We are ZaRiah.

ZaRiah is a collaboration of multifaceted artists, who just so happen to be the best of friends. ZaRiah formed during their undergraduate years at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Drawn together from the transition of leaving home and embarking on adulthood, their bond solidified during a period of uncertainty and isolation: the COVID-19 pandemic. The members of ZaRiah found solace during this time from countless days spent together, which solidified this group as a family. Once life began to return to some sense of normalcy, ZaRiah gave their first performance at the Kendall Retirement Community in Oberlin, a memory that will forever be cherished.

ZaRiah is guided by their varying backgrounds and cultures. With 3 out of the 5 members being first generation-college students and 2 members being from the rural south, the group is dedicated to increasing music accessibility in underserved communities. 

Under the tutelage of Richard Hawkins, ZaRiah has been invited to compete in numerous competitions. Members of ZaRiah have participated in festivals such as Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, National Orchestral Institute, and have been on tour with broadway productions. ZaRiah members are also established orchestral musicians, and have performed with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, among numerous others.

Katelyn, Ben, and Oved are currently completing their Master’s Degrees in Music Performance at the Yale School of Music. AJ is the recently appointed Principal Bassoon of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and Jonathan is currently a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.