
• Working History of Canton Symphony