Editing Karlheinz Zöller

{{Infobox musical artist 
| background       = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1928|8|24|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Höhr-Grenzhausen]], Germany
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2005|7|29|1928|8|24|df=y}}
| death_place      = [[Berlin]], Germany
| instrument       = [[Flute]]
| genre            = Classical
| occupation       = Musician, professor
| past_member_of  = [[Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra]]
}}
'''Karlheinz Zöller''' (24 August 1928 – 29 July 2005) was a German [[flutist]], and solo fluteplayer in the [[Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra]] between 1960–1969 and 1976–1993.<ref name=flutist>{{cite journal |last1=Wetter-Smith |first1=Brooks de |last2=Faust |first2=Michael |date=2006 |title=Remembering Karlheinz Zöller |journal=The Flutist Quarterly |volume=XXXI |number=3 |pages=42–47}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=3 August 2005 |title=Berliner Flötist Karlheinz Zoeller ist gestorben |url=https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/kultur/article104483007/Berliner-Floetist-Karlheinz-Zoeller-ist-gestorben.html |work=[[Berliner Morgenpost]] |location=Berlin |language=de |agency=dpa |access-date=15 March 2020}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Karlheinz Zöller was born in [[Höhr-Grenzhausen]] (near [[Frankfurt]]), [[Westerwald]], Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.flutepage.de/deutsch/composer/person.php?id=606|title=Biographie von Karlheinz Zoeller (1928-2005): Biographie, Noten, CDs, Links und Literatur|website=www.flutepage.de}}</ref>

He began his studies in Frankfurt and later studied with [[Kurt Redel]] in [[Detmold]].  While in Detmold, he met his wife-to-be Gertrud, herself a flautist studying under Hans-Peter Schmitz. After World War II, at the age of 17, he obtained a position in the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra.  He had not yet attended college but the experience was invaluable. After engagements in [[Cologne]] and [[Herford]], he joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as solo flautist in 1960.<ref name=flutist/>

==Teaching==
In 1968, Zöller was appointed professor at the Hamburg Music Academy, and later he taught at the [[Hochschule der Künste]] in Berlin and at the Hamburg Music Academy.<ref name=flutist/>

Zöller and his wife became renowned as a teaching team and one of their students later recalled, "extensive technical training, especially from her, and music and tone, from him."<ref name=flutist/> Many of his former students later played with orchestras all over Europe or became music professors themselves;  Roswitha Staege became professor of flute at the Berlin Arts Academy; Wolfgang Ritter became solo flautist with the [[North German Radio Symphony Orchestra]]; Maren Distel became a celebrated flautist as well; Michael Faust became solo flautist with the [[WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne|Westdeutscher Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester]] in  1988 and professor at the Musik Hochschule in Düsseldorf.<ref name=flutist/>

==New music==
Zöller  was a tremendous supporter of new music and commissioned flute concerti from several composers. These included new works by [[Siegfried Matthus]], [[Diether de la Motte]], [[Manfred Trojahn]] and [[Isang Yun]].<ref name=flutist/>

==Personal tragedy==
In 1968, while travelling in a taxi from the hotel to the concert hall in [[Buenos Aires]], Zöller was critically injured in an accident. The cab driver died and Zöller’s lung was pierced by a piece of metal. This severely limited his lung capacity and as a result he was replaced by [[James Galway]] as principal flautist with the Berlin Philharmonic. However, he remained active as a chamber and solo player and maintained a busy teaching and concert schedule. Later, in the 1970s, he had an operation to reattach his non-functional lung. The operation was a success and Zöller regained his position as principal flautist with the Philharmonic, when Galway left to teach at the [[Eastman School of Music]].<ref name=flutist/>

==Family life==
After Gertrud's death, Karlheinz married Anna-Luise some years later.  She had children and grandchildren from a former marriage and Karlheinz took them to heart as his own.<ref name=flutist/>

Zöller died of cancer in [[Berlin]] on 29 July 2005.

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoller, Karlheinz}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:German classical flautists]]
[[Category:Players of the Berlin Philharmonic]]
[[Category:Hochschule für Musik Detmold alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century German musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century classical musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century German flautists]]