Zachary Barger

A sought-after vocalist and performer in the Washington, D.C. area, baritone Zachary Barger has performed across the United States, including performances at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Arena Stage, the White House, Denver's Ellie Caulkins Opera House, and the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater. He has additionally performed abroad with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. at Bologna’s Arena del Sole as part of the 2023 Various Voices Festival.

In the 2025/26 season, Zac will be making his professional opera debut in L'Opéra Comique de Washington’s production of Varney’s Les Mousquetaires au Couvent as Rigobert. He will additionally be featured as a soloist in the Cantate Chamber Choir and Orchestra and Rock Creek Singers joint production of Craig Hella Johnson’s 2016 oratorio, Considering Matthew Shepard. For more on the upcoming season, please visit the Schedule page.

Zac has been singing and acting for more than 20 years, beginning with professional regional theater in Grand Junction, CO at age nine. Some favorite credits include Die Fledermaus (Strauss), Red, Hot & Cole (Porter), and Jamie in CMT’s The Last Five Years in concert.

Recent highlights include providing backup vocals for the band Guster’s NPR Tiny Desk concert; his concert soloist debut with the Arioso Chorale and Orchestra on Beethoven’s Mass in C Major; the mid-Atlantic region debut of A Peacock Among Pigeons (in which he played the fabulous Craig the Cardinal); and performing with GMCW at Carnegie Hall. His frequent appearances in the GMCW Cabaret program have been praised by critics, calling him a “standout” and “moving” performer (Maryland Theatre Guide).

Current engagements include GMCW, the Rock Creek Singers, and St. Augustine Episcopal Church in Southwest DC, where he serves as cantor. As part of his commitment to GMCW, he has founded the GMCW Chamber Series, including the Singers’ Salon and the Evening of Chamber Music, which seeks to provide solo and group performance opportunities to members of the chorus who may not get them otherwise. He is cofounder of Chiaroscuro, a low-voice ensemble that focuses predominately on early choral music. His efforts as co-chair of the chorus’ annual fundraising gala raised more than $1 million for the organization. He is a recipient of the Artistic Director’s Outstanding Musician award, and he was inducted into the GMCW Circle of Excellence in 2025.

Zac holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studied under Patrick Mason. Zac presently studies with the renowned bass Matthew Anchel. He earned an MPA from CU Denver and works as a budget analyst and performance improvement manager for the National Park Service. He is a hobby baker, lifelong film fan, and cat dad to Charles-François Claremont, who, despite being named after Gounod, prefers “Charlie.”

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