Robert Lindemann was a German-American clarinetist.

Lindemann emigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in September 1911 at the request of composer Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...

, settling first in Minneapolis. He was the solo clarinetist for the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra for two years. He then moved to Philadelphia and performed as solo clarinetist in the Philadelphia Orchestra

Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...

 for four years, from 1913 to 1917. Lindemann then became principal clarinetist of the New York Symphony for five years. During his tenure in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, he participated in the American premiere of Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...

's Pierrot Lunaire

Pierrot Lunaire

Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...

in February 1923. That performance was the subject of a growing dispute surrounding modernist music; it received mixed reviews, being alternately praised and criticized, and was considered to be controversial.

Lindemann moved to Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 and was principal clarinetist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...

 for 26 years, from 1923 to 1949. He was replaced by Mitchell Lurie after he retired in 1949. He also played in the Chicago Woodwind Quintet during the 1930s. Lindemann used German (Oehler system

Oehler system

The Oehler system is a system for clarinet keys developed by Oskar Oehler. Based on the Müller system clarinet, the system adds tone holes to correct intonation and acoustic deficiencies, notably of the forked notes . The system has more keys than the Boehm system, up to 27 in the Voll-Oehler system...

) clarinets with custom-made mouthpieces. He taught clarinet privately after his retirement from the orchestra; author and teacher Keith Stein was one of his students. Unlike most prominent clarinet teachers of the time, he did not produce his own instrumental method book. He died in Everett, Washington

Everett, Washington

Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...

in October 1975, at age 91.