Media

Multimedia projects, albums, films, performance videos, and image gallery

Recent Projects

Portfolio
Resonant Coast (2025)
Resonant Coast (2025)

Awarded the 2025 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Award, Resonant Coast is a sonic and visual exploration of memory, migration, and identity along the shifting shorelines of the American coastline.

Sound Worlds (2025)
Sound Worlds (2025)

2025 Sound Worlds, is a a one-hour program featuring music for violin and electronics. The program features music by Hunter Prueger, ('Silent Moment'), Brannon Warn-Johnston ('A Year with Cancer’), Patrick Long ('Shadow Steps'), and Aaron Levin, (‘Video game Vespers").

Electroacoustic Collaborations with Seattle Symphony’s Merriman-Ross Young Composers Workshop (2024)
Electroacoustic Collaborations with Seattle Symphony’s Merriman-Ross Young Composers Workshop (2024)

This season’s workshop was unlike any before as students  mastered the art of blending electronic sounds with live symphony instruments while utilizing the advanced technology of Benaroya Hall’s Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center.

Discography

Portfolio
Persistence of Memory (2020)
Persistence of Memory (2020)

The Persistence of Memory (2020), is the first ever classical music visual album released on Amazon Prime worldwide. This dual compilation of film and album featured three commissions for violin and percussion and three solo violin works in collaboration with dance, digital art, spoken word, animation, fashion and film.

“Zaks’ technical command certainly shines through this work and throughout the entire album, but she blossoms in her pathos and commitment to this new sound world of delicious contrasts. … Zaks’ debut album insightfully explores the dynamics between contrasting ideals: dreams versus reality, hardness versus softness, destruction versus beauty.” — The Classical Post

Available online at Amazon! [ Album | Film ]

Read More →

Filmography

Portfolio
Colorful Library (2023)
Colorful Library (2023)

With Yale School of Art Graphic Design Artist, Filip Birkner MFA ‘23. Featuring live improvisation, motion capture, and stop motion.

Play (2022)
Play (2022)

An original show, directed by Ilana Zaks, in collaboration with 2x Olympic rhythmic gymnast Laura Zeng, filmmaker Olivia Charis, projection designer Sasha Semina, lighting designer Corinne Evans, and jazz vocalist Theodora 'Teddy’ Horangic.

The Intermedial Performer (2021)
The Intermedial Performer (2021)

The Intermedial Performer explores the relationship between music and performance art across four technological collaborations. Edited by Samuel Vladimirsky.

Performance Videos

Photo Gallery

Ilana-Zaks-Artistic-2025-PC-Carlin-Ma.jpg
Ilana-Zaks-BW-Headshot-2025-PC-Carlin-Ma.jpg
Ilana-Zaks-Headshot-2025-PC-Carlin-Ma.jpg
Ilana-Zaks-Garden-Photoshoot.jpg
Ilana-With-Violin-Looking-Aside.jpg
Photoshoot for Hewlett Packard at Yale University's Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM)

Photoshoot for Hewlett Packard at Yale University's Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM)

Ilana-With-Violin-trimmed.jpg
Ilana-With-Violin-3.jpg
Ilana-Hero.jpg
Ilana-Zaks-Performing-With-Orchestra.jpg
Ilana-Zaks-Performing-School.jpg
Ilana-Zaks-Performing-Black-BG.jpg
Ilana-KingFM.jpg
Ilana-Hero-Black-Dress.jpg

I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible musicians and artists . . .

With my mentor and longtime teacher, Itzhak Perlman (Benaroya Hall, Seattle,WA, November 2024)

With my mentor and longtime teacher, Itzhak Perlman (Benaroya Hall, Seattle,WA, November 2024)

With my professor and mentor, Donald Weilerstein (circa 2016)

With my professor and mentor, Donald Weilerstein (circa 2016)

With the original members of the Cleveland Quartet, after a masterclass at Boston’s New England Conservatory (2018)

With the original members of the Cleveland Quartet, after a masterclass at Boston’s New England Conservatory (2018)

With the legendary John Williams, after performing a concert of his music with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Anne Sophie-Mutter (April 2022)

With the legendary John Williams, after performing a concert of his music with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Anne Sophie-Mutter (April 2022)

With Pulitzer and Grammy Award Winning composer, Jennifer Higdon. Photo taken in January 2020, following my interview with the composer for the film and production, Flying Forward.

With Pulitzer and Grammy Award Winning composer, Jennifer Higdon. Photo taken in January 2020, following my interview with the composer for the film and production, Flying Forward.

With violinist Augustin Hadelich after a performance (Seattle Symphony, February 2023)

With violinist Augustin Hadelich after a performance (Seattle Symphony, February 2023)

With pianist Yefim Bronfman, Pittsburgh Symphony 2022

With pianist Yefim Bronfman, Pittsburgh Symphony 2022

With Maestra Marin Alsop, a personal and musical hero of mine (Seattle Symphony, June 2023)

With Maestra Marin Alsop, a personal and musical hero of mine (Seattle Symphony, June 2023)

With violinist Anne Sophie Mutter in Rehearsal (April 2022)

With violinist Anne Sophie Mutter in Rehearsal (April 2022)

With Violinist Gil Shaham (Jordan Hall, Celebrity Series 2018)

With Violinist Gil Shaham (Jordan Hall, Celebrity Series 2018)

Performing with pianist David Ji at Yale University’s Morse Recital Hall

Performing with pianist David Ji at Yale University’s Morse Recital Hall

With the former chief music critic of the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, after moderating the Poynter Talk in Journalism at Yale with him and New Yorker Magazine Arts writer, Alex Ross, as special guests

With the former chief music critic of the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, after moderating the Poynter Talk in Journalism at Yale with him and New Yorker Magazine Arts writer, Alex Ross, as special guests

Some memorable performances . . .

Piazzolla’s 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires Performance with Lake Washington Symphony and conductor Michael Miropolsky (March 2024; Bastyr University)

Piazzolla’s 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires Performance with Lake Washington Symphony and conductor Michael Miropolsky (March 2024; Bastyr University)

Brahms Concerto with Michael Miropolsky and Cascade Symphony (January 2024)

Brahms Concerto with Michael Miropolsky and Cascade Symphony (January 2024)

Performing at the historic St. Botolph Club (Boston, Massachusetts; August 2023). Photo Credit: Peter Van Demark

Performing at the historic St. Botolph Club (Boston, Massachusetts; August 2023). Photo Credit: Peter Van Demark

With the Seattle Symphony, 30th anniversary composers workshop (May 2023)

With the Seattle Symphony, 30th anniversary composers workshop (May 2023)

Giving a talk at the Yale School of Management (Fall 2022)

Giving a talk at the Yale School of Management (Fall 2022)

In the pit intermission at Seattle Opera, La Traviata (May 2023)

In the pit intermission at Seattle Opera, La Traviata (May 2023)

Playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony under the baton of John Williams (April 2022)

Playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony under the baton of John Williams (April 2022)

Dota 2 Opening Ceremony with Academy Award winning conductor and composer Tim Larkin, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle WA (October 2023)

Dota 2 Opening Ceremony with Academy Award winning conductor and composer Tim Larkin, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle WA (October 2023)