Zachary Whitaker is a professional cellist and educator based in Northern Virginia. He currently serves as Assistant Principal Cello with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and has performed with ensembles throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington, Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, and the National String Sinfonia.
An active performer, Zachary has appeared at many of the region’s leading venues, including the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), the Music Center at Strathmore, the Library of Congress, Merriweather Post Pavilion, and the Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria. His orchestral and chamber music collaborations reflect a wide range of repertoire and a commitment to both traditional masterworks and contemporary voices. He also performs frequently in chamber music settings, including with piano trio and string quartet.
Beyond his performance career, Zachary is a dedicated and experienced teacher who has maintained a private cello studio since 2012. He is on faculty at the Mason Community Arts Academy at George Mason University and the Catoctin School of Music in Leesburg, VA, where he works with students of all ages and levels. His teaching philosophy emphasizes building strong technical foundations while nurturing expressive, confident musicianship tailored to each student’s goals. He has also completed Suzuki training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas, including Every Child Can with Rhonda Cole, Book 1 with Alice Vierra, and Book 2 with Dr. Tanya Carey.
His students have gone on to achieve notable successes: acceptances to top music programs including the Boston Conservatory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Shenandoah University, James Madison University, George Mason University, and Florida State University (on full scholarship), as well as summer programs at the Eastern Music Festival and the Brevard Music Center. They have held leadership positions in Virginia All-State, Regional, and District orchestras, and many participate in leading youth ensembles including the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra (LSYO), the Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras (TCSYO), the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYPO), and the Washington Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (WMYO). Most recently, a former student won a professional cello position with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra just a year after graduating high school.
Zachary’s summer festival experience includes the Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC), the National Music Festival (Chestertown, MD), and the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (College Park, MD), where he performed as an orchestral fellow. During his time at NOI, he was a member of the orchestra featured on the Grammy-nominated album Ruggles, Stucky, Harbison (Best Orchestral Performance, 2019) conducted by David Alan Miller. He has also spent many sessions at Burton Kaplan’s Magic Mountain Music Farm in upstate New York, an intensive retreat focused on musical mastery and artistic development.
He studied with distinguished teachers Burton Kaplan, Amy Frost Baumgarten, Dr. Roman Placzek, and Clyde Shaw.
An active performer, Zachary has appeared at many of the region’s leading venues, including the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), the Music Center at Strathmore, the Library of Congress, Merriweather Post Pavilion, and the Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria. His orchestral and chamber music collaborations reflect a wide range of repertoire and a commitment to both traditional masterworks and contemporary voices. He also performs frequently in chamber music settings, including with piano trio and string quartet.
Beyond his performance career, Zachary is a dedicated and experienced teacher who has maintained a private cello studio since 2012. He is on faculty at the Mason Community Arts Academy at George Mason University and the Catoctin School of Music in Leesburg, VA, where he works with students of all ages and levels. His teaching philosophy emphasizes building strong technical foundations while nurturing expressive, confident musicianship tailored to each student’s goals. He has also completed Suzuki training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas, including Every Child Can with Rhonda Cole, Book 1 with Alice Vierra, and Book 2 with Dr. Tanya Carey.
His students have gone on to achieve notable successes: acceptances to top music programs including the Boston Conservatory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Shenandoah University, James Madison University, George Mason University, and Florida State University (on full scholarship), as well as summer programs at the Eastern Music Festival and the Brevard Music Center. They have held leadership positions in Virginia All-State, Regional, and District orchestras, and many participate in leading youth ensembles including the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra (LSYO), the Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras (TCSYO), the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYPO), and the Washington Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (WMYO). Most recently, a former student won a professional cello position with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra just a year after graduating high school.
Zachary’s summer festival experience includes the Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC), the National Music Festival (Chestertown, MD), and the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (College Park, MD), where he performed as an orchestral fellow. During his time at NOI, he was a member of the orchestra featured on the Grammy-nominated album Ruggles, Stucky, Harbison (Best Orchestral Performance, 2019) conducted by David Alan Miller. He has also spent many sessions at Burton Kaplan’s Magic Mountain Music Farm in upstate New York, an intensive retreat focused on musical mastery and artistic development.
He studied with distinguished teachers Burton Kaplan, Amy Frost Baumgarten, Dr. Roman Placzek, and Clyde Shaw.