Percussionist, Zach Gutierrez, is admired for his sensitivity and devotion to bringing forth colorful and meaningful musical performances to his audiences.
He has performed in events with the Yale Percussion Group, Alarm Will Sound, Sō Percussion, 3G Percussion, MUSIQA, Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, Peabody Percussion Group, and more. He has had appearances at The Kennedy Center, Rothko Chapel, Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston, Western University, Lone Star College Contemporary Music Festival, and the Space City New Music Festival. His involvement as a performer in the marching and pageantry arts concluded with receiving the Fred Sanford Award with the Cadets 2013 percussion section, under the direction of Colin Mcnutt.
In 2013, Zach co-founded 3G Percussion with his brothers Sarek Gutierrez and Jacob Gutierrez. The group's performances have featured percussion chamber music by composers such as Alejandro Viñao, Toru Takemitsu, John Cage, Robert Honstein, and James Romig. 3G Percussion has performed primarily in Texas and internationally in Canadian cities such as Montreal, Toronto and London. In 2017, 3G Percussion collaborated with the Transitory Sound and Movement Collective to create a hour -long, large-scale interdisciplinary work of dance, film, and music with creatives from Dallas and New York City.
Zach’s diverse career has led him into various musical activities including being a co-founder of the Space City New Music Festival (SCNMF), a vibrant international music festival designed to support emerging artists and the creation of modern compositions. SCNMF has brought in participants from across the United States, Mexico, Germany, and Canada. In 2018, SCNMF generated and premiered 17 newly composed works that were performed by participants, 3G Percussion, and Crystal Chu. In 2019, the Space City New Music Festival featured guest artists Cameron Leach, Hub New Music, Daryl Robinson, and Shih-Hui Chen. Gutierrez continues to support the creation of modern music by being a participant of consortiums to commission new musical compositions. Most recently, he has helped to commission Alejandro Vinao’s Stress and Flow and Juri Seo’s Sonata.
Additional highlights include Zach’s performance in the U.S. premiere of Where We Lost Our Shadows, a piece for orchestra, video, and soloists Shanya Dunkelman, Ali Setha, and Helga Davis. This event was part of The Human Journey, a collaboration between the Kennedy Center, National Geographic Society, and the National Gallery of Art. Where We Lost Our Shadows recognized and depicted the timeless struggle of human migration and its many effects, while celebrating the resilient human spirit that instigates and survives it. Incorporating Qawwali raga and texts by Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan, it is the creation of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun and Palestinian videographer Khaled Jarrar. This work was Co-commissioned by the Kennedy Center with Carnegie Hall, the American Composers Orchestra, London’s Southbank Centre, and Cal Performances.
Zach holds degrees from Yale University, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and University of Houston.
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