Zachary Brandon
USA
Zachary Brandon, age seventeen, is a scholarship recipient and member of the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago where he studies violin with Dr. Roland and Almita Vamos and Dr. Hye-Sun Lee.
Zachary was a semifinalist in the International Stradivarius Violin competition, The William Byrd International Young artist competition, and the International Thomas and Eva Cooper violin competition. Furthermore, Zachary is a semifinalist this year in the International Stulberg String competition.
Zachary is the first place winner of numerous prestigious music competitions including the following: the Walgreens National Competition, the Sejong National competition, the Musicchorale competition, the Grandquest competition, all four divisions of the Society of American Musicians competition, both divisions of the Fort Wayne Young artist competition, Toledo Symphony's young artist competition, Kalamazoo Symphony's young artist competition, Lansing Symphony's young artist competition, Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony's young artist competition, Kalamazoo Junior Symphony's young artist competition, both the Junior and Senior divisions of the Confucius competition, among others. He was also a winner of the National Young Arts competition in 2014.
Additionally, Zachary has been invited to perform as a soloist with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham- Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, and the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra.
Zachary is also an avid chamber musician. He advanced to the quarter-finals of the Fischoff National Chamber Competition four times with four different chamber groups. Last year, his piano trio advanced to the semifinals of Fischoff. Zachary's current chamber group, quartet Vibrante, will be competing as semifinalists in the International M-Prize chamber competition. Zachary, as a part of Quartet Vibrante, has also taken second in the Pearl S. Barnett Chamber competition.
He has had master classes with internationally acclaimed instructors such as: James Ehnes, Ani Kavafian, Joel Smirnoff, NichoJas Kitchen, Bella Keys, Andreas Cardines, William Van Der Sloot, Miriam Fried, Rachel Barton Pine, Simon James, Brian Lewis, and Margaret Pressley.
Zachary was a semifinalist in the International Stradivarius Violin competition, The William Byrd International Young artist competition, and the International Thomas and Eva Cooper violin competition. Furthermore, Zachary is a semifinalist this year in the International Stulberg String competition.
Zachary is the first place winner of numerous prestigious music competitions including the following: the Walgreens National Competition, the Sejong National competition, the Musicchorale competition, the Grandquest competition, all four divisions of the Society of American Musicians competition, both divisions of the Fort Wayne Young artist competition, Toledo Symphony's young artist competition, Kalamazoo Symphony's young artist competition, Lansing Symphony's young artist competition, Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony's young artist competition, Kalamazoo Junior Symphony's young artist competition, both the Junior and Senior divisions of the Confucius competition, among others. He was also a winner of the National Young Arts competition in 2014.
Additionally, Zachary has been invited to perform as a soloist with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham- Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, and the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra.
Zachary is also an avid chamber musician. He advanced to the quarter-finals of the Fischoff National Chamber Competition four times with four different chamber groups. Last year, his piano trio advanced to the semifinals of Fischoff. Zachary's current chamber group, quartet Vibrante, will be competing as semifinalists in the International M-Prize chamber competition. Zachary, as a part of Quartet Vibrante, has also taken second in the Pearl S. Barnett Chamber competition.
He has had master classes with internationally acclaimed instructors such as: James Ehnes, Ani Kavafian, Joel Smirnoff, NichoJas Kitchen, Bella Keys, Andreas Cardines, William Van Der Sloot, Miriam Fried, Rachel Barton Pine, Simon James, Brian Lewis, and Margaret Pressley.