On Music: David Zinman Honored With Peabody Medal The Peabody Institute bestowed its highest honor--The George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America--on Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director David Zinman Thursday night. The evening began with Peabody director Robert Sirota presenting the medal to Zinman prior to the orchestra's performance of the Berlioz Requiem. It continued with Peabody students participating in the performance as members of the orchestra and chorus. Wynton Marsalis, the other 1996 medal winner, will receive his honor at Peabody's commencement ceremony in May. The George Peabody Medal, given for the first time in 1980, honors individuals who in themselves display the richness and diversity of music in America. Recipients may be composers or performers in styles ranging from classical to popular; authors and scholars who have contributed original and significant writings; or politicians and patrons who have supported musical causes and institutions. Zinman has directed the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. The citation recognizes his decade of achievement, bringing the BSO "to new heights of excellence, artistry, creativity and reputation through national and international tours, recordings, broadcasts, collaborations with leading soloists, first performances and recordings of new works. Previous winners have included Leonard Bernstein and Eubie Blake (1980), Benny Goodman (1982), Ella Fitzgerald (1983), Joseph Meyerhoff (1985), Steven Muller (1990) and Dominick Argento (1993).