
40 Years of Artistic Excellence
When Gerhardt first arrived in Canton, he was just over 30. He hit the ground running on October 12, 1980 with internationally known pianist André Watts as his first guest soloist. Since that first concert, he has conducted other renowned artists such as Yo Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax, Menahem Pressler, Sylvia McNair, and Béla Fleck. Watts himself returned 10 times. Under Maestro Zimmermann’s reign as Music Director, the Canton Symphony has commissioned a dozen new works.
For his 40th Anniversary Season, we had planned another world premiere, a stunning visual performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and many more of Gerhardt’s favorite works. Unfortunately, those plans have changed.