Cello
Zachary Owen started his one-to-one lessons aged thirteen, studying with Timothy Smedley at Yorkshire Young Musicians (YYM). During his time there, he performed many solo recitals, including performances in the Leeds International Concert Season and the Ryedale Music Festival.
During his teenage years, Zachary played in numerous orchestras, including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYOGB), National Youth String Orchestra (NYSO) and the City of Leeds Youth Orchestra (CLYO). He concluded his final tour with CLYO with a performance of Kol Nidrei, in Ripon Cathedral. Zachary has since been principal cellist of many orchestras at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD).
During his studies at the RNCM, Zachary was under the tutelage of Gillian Thoday and participated in many masterclasses with great cellists such as Ralph Kirshbaum, Miklos Perenyi and Istvan Vardai. In 2015, he was also specially selected by the RNCM to attend a masterclass with Nicolas Altstaedt in the MOMA Wales Music Festival.
In recent years, Zachary was a finalist in both the Sir John Barbirolli Cello Prize of 2015 and 2016, the RNCM Concerto Competition, as well as receiving ‘The Shirley Cattarall Award for Cello’ and most recently, the ‘Leonard Rose Award for Cello’.
As one of many solo performances in 2017, Zachary performed the Walton Cello Concerto with the University of York Symphony Orchestra at the Sir Jack Lyon’s Concert Hall, York. Following scholarship offers from both the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Zachary studied at the latter for an MMus, under the tutelage of Louise Hopkins, receiving his Distinction in 2019.
Zachary is now based in London and enjoys a career rich in teaching, chamber music coaching and performing.