Zach received his BM in Jazz Studies: Saxophone Performance from Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance, where he studied under distinguished saxophonists Dick Oatts and Ben Schachter and pianist Tim Brey. He is active as a saxophonist, composer, and educator. Zach leads his own group, ZTQ, and he has played with groups including the Bachelor Boys Band, the Philadelphia Funk Authority, and Tony Gairo's Crosscurrent Big Band.
Zach Tridico was born and raised in Allentown, PA, where his first musical instruction was defined by endless trudging through outdated piano method books under the duress of an outdated teacher, whose method of teaching consisted primarily of yapping out the correct note name whenever Zach hit a clunker. Zach then (temporarily) renounced the way of 88-keys in favor of a more modest 18-key lifestyle, and he has been fortunate enough to have only the most wise and encouraging teachers ever since. Shout outs to the music department at Temple University, to Dr. Neil Wetzel and Dr. Deborah Andrus of Moravian College, and to the Parkland High School Music Department! The new 18-key way of life that Zach chose was the clarinet, of course! When making this calculation about the keys, what Zach failed to consider was the 11 holes of the clarinet, the likes of which he had never seen before. He also discovered his gross negligence regarding the mischief of reeds, which he has not entirely escaped even to this day. Zach reached new heights on the clarinet in the PMEA All-State Orchestra and the NAfME All-East Band. But as the years went by he watched as his peers, and even those he called his friends, betrayed the “licorice stick” in favor of a more modern (and admittedly more shiny) outlet for their single-reed needs. His resolve lasted longer than most, but finally he succumbed to a trifold assault to the senses by Bird, Woods, and Desmond. His back to the wall, Zach learned to work the saxophone.