Zack Varner

     Multi-instrumentalist and composer Zack Varner remains in constant demand on the stage and in the studio. His quartet has performed at the international Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Santo Domingo Jazz Festivals. In his home city of Austin, Texas, he has performed showcases at the Uplift Jazz Festival and the South by Southwest Music Festival. Varner’s solo album release Blues in the Nude features eleven original compositions and has garnered excellent reviews from several established music critics. The Austin Chronicle’s Jeremy Steinberger writes: “Varner expertly honors tradition with hard bop and swing themes while simultaneously exploring and building on the genre's evolution through tango, bossa nova, and samba-infused textures.

     As a collaborator, some of Varner’s credits include Jo James, Jungol, Graham Reynolds, the Brooks Prumo Orchestra, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Wally Minko, Grupo Bonyé, Red Young, Floyd Domino, Jennifer Holliday, Chad LB, The Christian Wiggs Big Band, The Texas Horns and many other jazz, rock, pop, and Latin ensembles. Zack can presently be found performing at venues throughout Austin and central Texas with his own group, as well as ensembles like the Funktet, the Austin Symphony, and The Sahara Swingtet.

     As a composer for film and media, Dr. Zack Varner has written numerous scores for independent films, animations, and dramatic shorts. Some of these include "Downbeat!" (Treadwell Productions), "Sunny Afternoon" (Field Films) and the upcoming film "Duel" (Dawnbreaker Studios). Zack was recently selected as a finalist in the International FMC Film Scoring Competition (video game division, 2022).. 

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