Duluth, Minnesota, based percussionist and composer Zack Baltich weaves together instrumental music by utilizing percussion, synthesizers, and sampling. Often working in spaces not meant for music, he’s found that place can tether his work to the histories, geographies, and acoustic personalities of the spaces that his music happens in.

Notable work includes: 2017’s  Cavernous where he composed and recorded four pieces in cave-like environments throughout Minnesota, including a frozen  iron ore mine from the 1920s and a 200 foot tall disused grain silo. In 2020, Zack spent 5 weeks writing and recording music for solo percussion and electronics in a 400,000 square foot former paper mill, resulting in Afraid of the Dark Now, his fifth album. In 2023 he collaborated with choreographer Mathew Jaczewski’s Arena Dances, writing and performing the full score for their hour long work Erased Steps. The performance took place inside the massive Union Depot train station in St. Paul, MN, with 15 dancers.  In 2024, he released Estuary, a full length album which combines percussion, electronics, and sampling with guitar, fiddle, voice, and field recordings of ice on Lake Superior. A reference to the point where rivers meet other waters, the work is a melding of genre, language, and personality.

In addition to his personal work, Zack collaborates regularly with folk band Ginger Bones, MN superproducer Lazerbeak, and many others. Past projects have been supported by the American Composer’s Forum, Cedar Cultural Center, Minnesota State Arts Board, Prairie Ronde Artist Residency, and Loghaven Artist Residency.  Zack is a recipient of the 2025 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.