Charlie Zandieh began his cello studies at age 4 in New York with Alex Croxton, and at age 10 was accepted to The Juilliard School's Pre-College program under the tutelage of Clara Kim. At Juilliard Pre-College, Charlie won the Cello Concerto Competition two times, which led to subsequent performances with the Pre-College Orchestra and Symphony. 

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Charlie continued his studies at Juilliard for his Bachelor of Music degree and attended the Yale School of Music, where he learned from Paul Watkins of the Emerson String Quartet. 

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As a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician, Charlie has worked with a number of the world's leading artists, including Marin Alsop, Emanuel Ax, Gustavo Dudamel, David Finckel, Augustin Hadelich, Frans Helmerson, Manfred Honeck, Sir Antonio Pappano, David Shifrin, and Leonard Slatkin. He has also performed in many venues across the globe, including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and at the Barbican Centre with the London Symphony Orchestra. 

 

Charlie has recently been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and has recently started as a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra this 2026-27 season. Charlie plays on a cello by Matthias Neuner made in 1848.