Name: Ilana Zaks – Classical Jazz
Start: 2026-06-07T18:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-06-07T20:00:00-07:00
Location: Seattle Jazz Vespers, 1111 Harvard Ave., Seattle, WA, United States, Washington 98122

$Ilana Zaks \u2013 Classical Jazz$

Violinist Ilana Zaks bridges the worlds of classical music and jazz with a uniquely versatile voice on the violin. A graduate of New England Conservatory and Yale School of Music, she has studied with renowned violinists Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, and Ani Kavafian. Ilana performed as first violinist with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera, while also cultivating projects that explore improvisation, Jewish identity, and cross-genre collaboration. Currently, she serves on faculty at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Rollins College and performs worldwide as a concert violinist.
As a “classical jazz violinist,” Ilana brings together the precision and expressivity of the classical tradition with the rhythmic vitality and spontaneity of jazz. Her performances invite audiences to hear the violin in fresh ways—whether reimagining jazz standards through a classical lens, or illuminating classical works with jazz-inspired colors. Ilana’s Seattle Jazz Vespers concert will highlight this blending of styles, with selections ranging from lyrical ballads to energetic swing and improvisation.