Gloria G Ackerman

Gloria G. Ackerman, 88, Dec. 28, 2019, Cincinnati. Beloved daughter of the late Nellie Grace (nee Wilde) & Frank Spencer Ackerman, dear sister of the late John Francis "Jack" Ackerman, loving aunt of Janice Callow & Carolyn DaFoe, both of London, Ontario. Also survived by great nieces, a great-nephew & gr. gr. nieces & nephews. Gloria, a native of Windsor, Ontario & a graduate of Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, came to Cincinnati in 1952 to attend a 5 week summer session at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, fell in love with the city & CCM & stayed. To supplement her income as a student at CCM, she began giving private piano lessons. Sensing that her students needed motivation & an annual goal, she founded the Cincinnati World Piano Competition in 1956 & served as its CEO until retirement in 2012. The Cincinnati World Piano Competition, Inc., which dissolved in 2017, was America's oldest annual piano competition for both artists & young artists, offering Lincoln Center & Carnegie Hall performance awards & providing outreach & educational programs for minorities & the economically disadvantaged. The WPC became a major source for the musical education & advancement of young piano talents worldwide. By serving this function it made Cincinnati an international headquarters for musical excellence & pianistic artistry. The first appearance of the WPC at Lincoln Center occurred in 1974 when Artur Rubinstein presented a master class in Alice Tully Hall. The WPC was featured at Lincoln Center 26 times. A media milestone highlighted the 2003 competition with CNN's international broadcast to 64 million viewers, with 4 million more through Time Warner Cable & National Public Radio, as well as features on The Today Show & ABC Evening News. In 2009 the media contacts brought the WPC to 47 countries. Throughout its 60 years, musicianship, discipline & multi-cultural sensitivity remained the keys to the WPC's program & its success. There will be a visitation Thurs., Jan. 2, 2020, 12 noon until time of service at 1 PM at Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. Fourth St., Cincinnati. Interment will be made at a later date in Rodney, Ontario. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to UC College Conservatory of Music www.ccm.uc.edu or Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music www.rcmusic.com or Christ Church Cathedral www.cincinnaticathedral.com
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