Zac Saunders is a strings teacher and professional violist in Northern Connecticut. He holds a Doctorate in Music with a minor emphasis in Music Education from the University of Georgia, a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education. While at the University of Georgia he served as a teaching assistant for the music education area, supervising student teachers, providing and designing instruction for secondary methods, elementary methods, string techniques, and music education philosophy, and earning the 2023 UGA Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award and the 2023 UGA HHSOM Director's Excellence Award. His primary mentors include Andrea Houde, Masao Kawasaki, Maggie Snyder and William Wassum.
As a violist, Zac performed with the Spoleto Orchestra, the Greenville Symphony, the Huntington Symphony, and in recitals throughout the Eastern United States and in Europe, including an appearance as a soloist with the Buckhannon Chamber Players. He has served as the principal violist of the CCM Philharmonia, CCM Chamber Players, and the Brevard Sinfonia, among other ensembles.
Suzuki certified in books 1-4, Zac is an enthusiastic strings teacher, providing public school orchestra instruction in violin, viola, cello, and bass. Formerly the Director of Orchestras and Performing Arts Department Chair at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Virginia, he worked to grow the strings program from 95 to over 200 students across the span of six years. All of his ensembles consistently earned top honors in national competitions, with the blue ribbon group earning superior ratings on-stage each and every year at district concert assessment. Under his direction, the school's flagship string ensemble of nearly 100 students was honored by the Kennedy Center as the string orchestra of the year (part of the 2016 Music in Our Schools Month celebration), was selected to perform at the 2017 Virginia Music Educators Association state conference and the 2019 Symphonic Series at Carnegie Hall, and traveled to Chicago, New York, and Orlando for additional concerts. Zac also taught elementary strings in Prince William County, VA for two years at five different schools to over 400 fifth graders.
When not teaching or performing, he enjoys the outdoors with his spouse and his dog. His favorite pastime is window shopping.