News Release
Date: August 22, 2017
For Immediate Release
Photos Available Upon Request
Contact: Jeana Varney
Phone: 417.864.6683
Email: jeana@springfieldmosymphony.org
Springfield Symphony bassist celebrates 65 years with the orchestra
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Springfield Symphony bassist, Tommy Zongker will celebrate 65 years with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra during the 2017-18 season. This milestone marks the longest musician tenure with the orchestra throughout its 83 year history.
“It’s been a wonderful experience, and it’s just gone by so fast,” exclaimed Tommy Zongker. Zongker has played under the baton of all but one of eight conductors of the Springfield Symphony. “I started out as a member of the stage crew of the organization when I was in 10th grade at Springfield Senior High and one day David Blumenthal (the second conductor of the Symphony) asked me if I wanted to play Bass. So I did!”
Alongside his long tenure at the Springfield Symphony, Zongker was a pharmacist in Springfield for 50 years. Chuckling to himself, he recalled, “There might have been few times I was almost late to rehearsal because I would try to shut the pharmacy down a little early so I could zip on over to performance hall.”
Zongker along with the rest of the orchestra will play the first concert of the 2017-18 season, Russian Revolution, on September 16, 2017 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. Zongker is available for any interviews or questions. Please feel free to call the Symphony office at (417) 864-6683 to set-up an interview time.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programming is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org or www.facebook.com/springfieldsymphony.
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