Mr. John Zehnder

Musical Director/Photographer

Mr. Zehnder is celebrating his 42nd year at Trinity since joining the Theatre Department in 1978 as concertmaster for Guys and Dolls and becoming a faculty member in 1991. His list of credits is almost endless and includes touring the world as music director/tour manager/keyboards/vocals for 1960s legend Gary Lewis and the Playboys and being music director, keyboardist and vocalist with Louisville’s own Monarchs for over 26 years. He still performs with them on occasion. He was also the music director for the Archdiocese of Louisville’s cable television program, “Studio 19,” with Reed Yadon and Barbra Aubrey. Mr. Zehnder recently performed off-Broadway in the role of Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors and has performed on Royal Caribbean, M.S.C., Princess and Holland of America Cruise Lines for the past 10 years with fellow headliners from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. John is the former music director of the International Championship Louisville Thoroughbred Chorus and is still a member. He was the concertmaster for Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!; Liberace in Concert; Eddie Arnold in Concert; and keyboardist for Bowser from Sha Na Na; and Eddie Mecca (Carmine) from “Laverne and Shirley.” Additionally, he has worked with recording artists Eddie Holman, Ron Dante of the Archies, Dennis Tufano of The Buckinghams, Sonny Geraci of Climax, Billy J. Kramer and Gary U.S. Bonds. He was a touring music director and performer for Musicana Enterprises of Florida, the Scandinavian Seas cruise ship and an entertainer for Paramount’s Kings Island in Cincinnati. Mr. Zehnder has coached Miss America contestants and is a judge for many regional music contests. Mr. Zehnder also works with Actors Theatre of Louisville and has performed there in The Rocky Horror Show, Nunsense, Peter Pan, Once on This Island and Gone Missing with New York Troop (The Civilians). Additionally, he has worked with the Youth Performing Arts School, as well as many other schools in the Louisville area, and was the original musical director for the Iroquois Amphitheatre Players which later became Music Theatre of Louisville. Mr. Zehnder is a music director and vocal coach with Anchorage Children’s Theatre and Classic Melodies Performance Institute. Mr. Zehnder was co-founder and music director for Street Heat, an all-law enforcement officer rock-and-roll band, teaching Kentucky students about the dangers of drugs. A graduate of Kentucky Country Day School, Mr. Zehnder attended the University of Louisville School of Music. If all of this isn’t enough, Mr. Zehnder was a member of the Louisville Orchestra Board of Directors and just finished serving the citizens of Jefferson Co./Louisville as the 1st District Constable for the last 20 years. He graduated from the Kentucky Police Academy in 1999. In Mr. Zehnder’s spare time, he owns and operates Louisville Model Shots, a professional digital photography, videography and photobooth studio with his wife, Shannon.

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