Zachary Sears, a recent graduate of DePaul University and The Hartt School of Music, Zachary Sears has studied and performed across the United States and Europe. He is a cellist with the American Institute of Musical Studies Orchestra in Graz, Austria, a Principal cellist at the 2018 Texas Music Festival in Houston, Texas, and a chamber music fellow at the 2017 Duxbury Chamber Music Festival. Zachary has also performed with the York Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony, and UConn symphony, and has served as principal cellist for the Hartt Orchestra. He is the winner of the 2020 Moshe Paranov Concerto Competition and Chamber Music competition at the Hartt School where he studied with Mihai Tetel. Zachary is also passionate about teaching and has worked as a private instructor, coach, and mentor in both New England and Chicago. During his time at DePaul University, he held the Teaching Artist position, working with young musicians in the Chicago Public Schools system. Zachary began his cello studies at age 6 at the UConn Community Music School, and his early teachers include Boris Kogan and Astrid Schween. In 2019 he completed an M.M. at Depaul University with former CSO cellist Stephen Balderston.