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Maestro signs off with a send-off

It was a night to remember on Sept. 12, when George Zack took his final bow with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra to thunderous applause after conducting Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, the same work with which he started his career in Lexington in 1972. Family, friends, fans and others came from around the world for the concert at the Singletary Center for the Arts.

"A Celebration of Maestro George Zack" started with Zack conducting violinist Aaron Rosand and the Philharmonic in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, and ended with a reception under a tent on the lawn of the Singletary Center.

Dahlings, the champagne was flowing and the hors d'oeurves were being passed to the beat of the Jay Flippin Trio as well-wishers laughed, cried and hugged Zack and his wife, Kerry Zack.

"I'm going to wander around and enjoy myself, with that special lady over there in the black and white," Zack said of his retirement plans, pointing to his wife. "She is the love of my life, and there is no possibility of me not having fun.

"The one thing you can count on is we're going to be busy."

He plans to start a support group for people with trigeminal neuralgia, a painful and rare disorder that affects facial nerves.

"People don't know about it, and people that have it can't get it diagnosed properly," Zack said. "And if they know I've had it and I'm fairly well-known in this state, it could help" to attract attention to the malady.

Zack will also serve as co-chairman of the American Diabetes Association-Bluegrass Chapter's gala on Oct. 25 at the Kentucky Horse Park (call (859) 268-9129 for more information).

Kerry Zack said, "We've lived here for 37 years, which means we've lived here longer than we've lived any other place, including where we grew up.

"We have lifetime friends here. We do have a little place on Kiawah Island ..., but Lexington is home. Lexington is a wonderful city."

Emily Ashburn, who chaired this event for the Lexington Philharmonic Guild, the volunteer fund-raising branch of the organization, had a wonderful story about Zack.

"I grew up in Lexington, and when I was younger my mom and dad would take my sisters and me to the concerts," she said. "I remember going to the Fourth of July concert at Transylvania when I was probably only 5 or 6. Dr. Zack pulled me up on the stage. It would be an honor now, but when you're 5 or 6, it's like, he is truly a celebrity. And from then on, I just followed him.

"There are very few people you meet with his prestige that are so gracious, so humble, so talented, and he truly has genuine kindness. So, we've been honored and blessed and it's been a wonderful experience to be able to honor him tonight. He's something special. He really is, he really is."