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S. Shade Zajac

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Member Bio S. Shade Zajac is a freelance conductor, composer and cellist. He is the Principal Conductor and Music Director of both the Genesee Symphony Orchestra and the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra. He was appointed to these positions in the Spring of 2016 and 2017, respectively. After appearing as a guest conductor in 2019 and 2020, Mr. Zajac was chosen to be the next Conductor and Music Director for the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra. The 2025/2026 season will be Mr. Zajac’s 10th Season as Conductor and Music Director of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Zajac was a student of Professor Nancy Strelau and has conducted the Nazareth College Chamber Orchestra, Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra and the OpusWerkes No.2 as well as her orchestra, the Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic. Mr Zajac was awarded the Paul Vermel 2015-2016 Apprenticeship with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra in Chicago, working with Maestro Kim Diehnelt. He was also accepted as a Fellow in the BCO December 2015 Workshop under the direction of Maestro Markand Thakar, where he conducted the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in selections such as Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings”. In the spring of 2016, Mr. Zajac was an active participant in the 8th Ithaca International Conducting Master Class with Maestros Donald Schleicher and Dr. Jeffery Meyer. He led the Ithaca College Chamber and Symphony Orchestras in performances of Berio’s Folk Songs for Mezzo Soprano and Orchestra, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Mr. Zajac has conducted the Oneida Jr. High All County Orchestra, the Zone 3 Sr. High Area All State Orchestra, and will conduct both the Onondaga Jr. High All County Orchestra and the Monroe Sr. High All County Orchestra in 2024. In October of 2025, Mr. Zajac will work with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra as an active member of the 2025 International Conductors Guild Workshop. Mr. Zajac has collaborated with many world renown soloists such as Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim, Flutist Carol Wincenc, and Grammy Award Winning Pianist Jeffery Beigel to name a few. He conducts a wide variety of repertoire placing emphasis on standard works alongside more recent composers. This season he will conduct performances of works such as Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, Sibelius’s 7th Symphony, and Mahler’s immense Sixth Symphony. Mr. Zajac is founder of the Seneca Summer Music Festival and Orchestra, providing events that include chamber music and orchestra performances. Emphasis is placed on raising funds for charities and offering classical music to surrounding communities in upstate New York. In 2018, the Genesee Symphony Orchestra performed a special concert as part of the festival. The Summer of 2025 will mark 10 years of the festival. As a cellist, Mr. Zajac performs chamber and solo performances frequently and was a two time winner of the Nazareth College Concerto Competition. He is the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and has also performed with the Glimmerglass Opera Festival and the Albany Symphony. Shade is also an accomplished drummer, recording and performing in a rock band called “The Third Half”. In February 2026, Mr. Zajac will perform the Dvorak Cello Concerto in a special concert with the Genesee Symphony Orchestra and Guest Conductor Nancy Pettersen Strelau. A prolific composer, Mr. Zajac has written music for solo cello (commissioned by Pro. Mimi Hwang), a cello sonata, harp concerto, violin concerto, string quartets, and pieces for percussion ensemble, chamber groups and orchestra. In April 2016, he completed his first symphony in which he dedicated to his teacher Nancy Strelau, the Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic and the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra. In October 2018, the Genesee Symphony premiered “Electric Dream for Acoustic Orchestra” which he wrote for the Orchestra. The 2025/2026 Season will see the premier of his Concerto for Harp and Orchestra entitled “I am the Lizard King” with Rosanna Moore and the Genesee Symphony Orchestra. His song cycle “Mementos” for Soprano, Cello, and Piano will also be premiered this season.
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Andi Zdrava

