Herbert Zipper

Herbert Zipper ( born April 24, 1904 in Vienna, † April 21, 1997 in Santa Monica ) was an Austrian composer, conductor and music educator.

Herbert Zipper studied from 1923 to 1928 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Joseph Marx Music and received a conductor training. Subsequently, he conducted the Vienna Madrigal Society. From 1930 to 1933, Zipper conductor and lecturer in music theory and composition in Dusseldorf. After the " seizure of power" of the Nazis Zipper went back to Vienna and founded the Vienna Concert Orchestra.

1938 Zipper was arrested and imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp, where he was the founder of the prisoners' orchestra because of his Jewish ancestry. Together with lyricist Jura Soyfer he was the creator of the Dachau song. 1939 Zipper was transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp, and came in the same year released by payment of a ransom, and because of a visa for Guatemala.

Zipper fled to the Philippines, where he founded the Manila Symphony Orchestra, where he remained a lifelong friendship. After the occupation of the Philippines by Japan Zipper was briefly arrested. After his release, he worked in the underground and operational intelligence activities for the United States.

1946 moved Zipper with Trude Dubsky in the U.S. and took over in New York City at the New School for Social Research a lectureship in music history and theory of forms. He founded the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. 1952 moved to Chicago to Zipper and devoted himself to music education by founding a music school for children. From 1965 he was project leader for various music education programs in the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Moved to California in 1972 Zipper and took a teaching position at the University of Southern California. In the 1980s, he was widely active as a guest conductor in China.

Zipper died on 21 April 1997 in Santa Monica.