Grammy-Winning Artist Zach Brock Joins Oberlin Conservatory

In fall 2026, violinist and composer Zach Brock will join the Oberlin Conservatory faculty as an associate professor of multi-genre performance and improvisation.

Called “the preeminent improvising violinist of his generation” by critics, Brock possesses a background spanning chamber music, orchestral writing, and jazz improvisation. He is a three-time Grammy winner as a longstanding member of the contemporary jazz band Snarky Puppy. His recordings with the group include 2016’s Culcha Vulcha, 2020’s Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 2022’s Empire Central, and 2025’s Somni. Brock was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for his 2022 solo album Dirty Mindz. 

“I am deeply honored to join the esteemed faculty at one of the world's truly great conservatories,” Brock says. “Many of my most admired colleagues are Oberlin graduates, and their musicianship and collaborative spirits speak volumes about the institution.”

“We are very excited to welcome Zach to the faculty,” says Associate Professor of Jazz Studies Jay Ashby. “Zach is recognized globally as one of the premier violinists in the industry, especially in regard to jazz and adjacent styles. That, coupled with his extensive background in traditional orchestral repertoire, contemporary chamber music, electronic music, and various styles of pop music, makes Zach truly unique. Importantly, Zach also readily draws upon his ability to improvise and compose while navigating these different genres, effectively blurring previously existing lines between them.”

Brock has a long relationship with Oberlin, having previously served as a visiting artist several times in the conservatory’s Performance and Improvisation (PI) Program during the last decade. Most recently, this included a 2025 collaboration with students in Performance and Improvisation Ensembles. 

“In each of his mini-residencies, Zach has quickly demonstrated his ability to engage the students, leading them to explore new and different approaches to their instruments and helping them find more profound connections to making music—typically, in musical styles and settings that are well outside their previous musical experiences,” Ashby says.

Raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Brock trained as a classical violinist at Northwestern University and developed his improvisational voice in Chicago. After relocating to New York, he performed at Carnegie Hall at the invitation of Dave Douglas, toured internationally with Stanley Clarke, and became the first violinist to record for Criss Cross Jazz in the label’s 32-year history. 

Selected for Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center in 2002 and named a Rising Star Violinist by DownBeat, he has since collaborated with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dave Liebman, Eric Harland, Arun Ramamurthy, Matt Ulery, and many others. His trio record Wonderment appeared on Best of 2019 lists in Downbeat and Jazziz. As a composer, Brock premiered his orchestral suite “What Remains” for violin and string orchestra with the Lexington Chamber Orchestra in May 2026, with orchestration by composer and arranger Jochen Neuffer.   

Prior to coming to Oberlin, Brock spent five years as Boyer Artist-in-Residence at Temple University and was on the adjunct faculty of the New School in New York City for over a decade. He is a member of the collective Brock/Lanzetti/Ogawa and regularly appears as a guest artist with the Ahn Trio. Along with his Oberlin appointment, Brock will continue to perform with Snarky Puppy and serve as artistic director of the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington. 

“I firmly believe that the sum total of a musician is more than their professional acumen alone,” Brock says. “The truly great musical artists are also imbued with a sense of moral purpose and a vision to uplift humanity. Oberlin has made this a cornerstone of its values since its founding. To now have the opportunity to help shape the next generation of multi-genre artists, sending them into the world with both technical excellence and that same expansive sense of purpose, is my calling.”