TED Community » Zachary Herchen

About Me

Zachary Herchen is a dynamic artist. Trained in both classical and jazz styles, he has a wide interest in musical genres and is a great supporter of new music. Mr. Herchen is very active in creating new pieces and exploring modern ways of presenting them to an audience.

During high school, Mr. Herchen performed with Bruce Peterson’s Big Band, at the Massachusetts (MA) Senior District Festival and All-State Festival, and the Music Educators National Conference All-Eastern Festival. He has attended summer programs at the Berklee School of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts where he studied saxophone with Timothy McAllister.

Mr. Herchen is currently in his fifth year at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he has received a Bachelor of Music in saxophone performance in 2006 and will complete a Bachelor of Music in recording arts engineering in May of 2007. He is also studying both clarinet and flute. Interested in all genres of music, he has performed with the Peabody Wind Ensemble, Peabody Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Concert Orchestra, Peabody Jazz Ensemble, Peabody Lab Band, The Baltimore Afro-Beat Society, Zozo Afrobeat, and a local DJ. He is also co-founder of No Signal, a chamber music group that focuses on contemporary works, multiple genres, improvisation, comedy, theater, and audience interaction. While at Peabody, Mr. Herchen has premiered 13 new pieces. Currently, he is studying with both Gary Louie and Gary Thomas.

Mr. Herchen has performed in Disney World, the High Zero Festival of Experimental Improvised Music (Baltimore, MD), Lincoln Center (New York City, NY), Heinz Hall, Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He has also performed outreach activities at locations such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Arlington Cemetery, and the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. Mr. Herchen has received numerous awards including the National John Philip Sousa Band Award and Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, the International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Musicianship Award, National Dean’s List, a Career Development Grant from The Peabody Conservatory, and a Technology Fellowship Grant from The Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Herchen served as co-chair of The Peabody Conservatory’s student government, OASIS, from 2006-2007.

Having studied both classical and jazz saxophone, Mr. Herchen actively performs a variety of music, ranging from classical sonatas, to contemporary solo works, to freely improvised jazz. Mr. Herchen’s blend of backgrounds and confident command of the saxophone results in unique interpretations and engaging performances.