Zac Hammond

Zachary Hammond joined the Utah Symphony as principal oboe in 2022. Prior to coming to Utah, Zac served as principal oboe of the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina for 7 years and he currently holds the position of assistant principal oboe and English horn with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, CO.  He has been invited to perform as guest principal oboe with top orchestras across the country, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony and New World Symphony. He also has toured and recorded with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.  Zac has been frequently featured as a soloist, including premiering a concerto written specifically for him by Yiorgos Vassilandonakis with the Charleston Symphony in 2019.

Originally from Naperville, IL, Zac studied with Robert Morgan of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music as a student of Richard Killmer. While still a student at Eastman in 2013, He was appointed to the position of principal oboe with Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony) and performed frequently with the Rochester Philharmonic. He has held fellowships with the Aspen Music Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Sarasota Music Festival and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

Zac also enjoys teaching and has served as faculty at the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina. He currently maintains a large studio of young oboists.