Dennis Zeisler Left His Musical Imprint on ODU, Hampton Roads
By David Simpson
Nancy Klein was in a bind. Her daughter was getting married, and the groom's family was coming all the way from Ecuador. Where would they stay?
To her surprise, a colleague in Old Dominion University's Department of Music offered the use of his five-bedroom Norfolk house for a week. He and his family were going to be out of town anyway, he said. Problem solved.
That colleague was Dennis Zeisler.
Zeisler, a professor, clarinetist, saxophonist and conductor, died March 30 of pancreatic cancer. He was 73.
"He truly did have a generous heart," said Klein, who chairs the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music.
More than once, she said, Zeisler and his wife, Carol, opened their home to new faculty members, letting them stay there until they found a place of their own.
Dennis Zeisler taught on the University faculty for 39 years until his retirement in 2018, serving as director of bands, as professor of clarinet and saxophone, and, for 15 years, as chairman of the Department of Music.
He founded the ODU Wind Ensemble in 1979 and led it until 2018, according to his University biography. Under his baton, the band performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.
He also founded and conducted the Virginia Wind Symphony, a Hampton Roads professional group made up of band directors, military musicians and former students of Zeisler's. They've recorded six albums.
Zeisler was named Virginia Music Educator of the Year for 1999, and in 2009 was awarded the title of University Professor for excellence in teaching.
Beyond ODU, he conducted concerts and led clinics across America and around the world.
As a professor, Zeisler had an "enormous" influence on Nate Kinnison of Norfolk. Kinnison, himself a musician and educator, wrote in a March 30 Facebook post: "His firm-but-incredibly-warm attention to the person I was, not just the student I was in the music dept at ODU, gave both the space for growth and the guidance to become the person I am today."
Faculty members spoke of a caring and complex man.
"Dennis was always a kind and concerned colleague, and I always enjoyed our interactions whether they were about university politics or his great love for his discipline, music," said Annette Finley-Croswhite, a professor of history.
"One word I would use to describe Dennis Zeisler would be 'impish,'" said Agnes Fuller, a lecturer on the music faculty. "Another would be 'caring.' He loved to joke around with me but always in good fun. When Dennis and I performed together, he was always professional and playful at the same time."
Klein remembers faculty meetings in which he would push his agenda.
"This made him a wonderful colleague and a challenging colleague," she said. "But sparring was part of life for him, and he loved a good argument."
Zeisler had been retired for just a year when he was diagnosed in May 2019 with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Klein said.
Fuller met him for lunch after he was diagnosed, and they stayed in touch by email.
"Being a long-term cancer survivor - over 20 years now - I was determined to give Dennis hope, yet often he was the one who lifted my spirits," she said.
In a statement after Zeisler's death, his widow described him as an "optimistic, hard working and brutally honest guy - ready to share his opinions." She also said he was "a friend, mentor, colleague and father figure to so many."
Carol Zeisler, an oboist who teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the Diehn School and performs with the Virginia Wind Symphony, said the ensemble will celebrate her late husband at its first concert in the fall.
She wrote, heartbroken, on the day of his death: "We did and shared everything together, especially our love of family, friends, music, laughter, food and maybe a little wine."
Memorial donations may be made to the Dennis J. Zeisler Scholarship Fund, which supports instrumental music majors at ODU. To give, visit Support ODU, scroll to "I would like my gift to support," select "scholarships" and type "Dennis Zeisler" in the Scholarship Name box.
