Zachary Mowitz (photo credit: Kevin Hsu)

Music Graduate Colloquium and Workshop Series: Zachary Mowitz

Zachary Mowitz
“Sounding the Alarm: Music at the Intersection of Ecology and Activism”

Abstract

Cellist Zachary Mowitz explores how music, both centuries-old and newly composed, can serve as a vehicle for environmental awareness and action. Drawing on his work with Nodality Music, a nonprofit arts initiative that commissions and performs new music, Mowitz will discuss and demonstrate how music can be mobilized to move audiences from climate grief and anxiety toward engagement and hope. The presentation will include live performance excerpts alongside recorded elements from recent commissions, illustrating how music and sound can help audiences reconnect with ecosystems, water systems, and the histories embedded in them. Mowitz will also touch on his broader collaborative projects that bring musicians into dialogue with scientists, planners, and community members to reimagine the role of concert music in environmental advocacy.

Bio

An artist who wears many hats, cellist Zachary Mowitz co-founded the chamber collective ensemble132 (a Steinway ensemble) and the nonprofit Nodality Music, and he is a member of the SAKURA Cello Quintet and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mowitz made his solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2018 and continues to perform internationally at venues like the Marlboro Music Festival, Caramoor, Carnegie Hall, and Berlin Konzerthaus. Recognized for his artistry as a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists such as Jonathan Biss, Joseph Lin, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Ida Kavafian, and regularly plays with the Bach Gamut Ensemble. He has premiered the works of today’s leading composers, including Richard Danielpour, Gabriela Órtiz, Donald Crockett, Angélica Negrón, and Nick DiBerardino. As a teacher and guest lecturer, Mowitz has visited Yale University, the Curtis Institute of Music, Queens College, Western University, and Texas Christian University. Mowitz attended the Curtis Institute of Music, the Royal College of Music, and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, where he studied with mentors Peter Wiley, Carter Brey, Richard Lester, Jeroen Reuling, and Gary Hoffman

Funding for this event was provided by the Music Undergraduate Gift Fund with additional thanks to the Jeffery Concerts series organizers for including Western in their 2026-27 artists' programming.

Location: Room 101, Talbot College, Western University

The Don Wright Faculty of Music's Graduate Colloquium and Workshop series includes lectures and practical workshops by distinguished guests, our own faculty and staff, and senior graduate students on all fields of research and creative activity in music. For more information visit https://music.uwo.ca/graduate/colloquia.html

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