Bio 

Zae Tinaza is a composer/improviser, sound instillation artist, classically trained singer, and multi-instrumentalist with an emphasis on voice, saxophone, and flute, with over 40 years of experience and practice and 23 years of extensive study with some of the world’s most renowned educators such as: Maestro James Toland, Bert Wilson, Mark Levine, Mel Martin, Dr. Francis Feldon, G.S. Sachdev, Mike McMullen and Maestro David P. Kyle who trained a handful of renowned singers including Ann Wilson of Heart, Geoff Tate of Queensryche, Chris Cornell and Layne Staley.

Zae attended American River College, Marin College, and Dominican University as well as week long master classes with the San Francisco Early Music Society and the Stan Kenton Orchestra as well as a master class with Flute master Robert Dick.  

Being a very versatile musician Zae has performed everything from classical music, opera, straight ahead and avant-garde jazz, folk, blues, soul, funk and progressive rock throughout his lengthy career. Zae has performed in small clubs, concert halls, theaters, as well as huge auditoriums such as the Marin Civic Center and the Crest Theater.  He has recorded, performed, shared the stage and participated in sessions with musicians as varied as:  Gail Muldrow from Sly and the Family Stone and Graham Central Station, Sam Andrews of Big Brother and the Holding Co., Elvin Bishop and his band, Terry Haggerty(Son’s of Champlin), Phillip Greenlief, Tom Weeks, Rent Romus, Ansley Dunbar, Frank Hannon, and Mike Varney to name a few.  

Zae was song leader from 1995-98 for the San Anselmo Baptist Church and was a 1996 recipient of the MayFlower Choral Society Scholarship fund for exhibiting exceptional musical talent.  Zae was involved with the Marin Opera Co. from 96-98.  His musical studies have fostered a deep interest also in intonation systems and microtonality, working with a 56 note scale, and he often combines so called disparate elements into his music.  In recent years Zae has been composing, recording and leading his band Mo’ Mod. Steps with renowned Washington musicians:  master drummer Alan Cook, guitar virtuoso and cymbal maker Ariel Calabria, and double Bassists Nick Rawson and Cooper Schiegel.