BIO

Zach Allred got his first experience with performing music in 6th grade when he started learning the trumpet. He immediately fell in love and started working on improving his abilities. A major change happened in 8th grade when he switched to French Horn. He kept playing both throughout school, while joining more extracurricular ensembles and gaining important experiences there. Although he was focused on playing his instruments, Zach was always interested in writing music as well. He fondly recalls that his first composition was a history assignment about the dark ages, where Zach proudly turned in his piano solo and received positive remarks from his teacher.

Having grown up playing more classical styles of music, he wasn’t very familiar with modern musicians, but was introduced to the genre of electronic music from a friend of his. Zach was instantly interested in the sound design aspect and shortly after downloaded a Digital Audio Workstation so that he could continue to learn about how music doesn’t always have to fit into the same mold. This idea was later expanded upon during Zach’s schooling at Southern Utah University, where he was one of the first members of their Vanguard ensemble. There he was introduced to contemporary composers like John Cage, Phillip Glass, and his favorite, Steve Reich. It was at this point in Zach's life that he decided he wanted to pursue composition, rather than performance. He felt that there was untapped potential in the realm of instrumental music that included the use of synthesizers. 

Although he was interested in the possibility of electronic and symphonic elements working together in tandem, he needed more experience. He was lucky to receive lots of support from the staff at Southern Utah University, where he was able to work on composing for large and small ensembles alike. It was here that he received the most growth in his own ability to compose music. He had started to receive commissions from others around him to work on music ranging from percussion parts for a High School Marching Band, quartets and quintets of different instrumentations, large ensemble pieces, and even some small film scoring projects. Zach gets his inspiration from his desire to help everyone have a positive impact from music in their lives, just as he has.

Zach Allred got his first experience with music in the 6th grade, when he started playing the trumpet, and later the french horn. He also got to experience the joy of creating music when, for an assignment in a class, he composed a work for solo piano. Since then he's loved creating music for any and all ensembles, including concert band, chamber ensembles, and solo works. His piece, Venture Undertaken, was his first experience writing for a full orchestra, for which he is grateful for the opportunity. Zach finds his greatest joy in creating music, and finds his inspiration in his friends and family.