Margrit Zimmermann is a Swiss pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

, music educator and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

.

Biography

Margrit Zimmermann was born in Bern, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. She studied piano there under Jeanne Bovet and composition under Walter Furrer. Later she studied under Denise Bidal and Alfred Cortot

Alfred Cortot

Alfred Denis Cortot was a Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor. He is one of the most renowned 20th-century classical musicians, especially valued for his poetic insight in Romantic period piano works, particularly those of Chopin and Schumann.-Early life and education:Born in Nyon, Vaud, in the...

 in Lausanne

Lausanne

Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...

. She continued her education at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, studying composition under Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...

, and graduated in piano in 1952.

Zimmermann trained as a conductor under Ewald Körner in Bern and took master courses from Igor Markevitch

Igor Markevitch

Igor Markevitch was a Ukrainian, Italian, and French composer and conductor.- Origin :Igor Markevich was born in Kiev, to an old family of Ukrainian Cossack starshyna ennobled in the 18th century...

 in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....

 and Hans Swarowski in Ossiach

Ossiach

Ossiach is a municipality in the Feldkirchen district in Carinthia, Austria. It is located at the southern shore of Lake Ossiach, on the slope of the small Ossiacher Tauern range within the Nock Mountains at the road between Villach and Feldkirchen...

. She taught music for several years and worked as a conductor. She also studied composition with Aurelio Maggioni and Umberto Rotondi at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, where she received her diploma in composition in 1978. She also studied conducting under Umberto Cattini.

In 1973 Margrit Zimmermann established an orchestra in Bern. She received the Jubiläumsstiftung der Schweizerischen Bankgesellschaft award in 1986, female composer awards from the city of Unna and the city of Kassel, and an award from the Japan International League of Artists in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

in 1989.

Works

Margrit Zimmermann has composed works for chamber orchestra, voice and symphonic orchestra, ballet music, solo works for piano, string and wind instruments, and guitar.

• Drei Lieder, op. 5 (1977–1978)
• Musica per nove archi, op. 17 (1977)
• Suoni, op. 4 (1978)
• Quartetto d'archi Nr. 1, op. 7 (string quartet N°1, op.7) (1979–1982)
• Introduzione, Allegro, Episodio I - II - III, Alla marcia et Fugato.
• Introduzione e Allegro, op. 12 (1979) Symphony for large orchestra
• Der Politiker: Braucht der Mensch Freiheit?, op. 6 (1979) for one speaking voice, double bass and piano
• Musica, op. 8 (1980) for violoncello and piano
• Per Sei, op. 9 (1980) for flute, violin, viola, violoncello, piano and timpani
• Quartetto d'archi Nr. 2, op. 11 (1980)
• Quartetto d'archi Nr. 3, "Il giuoco", op. 16 (1981)
• Black Box, op. 19 (1981–1982) for oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
• Capriccio, op. 19 (1982) for one voice and piano
• Duetto, op. 26 (1982) for violoncello and guitar
• Spiegelungen des Tages, op. 34 (1984/90)
• Fantasia duetto, op. 29 (1984) for flute and guitar
• Pezzi Brevi, op. 30 (1984) for guitar
• Bianchi-Neri, op. 36 (1984) for piano
• Pensieri, op. 31 (1984) 3 sonnets for tenor, guitar and flute
• Plis, op. 37 (1985) Symphony for tenor and solo instruments
• Dialog, op. 38 (1985) for flute and piano
• Fuori Dentro, op. 70 (1985) for piano
• Visione, op. 32 (1985) for guitar and piano
• Sonate für Violine solo, op. 33 (sonata for violin solo, op. 33) (1985)
• Pizzicato, op. 68 (1985) for violin
• Orphische Tänze, op. 43 (1986) Quintet for flute, clarinet, viola, violoncello and piano
• Aus dem Tagebuch einer Prinzessin, op. 44 (1986) for piano
• Rapsodie, op. 41 (1986) for solo violin, guitar, 2 violins, viola, violoncello and double bass
• L'illusione per violoncello solo, op. 42 (1986)
• Gehen/Sucht/Morgen, op. 45 (1986) Trio for alto voice, violoncello and piano
• Panta Rhei, op. 39 (1987) for violin solo, soprano, female choir and organ
• Pianorama, op. 59 (1987) Concert for piano and string orchestra
• Die Gestundete Zeit, op. 52 (1987) for voice and instrumental ensemble
• Piano Time, op. 46 (1987) Toccata for piano solo
• Cloccachorda, op. 40 (1987) for piano
• Quadriga, op. 51 (1987) for piano
• Spuren innerer Kreise, op. 53 (1988) for 16 voices
• Murooji per chitarra solo, op. 57 (1988)
• Alle 7 Jahre, op. 58 (1989) for soprano and piano
• Rhapsodie For Two, op. 52 (1990) for clarinet and piano
• Wo sich berühren Raum und Zeit, op. 60 (1990) for nine female voices
• Triptychon, op. 58 (1990) for trombone and organ
• Serenade, op. 62 (1992) for flute and piano
• In Urbis Honorem, op. 61 (1992) for mixed choir and orchestra, after texts from "Das Jahr der Stadt" by Georg Schaeffner.
• Incontro, op. 93 (1992) Duettino for flute and euphonium
• Gesänge der Liebe, op. 102 (1994–1995) for soprano and piano
• Italiam! Italiam!, op. 106 (1995) for one speaking voice, clarinet and military drum
• OMEGA: dentro fuori, op. 57 (1996)for flute (with string effects in the piano)
• Capriccio, op. 63 (1998–1999) for piano
• Il Flauto magico, op. 77, 1 (1999) for flute
• Allegro Giocoso, op. 100 (2000) for piano
• Esperanza, op. 102 (2000) for flute