Zart Dombourian-Eby has been the principal piccoloist (Robert and Clodagh Ash Chair) of the Seattle Symphony since 1982. A native of New Orleans, she grew up playing flute, violin, and cello. She received her B.A. and M.M. from Louisiana State University and earned her D.M.A. from Northwestern University, where she studied with the legendary Walfrid Kujala. Her doctoral thesis represents the only extensive research ever undertaken on the piccolo in the nineteenth century.

Her career has included performances and masterclasses across Europe and in China, where she performed the first solo piccolo recital ever presented in that country. She has been a member of the New Orleans Pops, Baton Rouge Symphony, Colorado Philharmonic, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and has performed with the Chicago Symphony. She has taught at the University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University.

She was the founding editor of Flute Talk and has served on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Flutist Quarterly. She has served on the NFAs Board of Directors and a multitude of committees; has been featured as a soloist, presenter, and teacher at numerous conventions; was the Program Chair for the 40th Anniversary Convention (Las Vegas, 2012); and served as President from 2014 to 2016.

Her dedication to expanding the piccolo repertoire has resulted in numerous commissions, including works by Amlin, Schocker, Gyöngyösi, and Benshoof. (Many of these works appear on her solo CD, in shadow, light.) Her edition of the Vivaldi Piccolo Concertos was the first edition to present all three concertos together and was based on detailed study of facsimile manuscripts and related sources; it won the NFA’s Newly Published Music Competition in 2008.