Zachary Sweet

Zachary Sweet is an educator and performer in Ithaca, NY ; director of Ithaca Free Concerts, is on the faculty at Colgate University and at Mansfield University. He completed his Master’s in Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in 2006 where he served as a Departmental Assistant for Alan Harris. During his studies there, he became a member of the Eastman Chamber Society, was Principal of Eastman Philharmonia, Eastman Chamber Orchestra, and Eastman Opera Orchestra, and studied chamber music with the Ying Quartet, Elinore Freer, Dr. Jean Barr, Richard Kilmer, Kenneth Grant, and Alan Harris.

As a performer, Mr. Sweet has performed extensively throughout the Tri - State area. Venues have included the War Memorial in Syracuse, Shewan Recital Hall at Roberts Wesleyan College, Gibson Hall at Elmira College, Bristol Hall at Westminster Choir College, the Hochstein Performance Hall in Rochester, NY, Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music, Kiplinger Theatre at Cornell University, and the “ Nassau at Six ” recital series in Princeton, NJ. He has had the honor of performing with artists such as Sharon Sweet, J.J. Penna, Phyllis Lehrer, Jose Melendez, Yin - Min Chang, Tabatha Easley, Patrice Pastore, Leanne Darling, Dr. Peggy Dettwiler and the late Erick Friedman.

Currently, Mr. Sweet is the principal cellist of the Colgate University Orchestra plays with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Tri - Cities Opera, and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. He has also had the pleasure of mentoring local Youth Orchestras in Tompkins County. He joined the Faculty of Ithaca College’s Suzuki Institute and Summer Academies in 2013, and is thrilled to join the musicians at Alfred University’s “ MostArts ” Music Festival.