Drums & Percussion

Zach is an enthusiastic tutor with experience working with learners of a variety of ages and abilities. Graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BMus degree, he also worked to gain his DipABRSM Teaching Diploma. He will soon be graduating from the Royal Academy of Music with a Master of Arts Postgraduate degree.

While living in Scotland, he helped to co-found and lead the tutoring of a percussion academy through his local brass band in Irvine and Dreghorn. Since moving to London, he spends his spare time assisting with the City Lit Percussion Orchestra, educating older students with learning disabilities. Zach has also worked as an assistant tutor with the Stewarton Percussion Ensemble and the Orchestras for All Modulo Scheme.

Zach mainly works as a freelance orchestral percussionist and timpanist. He has had the opportunity to perform Star Wars music live with the Royal Northern Sinfonia as well as closing the Edinburgh Festival as 2^nd Timpanist for the RSNO. As well as this, he has been involved with CD recording sessions with Ryan Wigglesworth, symphony orchestra projects with a variety of famous conductors, musical theatre and opera pit work.

Zach’s experience as a drum kit player extends beyond his orchestral studies. He was the drummer in a ‘Commitments’ tribute band that performed at evening events. He has also worked in pantomimes, cabaret premiers of new musical theatre works and even entertained audiences on a cruise ship as a drummer.

Cyro Zuzi is a Brazilian born percussionist and drummer, he started his career more than 20 years ago, studying with Brazilian tutors Douglas Las Casas and Ramon Montagner. In his early days as a drummer he played in many rock bands around Sao Paulo, and in the year 2000 spent a month studying drums in Havana (Cuba), with the collaborator of Modern Drummer Magazine: Chuck Silverman among other Cuban teachers.

Still in 2000, he achieved first place in the Concurso de Bateristas do Vale do Paraiba, a renowned drum contest that gathers drummers from all over São Paulo state. In 2007 Cyro moved to London for professional gigs and recording sessions with local artists. He also appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats, Backchat and Loose Women.

He has recorded a few albums in UK, including the Hard Rock band: Nitroville (Don't stop what is coming), and Jazz artists Tamas Teszary (Bopcore) and Guido Spannocchi (Terms and Conditions). He has also collaborated in many tracks for independent artists and in 2018 recorded an instructional DVD called 'Workshop de Jazz International´ in Brazil with his own trio.

Cyro has been touring, doing concerts and workshops in many cities around UK, and played in some of the top music festivals, such as Cheltenham Jazz Fest, Secret Garden Party, Boom Town and Glastonbury. Performances and tours abroad include countries in South America, Europe, Africa and Middle East. He also played in most of London's prestigious music places: Ronnie Scotts, Jazz Café, Koko and The Vortex.

A keen educator, Cyro has been working as a private teacher for many years and since 2018 he has been the director of Bish Bash Bosh, a company which provides samba workshops for schools, businesses and communities all over the UK. Cyro has been a dep at Young Music Makers since 2017, and is very happy to have been made a permanent member of the team from September 2020. He is also involved with the project Girl Plays Jazz, providing jazz workshops for young females instrumentalists.

As a researcher Cyro has been developing a deep study in Brazilian drums that involves the history of rhythms from São Paulo and its roots in Africa.