David Zajic, Viola
I joined the Columbia Orchestra in 1994, and became the principal violist in 1999. I started playing viola in third grade, when I was advised that if I wanted a really special instrument, I should choose the viola, because orchestras always need violists. Later I studied with Julia Barker, former member of the Baltimore Symphony, and Miles Hoffman, director of the American Chamber Players and NPR music commentator. I studied composition, conducting, and computer science at Oberlin College. I was the assistant conductor of the Columbia Orchestra from 1996 to 1999, and since 1998 I have been the music director and conductor of the Howard County Ballet Orchestra. The Columbia Orchestra has performed two of my compositions: A Goblin's Trick Overture (1996) and Chanukah Fantasia (1999). I directed the Beth Tfiloh Synagogue Men's Choir from 1998-2005. I also run the Columbia Orchestra's biennial American Composer Competition and serve on the board of directors. In real life, I hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, and I work as a research scientist in the field of Computational Linguistics at the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language.
