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 (SLSO) 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 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 Muscatine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is loca ...

, 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 Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

. In 1943, she graduated from the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

, where she studied with

Emory Remington Emory Brace Remington (1892–1971) was a trombonist and music teacher. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1923 to 1949, and on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY from 1922 until his death in 19 ...

. In 1946 Ziegler earned a master's degree in piano from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. 1947 she went to France for a summer of piano studies with

Robert Casadesus Robert Marcel Casadesus (; 7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century France, French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a Casadesus, distinguished musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus an ...

and

Gaby Casadesus Gaby Casadesus (August 9, 1901 – November 12, 1999) was a French classical pianist and teacher born in Marseille. She was married to the French pianist Robert Casadesus and their son Jean was also a notable pianist. Biography Born Gabrielle l ...

. She attended the Juilliard Institute for Opera Conductors in 1957, and studied conducting with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

, Felix Waldman, Max Rudolph, and

Boris Goldovsky Boris Goldovsky (Борис Анисимович Голдовский; June 7, 1908 - February 15, 2001) was a Russian-born conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of opera in ...

Career

Ziegler played trombone at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

, 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 c ...

, and in the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, conducted by

Serge Koussevitsky Serge Koussevitzky (born Sergey Aleksandrovich Kusevitsky;Koussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his sig ...

. 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 Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music t ...

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 she conducted for the

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

Opera Theater. From 1966 to 1971, she was director of the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

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 The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...

in Moscow.

Personal life

Ziegler died from cancer in 1972, aged 49 years, in a hospital in

South Miami, Florida South Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 12,026 as of the 2020 census. History South Florida had been roamed by Native Americans ( ...

. 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 Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

. Donald H. White'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 Players of the National Symphony Orchestra Classical musicians from Iowa American women classical musicians 20th-century classical trombonists 20th-century American classical musicians 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American trombonists Deaths from cancer in Florida Players of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra