About.
Dr. Zachary Zwahlen is an organist and pianist based in the Chicagoland area. He currently serves as the Director of Music Ministry at Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn, overseeing the music program, directing Faith's ensembles, and playing for all worship services. Zachary is an active musical collaborator on both piano and organ, working with students and professionals on a variety of projects and performances.
Dr. Zwahlen earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied with David Higgs and Nathan Laube. During his studies at Eastman, Dr. Zwahlen received the Gerald Barnes Award for Excellence in Pipe Organ (2014), the Dr. James B. Cochran Organ Prize (2017), and in 2016 he was a finalist in the AGO National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance.
While in Rochester, NY, Zachary was the organist and pianist at First Unitarian Church, where his annual organ recitals included collaborations with voice, piano, trumpet, and dance, in efforts to expand the relevance and approachability of the pipe organ.
Dr. Zwahlen holds additional degrees in organ performance (MM, BM, Brigham Young University) and piano performance (BM, BYU; AA Community College of Southern Nevada).