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Member Bio European American Conductor and Pianist, Andi Zdrava, started his career in music at age five at the Onufri School of Music in Elbasan, Albania. He is appointed the Music Director of Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus & Orchestra (AMICCO) and founder and Conductor of the Illyrian Symphony Orchestra in Sarasota, Florida, for the past four years. He previously served as the Music Director for the Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Florida, from 2020 to 2023. Under his leadership, the Illyrian Symphony Orchestra has attracted diverse audiences and have included performances at various concert halls. Zdrava continues to collaborate and serve as an international jury member for the Carles and Sofia International Piano Competition. Maestro Zdrava has collaborated with multiple prestigious ensembles and organizations, such as Opera Tampa, State Orchestra of Athens, Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, St. Petersburg Opera Company, Suncoast Symphony Orchestra, South Shore Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Colors. In addition to his solo endeavors, he is a member of the Mirage Piano Trio and Z Square Piano Duo, showcasing his versatility as a musician. Born in Elbasan, Albania, and raised in Glyfada, Greece, Zdrava studied piano under the tutelage of Evgenia Tambulidi at the Glyfada Music Conservatory and earned his Piano Diploma in 2007. Desiring to share his knowledge and fostering an engaging environment, Zdrava held teaching positions in piano and collaborative piano at both the National Conservatory of Greece and Glyfada Conservatory. Zdrava later earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition at the University of Indianapolis under the guidance of Professor Keith Moore. In 2014, he moved to Tampa, Florida, to pursue his passion in orchestral conducting. At the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, Zdrava earned his Master’s degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Piano Performance in 2017 under his mentors Dr. William W. Wiedrich and Dr. Svetozar Ivanov. He continued his educational pursuits during this time as Graduate Assistant in Piano Performance and Orchestral Conducting programs. Zdrava has participated in master classes across Europe, learning from distinguished artists such as Michail Markov, Alexander Ghindin, Nikolai Petrov, and Pascal Roge. Zdrava has performed at numerous concerts, festivals, and competitions during his career across the world, including the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Russia, Albania, United States, and Greece. With his unwavering dedication and belief in the uplifting power of music to inspire hope, Zdrava is excited to captivate audiences worldwide in the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
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Mr. Spencer Zembrodt

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Member Bio Spencer Zembrodt is a dynamic conductor, composer, and educator, currently serving as the Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus. He is a passionate community builder and advocate for the arts and LGBTQ+ rights in Cincinnati and beyond. As an active performer, Spencer has played with notable groups, including the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Shippensburg Festival Orchestra, Cincinnati Boychoir, and with countless school and community ensembles. Alongside his performing endeavors, Spencer helps train the next generation of musicians as a piano teacher. His passion for teaching has also extended to appearances as a guest faculty member at the Universal Artists Festival and guest conductor of the Southeast Indiana Youth Orchestra. Spencer has an extensive musical background, having held positions as Assistant Conductor for the Shippensburg Symphony Festival and the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by high school, university, community, and professional ensembles. Spencer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Louisville and the State University of New York at Fredonia, respectively.
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Mengru Zheng

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Member Bio Mengru Zheng is an emerging orchestral conducting talent who just finished her first year of graduate studies at the University of Michigan School of Music under the tutelage of sought-after teacher and mentor Kenneth Kiesler. She completed her Master of Music in choral conducting at the Eastman School of Music, benefiting from the instruction of renowned conductors William Weinert and Brad Lubman. Mengru holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education with a piano major from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she developed her conducting skills under the guidance of Professors Li Yang and Lin Chen. Mengru's leadership in conducting has been recognized through her roles as the associated conductor of the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, Campus Orchestra, Eastman Repertory Singers Chorus, and Eastman Chorale. Her performance at the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina was not only highly praised by CVNC for her exceptional musicality and excellent dynamic control, but also earned her the admiration of her teacher at EMF, Gerald Schwartz. Mentor Kenneth Kiesler has commended Mengru for her innate, unteachable qualities as a conductor and her remarkable ability to make rapid progress within a limited timeframe. Her talent and commitment were showcased when she was invited to conduct Bach’s The Art of Fugue at Artisan Work during the centennial concert at Eastman. Before this, she was the associate conductor and sectional leader at the Central Conservatory of Music Department of Music Education Chorus and the assistant conductor at Xishiku Catholic Church Choir. Swiss harpsichordist and guest professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, Michael Kiener, invited Mengru to collaborate in the Baroque Historical Performance Practice Concert. In addition to her conducting and vocal pursuits, Mengru has also arranged art songs for the children’s choir and directed concerts for elementary students whom she used to teach during her undergraduate years.
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Jingqi Zhu

