Zachary deVries
Ensembles Manager, Artist in Residence
Zachary deVries is a graduate of Boston University, where he received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he completed the Master of Music Degree in Music Education. Mr. deVries is a middle school band director and brass instructor at Woodland Middle School in the East Meadow School District. Additionally, he has directed the Woodland Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble, as well as the East Meadow High School Marching Band.

Mr. deVries’ students have enjoyed great success at the NYSSMA festivals, and have been selected to participate in All-County, All-State, and All-Eastern ensembles. In addition, students in his studio have been selected to perform at international competitions including the Leonard Falcone Tuba Euphonium Competition and have gone on to study at universities and conservatories across the nation. Prior to his appointment in the East Meadow School District, Mr. deVries served as the Director of Athletic Bands at Boston University, where he led the Marching Band and Pep Band. Under his direction the Boston University Bands performed at regional and national competitions, including the NCAA Basketball and Hockey Tournaments. Mr. deVries also directed the Marching Band when they performed as the opening act for J. Geils Band and Aerosmith at Fenway Park in 2010. From 2008 to 2014, Mr. deVries was on faculty at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute with Mike Roylance, principal tuba of the Boston Symphony and Pops Orchestras. While there, he co-wrote and taught the Tuba Euphonium Workshop curriculum with Mr. Roylance.

An alumnus of the Nassau-Suffolk ensembles, Mr. deVries is the Ensembles Manager and Low Brass Artist-in-Residence for Nassau-Suffolk Performing Arts. As an active performer, Mr. deVries has performed with the Long Island Tuba Quartet, Long Island Wind Ensemble, Nassau-Suffolk Alumni Band, Jazz Loft Big Band, and Atlantic Wind Symphony. For over twenty-five years, he has participated in the annual SCMEA Day of Tuba and Euphonium and is now a member of the Festival Committee. Mr. deVries has performed in concerts or recitals with Joseph Alessi, Bob Carpenter, Stanley Drucker, Claude Kashnig, Eli Newberger, Dennis Nulty, Mike Roylance, and Philip Smith. Over the years, he has enjoyed the privilege of studying with Mike Roylance, Bill Troiano, and Willie Clark.