Marc Zyla

Marc Zyla is the Executive Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. A passionate arts administrator, educator, and performer, he relocated to the Wheeling area in 2025 after serving as Director of Community Engagement at WVIK Quad Cities NPR. He also maintains an active performing career as Principal Horn of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2010. As a performer, Zyla has appeared as a soloist with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and American Wind Symphony Orchestra and made his New York City solo debut at the 2019 International Computer Music Conference. He has performed with ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, and numerous regional orchestras. Internationally, he has performed with the Philharmonie der Nationen in Germany and Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco in Mexico. Prior to joining the Wheeling Symphony, Zyla served as Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and later joined WVIK Quad Cities NPR, where he hosted the daily classical music program Allegro Molto. He has also taught at the University of Evansville, St. Ambrose University, and Augustana College. Zyla earned a bachelor’s degree in musical arts from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in horn performance from Carnegie Mellon University and completed doctoral coursework at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Marc and his wife, Rachel Price, reside in St. Clairsville, Ohio, with their beloved rescued cats and dogs.