Biography

Ian Zook is an active orchestral and solo performer and has appeared in concerts throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Professor of Horn, he joined the faculty of James Madison University in 2009 and performs frequently with the Madison Brass and Bluestone Winds, both faculty ensembles in-residence at James Madison University.  As soloist he has performed with numerous ensembles including the JMU Brass Band at the Kennedy Center, the JMU Wind Symphony, JMU Percussion Ensemble, the Madison Singers, KOR, the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, the Virginia Baroque Consort,  the Chamber Orchestra of Charlottesville, and the Staunton Music Festival.

His 2018 solo album released on MSR Classical, Musica Incognita, explores lesser-known 20th century sonatas for horn an piano by the composers Sixten Sylvan, Jean-Michele Damase, Leslie Bassett, and York Bowen. 

Mr. Zook's orchestral experience is extensive and has included positions as Principal horn of the Charlottesville Symphony, and section positions with thePrinceton Symphony and Haddonfield Symphony Orchestras. He regularly performs as a substitute musician with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Harrisburg, Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia,  Delaware, and Vermont Symphonies, and the Pennsylvania Ballet and Opera Philadelphia. He has performed under many of the world's premiere conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, Neemi Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Osmo Vänskä, David Zinman, Leonard Slatkin, James Conlon, and David Robertson.

He has presents regular solo performances and lectures at universities, including the Curtis Institute of Music, Prague Conservatory, University of Delaware, West Chester University, Penn State University, the University of Michigan, Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University, UNC-Greensboro, Western Carolina University, UNC School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, and UNC – Chapel Hill.  He is a regular featured performer and presenter at annual Southeast and Northeast Workshops and the International Horn Symposia, and presented the premiere of John Hilliard's Love Songs for the New Kingdom at the 45th International Horn Symposium. He is currently active as the Virginia Representative for the International Horn Society and hosted the 2017 Southeast Horn Workshop at James Madison University.    

Mr. Zook has performed at several international music festivals, including concerts on tour with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra for the Festival del Sol in California, Italy, and Switzerland. These programs featured solo appearances from artists including Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zuckerman, Mishca Maisky, and Barbara Bonney.  He also performed with the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland on internationally broadcasted concerts under conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Mikhail Pletnev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Manfred Honeck.

Additionally, Mr. Zook toured as principal horn of the Pacific Music Festival in Japan under the baton of Valery Gergiev with concerts in Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo. He performed alongside principal musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic in both orchestral and chamber music settings, and also worked with principal musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic.

A proponent of period-instrument performance, he has played natural horn, baroque horn, and alp horn with groups including the New York Collegium, Washington Bach Consort, and Staunton Music Festival.  Mr. Zook was also a featured performer at the 2005 Northeast Horn Workshop playing trompe de chasse. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he has moonlighted with popular acts such as the Three Irish Tenors, Mannheim Steamroller, Billy Ocean,  KC and the Sunshine Band, and The Gladhands.

Mr. Zook holds degrees from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and the University of Michigan. His teachers have included Sören Hermansson, Bryan Kennedy, Lowell Greer, and John Zirbel.  Additional experience was garnered performing both orchestral and chamber music at the National Orchestral Institute, Sarasota Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.