Pitt HomeFind PeopleApplyContact Us

Faculty Roger Zahab

(Conductor, Composer, Violinist)

Lecturer
Director of the University Orchestra
MM, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1980

Music Building 216
412-624-4017
rzahab@pitt.edu
Website: www.rogerzahab.net

Fields

Orchestral Conducting; Violin Performance; Composition; Chamber Music Coaching; Writing on Music

Teaching

Composition; Chamber Music; Conducting; Ensemble and Orchestral Performance; Music Theory; Orchestration; Violin and Viola

Selected Honors/Awards

Louis Lane Scholarship given by the Akron Symphony Orchestra (1978)

Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Grant (1995)

Selected Publications

His version of John Cage's Thirteen Harmonies for violin and keyboard instrument is published by C.F.Peters Corporation. [1986]

Recent Compositions (selected works)

Battery Park, New York Harbor (2004) for violin

Winter Forest (2003) for solo viola and string orchestra

Highland Square (2003) for violin and guitar

Remembering (2003) for flute, 'cello and piano

Greetings from Tomorrow (2003) for solo piccolo and orchestra

Strip District (2003) for violin and piano

…and stars will appear (2003) for string quartet

Phantoms, Assorted (2003) for violin

memory flakes (2003) for two guitars

now stay the hand of time (2003) for violin

bicoastal (2003) for vibraphone and marimba

reaching after (2003) for solo 'cello ( in scordatura )

the tricky joys (2003) for violin, viola, trombone and double bass

Winter Dance (2003) for chamber orchestra

Vigil (2002) for soloists, chorus and orchestra

levitation of pianos during a waltz (2001) for piano

Recordings as a violinist (selected)

Eric Moe, Blue Air, on Up & At 'Em, Albany Records, 2002

John Cage: Thirteen Harmonies, on Koch International Classics. 1995

Six Melodies Variation by Christian Wolff in the two-disc set A Chance Operation-Ttribute to John Cage, Koch International Classics, 1993

Stubborn Beauties, works for violin by Charlillo, Mackey, Macbride, Mamlok, Dennis Riley and Zahab, Truemedia Records Ltd., 1993

Recordings of compositions (selected)

Fall/Return for guitar - James Marron, guitar on the CD titled Spring Rising

Doubles Keening for wind quintet, Pennsylvania Quintet, Centaur.

Doubles Keening for wind quintet, Solaris, Capstone Records, 2003

your offending kiss for wind quintet, Solaris; Capstone Records, 2003

Verging Lightfall on the CD John Cage: Thirteen Harmonies, Koch International Classics. 1995

Recent Commissions (selected)

Winter Forest (2003) for solo viola and string orchestra;commissioned by the Pittsburgh Music Academy

reaching after (2003) for solo 'cello ( in scordatura ); commissioned by Lawrence Stomberg

the tricky joys (2001-3) for violin, viola, trombone and double bass; series commissioned by Benny and Jane Leonard

levitation of pianos during a waltz (2001) for piano ; commissioned by Eric Moe

Afterglow (2000) for winds; commissioned by Eric Benjamin and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic in honor of the hundredth anniversary of Aaron Copland's birth

Signs of Life (1997) for orchestra; commissioned by the Children's Concert Society of Akron, Ohio in celebration of their 50th Anniversary Season for the Akron Symphony Orchestra

Selected Performances as Violinist

Tison Street, Labyrinth for solo violin and orchestra with the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra, Bellefield Hall Auditorium, February 4, 2004

Election Day, New Music for Violin, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, November 4, 2003

Mercyhurst College; Erie, PA, February 2003

California Recital Series, California, PA, February 24, 2003

Hearing into the Mist, St Peter's Church in Chelsea, New York City, March 8, 2002 and

New Music Gallery; Toronto, Canada, October 20, 2002

Composition in Africa and the Diaspora International Symposium and Festival

Churchill College, Cambridge, UK. Gave premieres of works by Halim El-Dabh (Rivers in Confluence) and J.H.Nketia (Bolga Sonata) with pianist Robert Frankenberry, August 2, 2001

Selected Performances as Conductor

Gustav Mahler. Symphony no. 1 - University Orchestra, April 14, 2004

Johannes Brahms. Symphony no. 1 - University Orchestra, March 3, 2004

Gyorgy Ligeti, Piano Concerto, with Ursula Oppens and the Music on the Edge Chamber Orchestra, December 2, 2003

Carl Nielsen, Symphony no. 1, University Orchestra, December 4, 2002

Eric Moe, Fierce Lament (premiere) University Orchestra, September 25, 2002

Oliver Knussen, Two Organa and Mathew Rosenblum, Möbius Loop, Music on the Edge Chamber Orchestra, February 6, 2002

The Biddle Boys and Mrs. Soffel, opera, premiere, June 2001

Selected Recent Performances of Compositions

Three Western Reserve Pieces for organ(1988) – Alastair Stout, tour, March 2004

Silence Orchids & The Earth's Jig – Bennett Lerner, piano, world tour, Europe, USA and Southeast Asia, Fall and Winter 2003/4

memory flakes (2003) – premiere; Bachmann Englehart Duo, Kent State University – Stark Campus, November 15, 2003

bicoastal (2003) – premiere; two, a percussion duo, Seattle, Washington, October 12, 2003

reaching after (2003) – Lawrence Stomberg, cellist, Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, September 7, 2003 (premiere) repeated Sept. 8, University of Tulsa and Sept. 9th,Southern Nazarene University.

Vigil (2002) – Severance Hall, Cleveland Ohio, University of Akron Chorus and Orchestra, Samuel Gordon, conductor. April 21, 2003

not later( 1999) - California EAR Unit, Los Angeles, January 8, 2003

Residencies/Consulting

Composer/Guest Conductor for Pittsburgh Youth Symphony String Workshop, Winter, 2003

Guest Composer in Residence, Composer's Club, Washington School, Mt. Lebanon School District - January/June, 2002

Activities

Highland Square Philharmonic – founder and instigator of an ever-changing group of amateur and professional musicians who gather on a moment's notice to play and hear music in coffee houses and other informal settings.

Conductor, Music on the Edge Chamber Orchestra, which specializes in the newest music

Director, University of Pittsburgh Orchestra, where he seeks to give students a well-rounded overview of Western music while exploring works from outside those incresingly porous boundaries.

President of Prism Projects, Inc., New York City, a non-profit presenter of new music concerts in the New York metropolitan area.

Zahab's conducting repertoire encompasses the history of ensemble music from Andrea Gabrieli up to the present.

Current Projects

Ohio Telechron – a multi-media theatrical work about politics, religion and teleportation.

Ongoing work with individual students and ensembles from ages 8 to 70 in all aspects of music.

Faculty Links

More Faculty Links

Staff

Dorothy Shallenberger
Administrator
shallen@pitt.edu
412-624-4127

Rose Booth
Receptionist
rbooth@pitt.edu
412-624-4126

Joan McDonald
Secretary
jdm30@pitt.edu
412-624-4124

Assistant to Jazz Director
412-624-4187

Phil Thompson
Communications Coordinator
concerts@pitt.edu
412 624-4125

Jason Squinobal
William R. Robinson Studio Manager
jjs75@pitt.edu
412-624-9193

You are using an older browser that does not support current Web standards. Although this site is viewable in all browsers, it will look much better in a browser that supports web standards.