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 is the 2026 Artist-in-Residence with the Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City. ZaRiah was recently the First Prize Winner of the Frances Walton Chamber Music Competition with the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle (LMC). During their residency with LMC, they embarked on a tour in which they performed multiple concerts, were featured on Classical KING-FM, and paid visits to numerous public schools for outreach programs. ZaRiah’s Classical King broadcast was later featured on NPR Live Sessions.

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.

Members of ZaRiah have performed and toured extensively all over the world to countries such as China, Korea, France, Germany, Austria, England, as well as Prague, and have also toured with Broadway productions. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.