Zach Gulaboff Davis ’14 recently landed a prestigious Young Composers Award from one of the world’s largest music organizations, the National Federation of Music Clubs.
His composition, “Suite for Piano and Viola,” was selected as the winner in the competition for college students. The selection was based on creative ability, technical excellence and special talents. Davis found out about his award just minutes before a final piano exam.
Davis recently attended the Oregon Bach Festival, where he was invited to compose an original piece for the Composers Symposium.
The Linfield junior has been playing piano since age six, and began more serious studies in his early teens. He also played timpani and percussion with the Salem Youth Symphony and the Willamette Valley Symphony, and his background in rhythm influences his pieces.
“For me, music can often express things words can’t,” Davis says. “Music helps me explore a wide range of emotions.”
He hopes to further his studies in piano performance in graduate school, and eventually teach at the college level, where he hopes to pass on the gift he has been given.
“I can’t thank my professors and teachers enough,” Davis says. “They are a big reason I have kept going on.”
