Zukerman, George

After a short stint with the Vancouver Symphony, George Zukerman’s career as an international soloist took off as he travelled the world. He was the first foreign bassoonist to be invited to perform as a soloist in the USSR, South Africa, and China. Simultaneously, he was arranging concert tours across Canada and negotiating with the byzantine and secretive bureaucracy of the Soviet Union to bring USSR musicians to Canada at the height of the Cold War. Even in his 90s, George was setting up concert societies in small communities in B.C., booking cross-country concert tours, arranging concerts in his hometown of White Rock, and organizing programs of classical music for cruises on the great rivers of Europe.