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.

London based Michèle Drees is an established drummer, latin percussionist, vocalist, guitarist and composer and has been active on the Music scene for more than 30 years.During this time Michèle has played with top Artists across a wide variety of genres including Marc Almond, Kirsty MacColl, Seal, Badmarsh and Shri, Ive Mendes, KD Lang, Susanne Vega, Candy Dulfer, Ian Shaw, to name but a few. Performing on many of the great stages, Royal Albert Hall, The Barbican, Ronnie Scott’s and numerous Jazz Festivals throughout the world including Montreux.

Michèle's love for tap dance began as a little girl. Mesmerised watching Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers, she has said that it was this influence that sparked her deep love and appreciation for rhythm and the main reason she chose to play the drum kit.

Moving to London in the early 1980's she took up tap dancing and drumming at the same time. Since 2009 Michèle Drees' trio has been the rhythmic bedrock of the London Tap Jam at Ronnie Scott's. This has over the years cemented her understanding of how to support rhythm tappers.

Thirty years on, Michèle has come full circle, returning to her first love; she has created her Jazz Tap Project. The vision behind it is to express the visceral musical connection between these two incredible art forms. https://www.micheledrees.com/