He furthered his studies with a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of Iowa.
[2] Zimmermann’s professional career began in the 1970s when he was appointed Music Director of the Canton Symphony Orchestra in Canton, Ohio, a position he held for several decades until his death in 2023, and where the orchestra's concert hall was named in his honor.
During his tenure there, he oversaw a significant expansion of the orchestra's performance schedule and repertoire.
He also served as assistant conductor of the St. Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin.
His work as an educator has been equally notable, serving as the Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Texas at Austin for several years, where he mentored a new generation of conductors.