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Dr. Eduard Zilberkant

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Member Bio Russian born Eduard Zilberkant is recognized as one of today’s most gifted artists and has an active career as conductor and pianist. A Yamaha performing artist, Eduard Zilberkant has been received enthusiastically by audiences and press alike throughout Europe, Canada, Asia and the United States, performing in such halls as The Academy of Music and Curtis Hall in Philadelphia; Merkin Hall in New York City; Artur Rubinstein Hall and Warsaw Philharmonic Hall in Poland; Teatro di San Carlo Opera House in Naples, Italy; Teatro Sangiorgi in Catania, Sicily; Volgograd Opera House in Russia; Sitka Music Festival and Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage. Eduard Zilberkant has been a guest artist and conductor at some of the most prestigious music festivals which include the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City; the Classical Bridge International Music Festival in New York City; the Ravello Festival in Italy; the Gumi International Music Festival in South Korea; the Corfu Festival Ionian Concert Series in Greece; the Monolis Kalomiris International Music Festival in Greece; the Assisi International Festival and Orazio Frugoni Music Institute in Italy; the Baracasa Festival of Radio France in Montpellier, France; the Alaska International Piano-e-Competition, Fairbanks, Alaska; and the Bellingham Music Festival in Washington. Some of the orchestras he has guest conducted include the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague and on tour to Germany; the orchestra of Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano in Italy; the Martinu Chamber Orchestra in the Czech Republic and Germany; the Orchestra of the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily; the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra in New York City; the Teatro di San Carlo Orchestra in Naples, Italy; and the Prague Philharmonic in Prague and Italy. The Badische Zeitung wrote of his performance of the Dvorak’s “New World Symphony”, “[Maestro Zilberkant] made an impression for feeling the nuances of tempo, pauses, and accents… he brought out new colors and romantic feeling with full balance of the sound from the orchestra.” After his performance of the Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in Anchorage, Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News wrote: “[Maestro Zilberkant] brought admirable intelligence to his reading of the piece…and sculpting the individual lines into a monumental and heroic structure; his weaving of the finale’s awesome counterpoint show him to be a musician of significance whom we hope to hear again.” American Record Guide stated, “Zilberkant’s artistic approach emphasizes a strongly colored rhetoric, supported by passionate and sensitive temperament…Zilberkant’s pianistic and musical qualities are found not only in his speed, but also in his ability to distill the slow tempos by drawing them out to the extreme.” Radio France, Polish Radio and Television and PBS Radio and Television in the United States have also broadcast his performances.
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Mrs. Dana Zimbric

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Member Bio Dana Zimbric is a conductor on a mission to make classical music relevant, engaging, and awesome for today’s audiences of all ages. Both on and off the podium, Zimbric brings passion and energy to her work promoting classical music and music education. Since 2010 Zimbric has held the position of Artistic Director and Conductor of the California Chamber Orchestra in Temecula, CA, where she presents innovative concert programs and serves as host of the Temecula Presents Classical series. This seven concert series is the ONLY professional classical music series in the area, and draws artists from all over the US and abroad. Ms. Zimbric also serves as the Senior Director of Music & Programs for Classics 4 Kids and Conductor of the Classics Philharmonic Orchestra, a position she has held since 2003. This fully professional adult ensemble performs over 30 concerts annually for nearly 30,000 school children in San Diego County through the Classics 4 Kids program. As a regionally recognized expert in music education, Ms. Zimbric has presented at the Association of California Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Conference on curriculum based-educational programming and was a 2015 finalist for the San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Awards. Her High School Alma Mater in Rockford, Michigan inducted Zimbric into their Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 2014 for her work as a conductor in the field of classical music. As guest conductor, Ms. Zimbric has led the San Diego State University Symphony Orchestra and various Honor Orchestras for the San Diego Unified School District, including the 2011 High School Honor Orchestra. Previously, Ms. Zimbric has held conducting positions with Orchestra Nova San Diego (formerly the San Diego Chamber Orchestra), San Diego Youth Symphony, Avanti (Youth) Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Wisconsin Chamber and Symphony Orchestras. She is also a frequent coach, judge, and guest conductor at festivals and schools throughout southern California. An accomplished clarinetist, Dana holds a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where she won multiple concerto competitions on clarinet and was awarded scholarships for academic achievement and exceptional women pursuing careers in music. Zimbric currently lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and two young daughters.
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Mr. Christopher Zimmerman

