Originally from Naperville, Illinois, Zachary Hammond has been Principal Oboe of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in Charleston, SC since 2015 and joined the Colorado Music Festival in 2019 as Assistant Principal Oboe and English horn.
Before joining the Charleston Symphony, Zac performed for two seasons as principal oboe of Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony) in Syracuse, NY, and was a frequent guest musician with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Zac has performed with top orchestras throughout the country including as guest principal oboe with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, and Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. In 2017 he toured and recorded with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, and joined them again in 2019 for their European tour. Zac has been featured multiple times as a soloist throughout his career, including premiering a brand new oboe concerto written for him by Yiorgos Vassilandonakis in 2019 with the Charleston Symphony.
Zac studied with Richard Killmer at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he earned his Bachelor of Music. Other prominent teachers include Robert Morgan, Elaine Douvas, and Geoffrey Burgess. He has participated in many summer festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Music Festival, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and the Banff Centre Masterclass program.
Zac is also an in-demand teacher in South Carolina. He serves as faculty at the College of Charleston and has a large studio of oboists throughout the area. In 2019 he was a guest oboe professor at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.
