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Biography
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.