Ralph William Zeitlin has had a varied professional career as conductor,
composer, instrumentalist and teacher. He began his musical studies at
age 7 with the clarinet; at 10 he studied the violin and at 12 the French
horn.
The Juilliard School of Music Preparatory Division awarded him a
scholarship to study the French horn and musical composition. While a
scholarship student at Yale University School of Music Mr. Zeitlin played
horn for both professional and community orchestras such as the New Haven
Symphony, Bridgeport Symphony, Waterbury Symphony and the Hartford Opera
Company.
For over forty years, Ralph Zeitlin has been involved with community and
professional orchestras, both as conductor and as instrumentalist. After
Yale, he became principal conductor of the La Puma Opera Company, a
position he held for 30 years conducting over 40 operas. He was also
named associate conductor of the 92nd Street “Y” Symphonic Workshop.
Mr. Zeitlin successfully debuted at Town Hall in New York in 1978,
directing members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He was invited to
Colombia as the permanent conductor of a Symphonic Wind Ensemble in 1981.
He also guest conducted the Antioquia Symphony in Medellin and conducted
members of the Cali Symphony in several recording sessions. In 1982, the
Bogota Philharmonic, one of the outstanding professional orchestras in
South America, made Mr. Zeitlin associate conductor.
The Putnam Symphony, a community orchestra based in Carmel, New York,
invited Mr. Zeitlin to guest conduct a concert in June, 1994, and a few
weeks later he directed the Danbury Festival Orchestra. In Danbury, Mr.
Zeitlin was co-founder and Musical Director of the Nutmeg Opera and
Theatre Company where, to date, five fully staged operas with orchestra
have been performed with favorable critical acclaim.
Mr. Zeitlin is now in his fifth season as conductor and musical director
of the
Chorus 802 which is under the aegis of the American Federation of
Musicians. Last Spring, the Chorus 802, under Mr. Zeitlin’s direction,
gave a concert version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” and on May
21st of this year will present “The Gondoliers”
Mr. Zeitlin has also received considerable acclaim as a recorder soloist.
He was one of the original members of the New York Pro Musica Renaissance
Wind Band under Noah Greenberg, and in 1962, was the only recorder player
to be sponsored by the Young Concert Artists Management. He received rave
reviews from his debut performance at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1971.
During the concert seasons of 1972, 1974 & 1980, he was invited by Sir
Georg Solti to solo with the Chicago Symphony. In fact Sir George stated
“I want Zeitlin or nobody,” and called Ralph Zeitlin a “fine musician