Baker Artist Portfolios

Zane Forshee is a guitarist whose work bridges the disciplines of performance, pedagogy, and interdisciplinary research.

Forshee’s artistic collaborations have ambitious, partnering with figures as diverse as the choreographer danah bella, percussionist-composer Gene Koshinski, film composer Christian Biegai, and the polymath artist Wendel Patrick. His performances span the globe, from Madrid’s Palacete de Amezúa to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Zane’s most recent album, Valenciano: Guitar Works of Asencio, Esplá & Rodrigo, ascended to Number 1 on Amazon’s Classical Music Chart and reached Number 6 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover chart—an achievement that underscores his ability to bring fresh resonance to the Spanish guitar tradition.

Not content with the confines of the concert stage, Forshee has extended his influence into the realms of science and social impact. As a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of numerous awards—including grants from the Wigmore Hall Charitable Trust and the Maryland State Arts Council—he collaborated in a groundbreaking study with Johns Hopkins’ Department of Neurology on the effects of weekly guitar lessons on functional movement and well-being in Parkinson’s disease patients.

As the Marc C. von May Distinguished Chair of Professional Studies and the Director of Peabody LAUNCHPad at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, Forshee occupies a nexus where artistic excellence meets educational innovation.

But Forshee’s true calling may lie in his rare ability to embody the symbiotic relationship between artist and teacher. “As the old adage goes, those who cannot do, teach,” observed Baltimore City Paper. “Apparently Zane Forshee didn’t get the memo.” His music and mentorship