Jeffery Zook

DSO Applied Faculty, Flute

Contact: [email protected]

Jeffery Zook is a celebrated flutist praised for his “resonant flute tone and suave phrasing” (Detroit Free Press). With a career spanning more than three decades, he has earned recognition on international stages as a soloist, orchestral player, chamber musician, and educator. He recently retired from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he served as flutist and piccoloist since 1992.

A passionate educator, Jeffery has been on the faculty at Oakland University for 17 years. He is co-founder of the CanAmerican Flute Symposium and Flute Competition, now in its fifth year, presented in collaboration with Canadian flutist Susan Hoeppner. His teaching credentials also include appointments at the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, and Bowling Green State University. He has chaired the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Committee and served as President of the Southeast Michigan Flute Association.

Jeffery holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was awarded the prestigious Recitalists’ Diploma. His principal teachers include William Bennett, Trevor Wye, Judith Bentley, Jacqueline Hofto, and former DSO piccoloist Clement Barone.

He made his solo debut with the DSO while still in high school, performing Mozart’s Concerto in C for Flute and Harp with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. He later appeared under Maestro Neeme Järvi in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Piccolo, and in 2017 was featured at the National Flute Association’s Gala Concert in Minneapolis, performing Hovland’s Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra—a signature performance of his career.

An avid chamber musician, Jeffery co-founded Concerts in the Barn at Applewood with DSO colleagues Caroline Coade and Kerstin Allvin. Their trio toured Morocco in 2002 in a nationally televised concert series.

His discography includes numerous solo recordings with Music Minus One, featured appearances on Motown revival projects, and the popular holiday album Comfort and Joy! with harpist Kerstin Allvin. He and flutist Sharon Sparrow created Telemann for Two Flutes (Theodore Presser publisher), which the National Flute Association’s Newly Published Music Award in 2023. He is also featured on multiple Detroit Symphony Orchestra recordings under conductors Neeme Järvi and Leonard Slatkin, and can be seen on DSO Replay at dso.org/replay.

Jeffery resides in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, with his husband, David Assemany, and their miniature pinscher, Dexter. Together, they have transformed their home into The Cambridge Conservatory—a creative hub for recitals, masterclasses, musical dinners, and community gatherings.

He performs on a 9K gold Muramatsu flute and a Burkart piccolo.