One of Ottawa’s most dynamic musicians
CBC
Zac Pulak’s enthusiasm for performing and the music he brings to audiences of all ages is boundless. The Ottawa-based percussionist has gathered awards, accolades, and a steady stream of invitations and commissions, with the CBC declaring Zac one of Canada’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30”. He has also been called “truly virtuosic and intense” (Confluence Concerts) and “above all, a melodist” (The WholeNote).
Recognized as “one of Ottawa’s most dynamic musicians” (CBC), Zac loves collaborating with other musicians. As a freelance percussionist, Zac has performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Ottawa, Thunder Bay, and Kingston, as well as numerous other local ensembles. Zac has also lent his sound to performances with artists and ensembles such as the Gryphon Trio, Bennewitz Quartet, theremin virtuoso Thorwald Jorgensen, sopranos Barbara Hannigan and Wallis Giunta, and more. A passionate and dedicated teacher, Zac inspires the joy of percussion playing with students at the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy, Centre d’excellence artistique d’Ontario, and University of Ottawa.
Zac is the co-founder of the piano/percussion duo SHHH!! Ensemble. Together with his partner Edana Higham they explore sonic worlds through a myriad of percussion instruments and piano. SHHH!! has released two albums to date: their debut album “Meanwhile” (2022, Analekta) was nominated for the East Coast Music Award’s “Classical Recording of the Year”, and the duo’s sophomore album, “ An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene” (2023, Leaf Music), received a five-star rating from La Scena Musicale, in addition to two ECMA nominations. SHHH!! tours extensively across Canada, appearing at festivals from coast to coast.
Zac is an artist/endorser of Sabian Cymbals. He studied at the University of Ottawa with National Arts Centre Orchestra percussionists Jonathan Wade and Kenneth Simpson, and privately with Beverley Johnston with the support of an Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Professional Development Grant.
… [Zac] created pyrotechnics with his mallets
Ludwig van Toronto
Recordings
Meanwhile (2022) is a celebration of big, bold sonority and is the result of four years of collaborations with some of Canada’s most creative voices. The music of Meanwhile is visceral and colourful, full of curiosity, wonder, and the drive to explore new sound worlds.
Composed by Frank Horvat, An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene (2023) presents a radical catalogue of our created world’s sounds. The listener is faced with echoes of our human-made environment, stripped bare of visual distractions, and taken on a journey of action and possibility.
Textile Fantasies (2022) is composer Monica Pearce’s debut full-length release and presents a series of keyboard and percussion-driven chamber works each paying homage to the form and feel of a specific textile. Zac (and SHHH!! Ensemble) is featured on the track leather.
Vestiges d’une fable (2024) celebrates composer Gabriel Dharmoo’s innovative artistic voice and highlights his contribution to Canadian contemporary music. This album of Dharmoo’s chamber music is the culmination of his collaboration as Creative Partner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra between 2021 and 2024. Zac is featured on the tracks “Moondraal Moondru” and the JUNO-nominated “the fog in our poise”.
Publications
Unlock your rhythm and creativity with this unique collection of duets. Designed for students at all levels, these versatile exercises develop pulse, reading skills, and rhythmic vocabulary, while leaving room for teachers to adapt and expand. Whether used in private lessons or classrooms these duets turn practice into playful collaboration, helping musicians of any instrument strengthen their rhythmic literacy. A fresh and flexible resource for teachers and students alike—happy duetting!