If you attended this past Saturday evening’s (Oct 14th) Danville Symphony Orchestra “Behind the Mask” presentation of Broadway show classics and Danville High School’s Dick Van Dyke Auditorium, some of you may have thought the conductor looked familiar.
After the retirement of conductor Jeremy Swerling following last year’s DSO season, the board decided to bring aboard two conductors for this year, Matthew Sheppard and Richard Zielinski. It was Zielinski who made his debut for the “Behind the Mask” presentation, and late last week prior to the concert, he joined Tommy B on D102’s The Big Show.
Zielinski recalled his previous time in Danville, and his decision to return.
AUDIO: When I was here in 1988 I was working at Central Christian Church. I was finishing my doctorate degree at the University of Illinois. There was a group in town before I came here in ’88 called the Vermilion Festival Singers. And then, they weren’t functioning at the time, so we started the Vermilion Festival Chorus. You know, I really got to know the community. It was such a launching pad for me as a conductor. After I graduated, I’ve been on the road; other conducting jobs, teaching jobs, throughout the United States and in Europe. When the Danville Symphony job opened up, I saw it in an advertisement, and I said, “That would be cool!”
To hear all of Tommy B’s interview with Richard Zielinski, please go to https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/big-show-bites-podcast/
