Campus Philarmonia Orchestras

Conductor Robert Stahly passionately furthers orchestral music through programs that reimagine classical works alongside engaging new and underperformed works. Robert made his debut conducting Copland’s “The Tender Land” in the Spring of 2023 at Colorado State University. He also conducted portions of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Symphony No. 33” in performance at the CCM Opera Bootcamp. Perpetually studying his craft, Robert additionally participated in conducting workshops at the Eastman School of Music, Bard College, University of Missouri Kansas City, and University of Colorado. His conducting teachers include Harold Farberman, Gianmaria Griglio, Mark Gibson, Apo Hsu, Neil Varon, Kevin Noe, Gary Lewis, Wes Kenney, and Dr. Rachel Waddell.

Robert is currently pursuing his doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington. He serves as conductor of the Campus Philharmonia Orchestra and is an assistant conductor for the University of Washington Symphony. In recent years Robert was the apprentice conductor for the Fort Collins Symphony, the conductor of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra String Ensemble and conductor of the Longmont Youth Symphony String Ensemble. Off of the podium he was the associate principal cellist with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra and was the cellist for the Elevation String Quartet. A conductor who is passionate about music education, Robert continues to visit school music programs to coach new generations of musicians and teachers. During his 13 years at Longmont High School Robert tripled the size of the orchestra program while at the same time increasing the quality and diversity of the ensembles. In 2016, he was recognized as one of the top six educators in the St. Vrain Valley School District with an “Encore Award” and in 2019 he was a finalist for “Teacher of the Year.” Robert received his Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Education, Tuba Performance, and a String Pedagogy Certificate from Colorado State University in 2008. In 2024 he completed a Master’s Degree in Instrumental Conducting at Colorado State University.

Zach Banks is a dedicated cellist, conductor, and educator, who resides in Seattle, Washington. What he loves most about the field of music are the abundant opportunities for collaboration, and the subsequent moments of growth for everyone involved - audiences, students, and performers alike.

As a cellist, he performs with numerous regional symphonies and chamber music festivals, and currently sits as principal cellist for the Oregon East Symphony. Outside of the concert hall, he has performed for many years in bluegrass folk bands, chamber music collectives, and has performed and recorded with various non-classical artists and recording studios throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

From 2018 to 2025, Banks served as the music director of the Grande Ronde Symphony where he programmed and conducted classical, pops, and educational programs. Zach concurrently served as the education director and assistant conductor for the Oregon East Symphony, where in addition to conducting their youth orchestra, he maintained a multi-faceted music education initiative for young musicians in Eastern Oregon. 

Banks, still carrying a passion for artistic growth, attended the Pierre Monteux School & Music Festival in 2022 and 2023 as a conducting fellow where he studied with renowned conductors such as Ludovic Morlot, Arthur Fagen, Hugh Wolf, Kenneth Kiesler, and Tiffany Lu. He is now attending the University of Washington to pursue a DMA in orchestral conducting with Dr. David Rahbee.

Banks received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance at Portland State University under the tutelage of Hamilton Cheifetz and Ken Selden.