Zachary Earle

Self-proclaimed cello-nerd Zachary Earle began playing cello at age 11 and began private lessons at age 13 with Will Preece of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In high school, Zachary was the principal cellist of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony. As the youth symphony Skip Gates Concerto Competition winner, Zachary made his solo orchestral debut in 2019. He has spent summers attending the Cleveland and the Curtis Institutes of Music, studying with esteemed cello pedagogues Karlos Rodriguez, Dr. Melissa Kraut, Richard Weiss, and Dr. Marianne Ramos.

Zachary is the Lead Cello Instructor for the Kalamazoo Kids-In Tune music program (part of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Education Department), teaching students ages 8 to 18. He studies with Bruce Uchimura at Western Michigan University, funded entirely by the Rhea Yeager Fetzer Scholarship.