Rudolph Ganz,
Conductor 1921-1927

Born in Zurich in 1877, Rudolph Ganz was named permanent conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony in 1921 upon the death of Max Zach. A child prodigy on both piano and 'cello, Ganz had made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1899. From 1910 - 1915 he was head of the piano department at the Chicago Musical College. He toured extensively as a soloist and was most noted for his performance of contemporary composers. Rudolph Ganz was not a conductor by trade, but what he brought to the orchestra was superb musicianship, a noted name, and a personality which allowed him to connect with his audience.

A champion of both children's concerts and touring, the orchestra and Ganz traveled extensively performing to audiences young and old. He was noted for his style of shaking the hand of every member of the audience. Ultimately, Ganz's love for contemporary music was his downfall. Audience distaste for the works of Stravinsky, Mahler, Respighi, Schoenberg and others lead to a community movement to remove the conductor. Although Ganz encouraged the audience to hiss at works they disliked, a petition was circulated calling for his removal. Before it could be served to the symphony board, the board called for the maestro's resignation and his tenure ended with the 1926-27 season.