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Member Bio Reviewing Christopher Zimmerman’s concert with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in May 2009, Mark Estren of The Washington Post writes, “(In Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony) Zimmerman pushed the strings, especially in the quicksilver second movement, and they delivered beautifully. And he paid close attention not only to sarcasm and grotesquerie but also to soft passages — this orchestra can handle quietude, but few conductors ask it to.” Zimmerman’s direction of the orchestra led to his appointment as its new Music Director, where he is about to begin his 6th season. In the words of Anne Midgette, chief art critic of the Washington Post: “The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra is evidently more willing to push the envelope…Zimmerman’s energy and good will showed their best effect in the Bernstein…It was a note-perfect end to a very refreshing evening that spoke well for the programming vision of Zimmerman who just extended his Fairfax contract for another three years.” No wonder, then, that the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, under Christopher Zimmerman, was honored as 2013 winner of the Best Classical Orchestra Ensemble by WAMA (Washington Area Musical Awards). Building on a career leading regional orchestras in the US and England, this most recent post confirms what critics and audiences alike have experienced attending Zimmerman’s concerts. From his professional debut, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, of which The Daily Telegraph of London observed “Contact with the orchestra seemed immediate, the result a reading in which the playing responded keenly to gestures which themselves were expressive both of the symphony’s fiery vigour and of its finer nuances. Christopher Zimmerman revealed a sharp interpretative profile and control of orchestral timbre…. a most auspicious London debut.” to guest conducting in Cleveland with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, where Donald Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain Dealer described his performance as “some of the finest conducting at Severance (Hall) in recent years,” Zimmerman elicits enthusiasm and praise. Christopher Zimmerman graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Music, and received his Master’s from the University of Michigan. He also studied with Seiji Ozawa and Gunther Schuller at Tanglewood, and at the Pierre Monteux School in Maine with Charles Bruck. Zimmerman served as an apprentice to Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony and in Prague, as assistant conductor to Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Zimmerman’s debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was followed by engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. He has since conducted orchestras all over the world–the Prague Symphony, the Slovak Philharmonic, the Turku Philharmonic, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Mexico City Philharmonic, the Caracas Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, the Shenzhen Symphony, the Xiamen Symphony–to name a few.
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MKI Artists

John Zion
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Maciej Zoltowski

Fenimore Chamber Orchestra
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Member Bio Maciej Zoltowski (b. 1971 in Warsaw) is well known for his devotion to music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Being himself a composer, he developed strong links with the contemporary music scene as well as with the best soloists of our times. His thorough and diversified knowledge allows him an unprecedented insight into the music he conducts. Currently based in upstate New York, he is at the helm of Catskill Symphony Orchestra and Fenimore Chamber Orchestra. Maestro Zoltowski collaborates with many Polish symphony orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio (Katowice), the Polish Radio Orchestra (Warsaw), the Polish Orchestra Jeunesses Musicales, Beethoven Academy Orchestra and Poznan Philharmonic. International audiences could see Maciej Zoltowski conducting in plenty of concert halls in Europe, Asia and both Americas. His most recent engagements included: Catskill Symphony Orchestra (USA), Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Rosario (Argentina), Orkestra Akademik Başkent (Ankara/Turkey), Orquesta Sinfónica de Salta (Argentina), The Chamber Orchestra (Singapore), Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca (Ecuador), Sinfonia Toronto (Canada), Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra (China), Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Arlington, Garland Symphony Orchestra (USA), Voronezh Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia), Shumen State Symphony (Bulgaria), Orchestra Filarmonica Nino Rota (Italy), Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera del Trasimeno (Italy), Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes (Mexico), Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato (Mexico), Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Mexico), Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán (Mexico), Krasnoyarsk Symphony Orchestra (Russia), Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), the Pilsen Philharmonic (Czech Republic), the Wuhan Symphony Orchestra (China), Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä (Finland), Vogtland Philharmonie (Germany) and Mikkeli City Orchestra (Finland). Works composed by Maciej Zoltowski have been performed during numerous festivals, among others: Two Days and Two Nights in Odessa (Ukraine), festival Europe-Asia in Kazan (Tatarstan-Russia), Rheinsberger Musiktage zu Pfingsten in Rheinsberg (Germany), Roaring Hooves in Mongolia, Composium 1999 in Tokyo, Sound Ways in St. Petersburg, Past and Future in Odessa and World Music Days 2002 in Hong Kong. Maciej Zoltowski studied violin at the prestigious F. Chopin and J. Elsner Music Schools in Warsaw. Having earned his diploma in violin performance with distinction, he continued his studies at the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, where he graduated in 1996 in composition and in 1997 in conducting faculty, obtaining both M.A. diplomas with awards. His teachers at the academy included Prof. Marian Borkowski and Prof. Ryszard Dudek. Maciej Zoltowski participated in many master-courses working under supervision of notable artists like Yuri Simonov, Zoltán Pesko, Lászl
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