Full Bio:

Greg Zbach obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering from Gannon University, and has retired as Program Manager for Sunburst Electronics. Greg is the current President of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association, past Vice President of The Erie Summer Festival of the Arts and a past Executive member of the Erie Civic Ballet. Greg owns Studio Z, an electronic music production studio.

In 1972 he was instrumental in starting, and helped run WERG radio at Gannon University. He was also sound engineer for 39 Gannon theater productions. Through Studio Z, Greg has recorded for many local businesses and organizations and composed music for 3D computer animations, videos, radio and TV commercials. Greg is also a multimedia author and web site designer. The video suite The Seasons in Photos and Music is an example of Greg’s multimedia work.

Greg prefers writing for dance and was commissioned to compose an instrumental suite for modern dance to celebrate Erie’s Bicentennial. Two of Greg’s tone poems were choreographed and performed at the Arts Festival by Sandra Brown (with Baryshnikov’s American Ballet Theater). The Arts Festival was also the site for the premiere of “Legend”, a tone poem based on an Eriez Indian legend of how the Peninsula was formed; choreographed by Christina Maria of Lake Erie Ballet.

Greg released three self-published CD’s of instrumental music for dance; “The Seasons,” in 1998, “In The Telling” in 2000 and “Grimsby,” a full length children’s ballet based on the book by Erie author Don McQuaid. The ballet was choreographed by Christina Maria, and performed at the historic Warner Theater in 2002.

Greg has been very active in the arts community, forming a program called “Computer Tools for Arts and Music” or “CTAM”, to expose/educate the community to the creative power of computers. He also developed “Festival of the Arts Computer Time” or “FACT”, at The Blasco Memorial Library. This is a hands-on environment, where children are exposed to creative software in a fun setting. FACT was expanded as a result of a grant from the Verizon Foundation. Greg’s newest is “The Art of Photography,” A day of lectures and demonstrations by top pros, sponsored by the venerable Erie Photography Club and presented at the Erie Summer Festival of the Arts.

Greg has become a prolific award-winning nature photographer, and new media artist, embracing the new
digital darkroom and digital art technologies. Past exhibits include two collaborations with professional photographer Art Becker at Glass Growers Gallery and multiple invitation only shows with Campbell Stonewall Gallery, NPAA and PASNWPA art organizations. Works were accepted in juried art exhibits for the Erie Arts Festival Panorama, where Greg received an Honorable Mention, Excellence Award, Gold Circle Award and Third Place. His work was accepted 16 years in a row for “In the Garden”, an annual show at Campbell Stonewall Gallery, where Greg received three Honorable Mentions.

More recently, Greg’s works were accepted in five Erie Art Museum Spring Shows and NPAA juried shows at the Erie Art Museum and Crary Gallery in Warren, Pa. in 2019 and 2020. Greg also received First Place in an invitation only show at Campbell Stonewall Gallery “The Essence of Art: Pattern and Color” in 2019.

Newer shows include a solo exhibit “Surrealectric – Intricate digital dreamscapes for the 21st century” at Glass Growers Gallery in 2022 and an invitation only show “Photography of the NPAA” at Mercyhurst University Cummings Gallery, in 2018. In 2019 Greg juried the Patricia S. Yahn Student Art Show at Penn State Behrend.

His work can be seen in multiple regional businesses, Glass Growers Gallery, D’ Hopkins Denniston Gallery, Marquette bank, Erie Federal Credit Union bank, and Flagship City Food Hall. Greg is a charter member, current membership chair and a board director of The Photographic Arts Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania (PASNWPA). Greg is also an active member and serves on the board as president of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association or NPAA.

09-22-22