BACKGROUND
During childhood, Volkmar Zimmermann started with classical piano.
Later on, his interest in the guitar carried him through blues, folk, flamenco, rock, jazz and classical. He became adept on both acoustic and electric guitar. V.Z. played in a number of bands, and was an active participant in the German mobile music theatre troupe Tant&Talmi.
In the late seventies V.Z. worked with pianist and composer Matthias Frey as member of the rock-jazz group PSI.
STUDIES
V.Z. studied with Olaf Van Gonnissen at Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main and with Lars Trier at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen.
Additionally, V.Z. has participated in master-classes offered a.o. by Frankfurter Gitarrenduo (Michael Teuchert and Olaf Van Gonnissen) and John Williams.
MUSICIANSHIP
V.Z.’s musicianship spans various genres and styles. He has been performing extensively in Europe, Russia, the United States and Canada. He has participated in many studio sessions and international radio and television productions, and has performed with musicians such as Matthias Frey, Ester Poli, Leopoldo Saracino, Alicia Petronilli and Pepe Ferrer, Johan Olsen and with orchestras such as St.Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius , the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and the Hermitage Orchestra of St.Petersburg.
V.Z. is member and co-founder of the Corona Guitar Kvartet and the Sommer/Zimmermann Guitar Duo. His work as soloist includes collaborations with choirs such as Lithuanian Jauna Muzika and Danish Kammerkoret Musica.
V.Z. has premiered chamber works by Jonas Tamulionis, Østen Mikal Ore, John Frandsen, Hans-Henrik Nordstrøm, Dan Marmorstein, Ole Buck, Eva Noer Kondrup, Hannu Pohjannoro, Dorothy Hindman, Charles Norman Mason, Pepe Ferrer, Cornelia Zimanowski, Franco Sbacco, Hsueh Yung-Shen, Faye-Ellen Silverman, Carson Cooman, Fred Frith and many other composers. He has made LP/CD recordings for labels such as Bellaphon, Classico, Tutl, Songbird/EMI, Panoptikum and Albany.
CURRENT PROJECTS
- V.Z. is co-founder and member of the Corona Guitar Kvartet, MySpace/Corona Guitar Kvartet
. …read more under “Projects”
- V.Z. is working on the performance of music for solo guitar and choir in collaboration with Swedish conductor Roland Haraldson.
…read more under “Projects”
- Furthermore V.Z. has etablished a duo with Danish soprano singer Sara Fiil, inspired by a fellow collaboration with Danish poet and multiinstrumentalist Martin Hall in 2008.
MISCELLANEOUS
V.Z. has in the past formed guitar duos with guitarist Jan Sommer (Sommer/Zimmermann Guitar Duo) and – earlier – with guitarist Morten Ridder.
In 2009 V.Z. finished the work as researcher, interviewer and photographer on the documentary “Længe Leve Enver Hoxha” in close collaboration with Danish film director Joachim Nielsen .
LECTURING
The following list shows Volkmar Zimmermann’s activities as a music teacher
– Currently teaching at a the Albertslund Music School, Albertslund/Denmark.
– Has been teaching at the Copenhagen Day and Evening University College of Teachers Education and at the Haslev College of Education, Haslev/Denmark.
– Presented master classes (as member of Corona Guitar Kvartet) at, among other places, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn/Estonia and Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama/United States as well as at international guitar festivals in Montreal,Quebec/Canada, Rouyn-Noranda-Quebec/Canada, Vilnius/Lithuania and Riga/Latvia.
