Zachary Cooper

Zachary Cooper is newly appointed principal horn of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra. His orchestral journey commenced at an early age, with notable performances alongside orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra (UK) and the Orlando Philharmonic when he was 16. At 19, he won his first audition as second horn with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, marking the beginning of a flourishing career. His rich orchestral background includes positions as principal horn in the Missoula Symphony (2016-2023), associate principal horn in the Helena Symphony, and a multitude of performances with more than two dozen orchestras across North America, including the Dayton Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, Memphis Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico, to name a few.

He has focused his recent scholarly research on commissioning new works to increase the horn repertoire with an emphasis on supporting women and BIPOC composers. New works include Sonata for horn and piano (Anthony Plog), Sure-Fire for horn and wind ensemble (Catherine Likhuta), El Viaje for horn ensemble (Aliyah Qualls), One More Mountain for horn, trombone, and piano (Amy Riebs Mills), Entropy for horn and trombone (Austin Hammonds), Wunlit for solo horn (Shawn Okpebholo), Passages for flute, horn, and piano (Paul Basler), become/decay for flute and horn (Tyler Kline), and The Final Battle Cry for solo horn (Alexis Carrier).

Cooper is Assistant Professor of Horn and Coordinator of Brass at Butler University.