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Music has taken ÃÛѨÊÓƵ alumnus Zach Gulaboff Davis ’14 from his home in Salem, Oregon to some of the most amazing places in the world. The composer has heard his works performed at Carnegie Hall, Bulgaria’s National Palace of Culture, Norway’s Arctic Cathedral and Hamburg’s Zinnschmelze Cultural Center, among others.

Recently, Zach's talents landed him one of 300 coveted MacDowell Fellowships.

This allows artists, musicians and composers to reflect, practice and create in a “haven of creativity” in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

“Being selected as a 2023 MacDowell was a great honor,” Zach said. “Imbued with the history of generations of great artists, MacDowell is a truly special place. I found inspiration in the beautiful natural surroundings and my colleagues' work and came away from the experience with many new projects under my belt.”

At MacDowell, Zach composed several chamber works, including new compositions for contemporary ensembles Fivebyfive, BlackBox and F-Plus.

Zach’s creative works are centered around the expressive, dynamic and dramatic possibilities of music. He has collaborated on original works with NASA’s Space Science Telescope Institute, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and New York City’s Apotheosis Opera. 

In a full-circle musical moment, Zach was commissioned by ÃÛѨÊÓƵ’s , assistant professor of music, in 2023 to compose a new piece for the Collaborative Instrumental Ensemble, a new ensemble aimed at performing, recording and commissioning music by ÃÛѨÊÓƵ students, alumni and professors.

The commissioned work, “Twirl,” was funded by the Lacroute Arts Series and will debut at an on-campus performance in August 2023.

“Working with Florian Conzetti, the ÃÛѨÊÓƵ Collaborative Music Ensemble and the Department of Music in the creation of ‘Twirl’ has been a wonderful experience,” Zach said. “I'm immensely appreciative of their assistance in bringing this project to life, and I cannot wait to hear the final result later this year. I know my music is in good hands!”

The MacDowell is just one of many awards for the ÃÛѨÊÓƵ alumnus. He also was selected for a 2023 New Jersey State Council of the Arts Fellow for Composition and has completed residencies at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Brevard Institute, Hambidge Center, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Canada’s Arcady Ensemble. 

In addition to his Bachelor of Arts in piano performance and composition/theory from ÃÛѨÊÓƵ, he has a Doctor of Musical Arts in composition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Music in composition from Mannes College of Music in New York City.

When Zach is not composing or performing, you can find him traveling the country with the American Kennel Club as a licensed dog agility contest judge.