We are ZaRiah.
A “world-class emerging ensemble,” ZaRiah is a collaboration of multifaceted artists who are guided by their varying backgrounds and cultures.
Known for their dynamic staging and audience engagement, ZaRiah was the 2026 Artist-in-Residence with the Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City. ZaRiah was the First Prize Winner of the 2025 Frances Walton Chamber Music Competition. During their residency for LMC, they embarked on a tour of Washington state in which they performed multiple concerts, were featured on Classical KING-FM, and paid visits to numerous public schools for outreach programs.
For ZaRiah, their top priority is connecting with people. They often interact with their audiences in various ways such as implementing choreography, performing from memory, as well as conversing directly with the audience. ZaRiah believes the intimate and interactive environment of chamber music is what makes it special and meaningful. The ensemble’s passion for new music leads them to collaborate regularly with composers and program new works.
Members of ZaRiah have performed and toured extensively all over the world to countries such as China, Korea, France, Germany, Austria, England, as well Prague, and have also toured with Broadway productions. In 2025, ZaRiah was in residence at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, where they presented multiple concerts featuring a diverse selection of repertoire. This summer, ZaRiah will be in residence as Shouse Artists for the 2026 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Southfield, Michigan.
In addition, ZaRiah’s members are accomplished orchestral musicians, having performed with ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra, among numerous others.
Formed at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, ZaRiah’s founding members – Katelyn, Ben, Oved, and AJ – have since built varied careers, with AJ serving as the Principal Bassoon of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, they were joined by Jamison, the Acting Second Oboe of the Charlotte Symphony. The name “ZaRiah” is an homage to the ensemble’s Oberlin days, as there is a coffee shop in Oberlin named ‘Azariah’s.’ ZaRiah also has Arabic and Hebrew origins, used to describe brilliance or radiance.
With three out of the five members being first-generation college students and three members being from the rural south, the group is dedicated to increasing music accessibility in underserved communities.
