News
Queen City Chamber Music is a new concert series in Charlotte, created to bring virtuosic chamber music ensembles from around the world into an intimate, engaging, and community-centered setting.
Curated by the award-winning wind quintet, ZaRiah, the series presents programs that place music by living composers in conversation with beloved standard repertoire, creating concerts that feel both familiar and adventurous.
“ZaRiah brought vibrant storytelling to Valerie Coleman’s Suite: Portraits of Josephine, while Mozart’s dramatic Serenade No. 12 closed the program with brilliance and intensity.”
– Kerrytown Concert House, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival
“Our goal is to honor our communities and cultures, by sharing our love for storytelling through our craft.”
A “world-class emerging ensemble,” ZaRiah is a collaboration of multifaceted artists who are guided by their varying backgrounds and cultures.
Known for their dynamic staging and audience engagement, ZaRiah was the 2026 Artist-in-Residence with the Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City. ZaRiah was the First Prize Winner of the 2025 Frances Walton Chamber Music Competition.
Why the name ‘ZaRiah’ ?
To put it simply, ZaRiah is an homage to our Oberlin days. There is a coffee shop in Oberlin named ‘Azariah’s.’ ZaRiah has Arabic and Hebrew origins, used to describe brilliance or radiance.
OUR MEMBERS
Ben | flute
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Jamison | oboe
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Katelyn | clarinet
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AJ | bassoon
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Oved | horn
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Ben | flute • Jamison | oboe • Katelyn | clarinet • AJ | bassoon • Oved | horn •
Header Photo by Jonah Murdoch
Gallery Photos by William Muñoz – Ladies Musical Club